If you have a website, you likely have heard of “web hosting”, without the first clue of what that is. Here’s a simple explanation: when a company offers use of their servers so that others can make a website and “host” it there, that company is a web host and that service is “web hosting”. Keep reading to find out how you can select a good web hosting service.
Switch web hosts if an outage lasts for more than a day. Even if the host explains why the server is down, the most likely reason is that the host did not invest enough into back up plans as far as outages are concerned. Any truly professional web hosts will have ensured that outages will be short and infrequent.
If you are looking for a hosting company for your business, avoid going with free web hosts. A free web host will likely place ads on your site, which causes you to lose valuable traffic. A staple of any good online business is the amount of visitors you get to your site. The last thing you want is your free web host to steal away all your traffic.
Choose a hosting service that allows you to instantly and easily view your web statistics. You will want to know things such as how many people are visiting your website and what pages they are viewing. You can even find out how long they stayed on your site, and what search words they used to find you. These can be important in the long run, so use a server who has these tools.
Consider how much downtime the web host will have when looking for one. These downtimes vary from 10% to .000001%. This means that there could be hours of downtime per week or as little as seconds. Select a host with the lowest amount of downtime that you can find.
It’s often the case that web hosting services are actually a middle step provider getting their services from a larger host. These types of companies purchase a bulk quantity and then resell it. Figure out which data center your site will be located in and buy hosting from the cheapest provider using that data center.
If you want to have an e-commerce website, look for a host that offers this specific kind of service. Other services might not have the same security features. E-commerce features might be a little more costly, but they will allow you to create a site that looks professional and can support the kind of traffic you need.
Considering using a dedicated server in order to improve your web hosting service. This type of server allows you to have more storage space, bandwidth and security. Your customers will get exactly the experience they hope to when they visit your site. Keep in mind that a happy customer is one that will probably come back.
A web host supplies the server where the website owner can upload the data necessary for their site. Reading the above article should have illuminated some of the nuances involved in choosing a web host. As a consumer, your purchasing power should be harnessed with knowledge and expertise, so continue to educate yourself!