When it comes to creating a website, one of the most important decisions you will make is choosing a good web host. Hosting is the backbone of your online presence and can be the difference between success and failure.
With so many web hosting providers available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. In this blog post, we will discuss what makes a good web host and provide you with some key factors to consider when making your decision.
Excellent 24×7 Customer Support
No matter how good your web host is, there will be times when you need help.
Good web hosts will offer 24/7 customer support via phone, email, or chat. They should have a knowledgeable and responsive support team who can quickly resolve your issues. Many top hosts will have local call centres which can be extremely beneficial compared to offshore call centres.
Most hosts will help you migrate an existing site free of charge or help set everything up for you if you’re starting from scratch.
Local Servers
Choosing a host who has servers closest to the intended target audience for the best performance is one of the major factors which should help you narrow down which company to go with. Many large international brands may not host in you’re local country but rather from overseas.
If hosting overseas, be certain you meet your privacy and jurisdiction requirements. You can find more information on this topic in the article What Country Should I Host My Website In?
Modern Reliable Servers
Website speed and performance are critical factors when choosing a web host. Visitors expect a website to load quickly, and if it takes too long, they will likely move on to another website. Ensuring your host is using modern equipment is a good check to perform.
Any hosting plan will exclusively only use SSD or NVMe disks, for modern websites this has become essential to ensure quick page loading. ,
Downtime can lead to a loss of visitors, revenue, and even damage to your website’s reputation. A reliable web host will ensure that your website is always up and running smoothly.
Read over the SLA (Service Level Agreement) to verify what Uptime Guarantees they offer. The industry standard is 99.99% uptime guarantee calculated over the month which equates to ~4 minutes a month or just under 1-hour downtime a year.
Flexible Transparent Plans
As your website grows, you will need a web host that can scale with your needs. A good web host will offer flexible hosting plans that allow you to upgrade or downgrade as needed.
Important specifications to check are
- Disk space: Beware of of hosts that offer ‘unlimited disk space’, there is often a catch and restrictions like maximum mailbox sizes
- Bandwidth: Most providers now offer unlimited bandwidth, if yours does not be mindful as the site grows to ensure this limit is not reached
- Email Accounts: Number of mailboxes, the maximum mailbox size
- Inclusions: Backups, SSL Certificates, Malware Scanning
Keep in mind that the cheapest option may not always be the best one. It’s worth paying a little more for a reliable and secure web host that offers excellent value for money. As a rough guide, a good web hosting package for a moderate size WordPress site will cost between $10-15 a month.
Many providers will offer a 30 day money back guarantees for you to test drive the service and ensure it meets your requirements.
Security Focused
Keeping intruders out of your website and mailboxes is essential.
A good web host should provide a range of security features including:
- Hardware Firewalls and Anti DDoS protection
- Daily Malware scanning
- Complimentary SSL certificates
- Daily Backups
Positive Reviews
Every web host will say they are the best! Before signing up take a read over what existing customers are experiencing and how the company responds to customer concerns.
Good places to check include
- Google Reviews and Ratings
- TrustPilot: Verified customers and normally a high-quality of review
What do you look for in a good host and what experiences have you had? Let us know in the comments below