Countless reasons remain behind the methodological approaches on how to choose a web host which could save your huge profit risk. Because, you want to get an economy host that has significant speed, security, control, support, and so on, all for your business-friendly experience.
Since your business plan is your business brain which includes domain name and precious content files. So, you need to keep the seed property in a secure server that grows faster as a fruitful business tree.
Anyhow, you have a chance to decide a host that provides you with significant business leverage. So that it can give you a complete peace of mind by nesting your entire business. And, you can pay your entire creative attention to the profit growth following your plan of business perspective.
In this article, I'll show you the approaches through some key factors that work behind the perfect selection process.
While you go ensuring your greater pros and properties, this checklist could help you to conduct your choosing appraisal for discovering the right host.
What is a Web Host?
Very shortly, the web host is a server that stores websites for online presence. Indeed, web hosting goes with the proper process of buying a rental space in a server to plant a website on the Web.
The applications or websites include some set of files that have to be stored or hosted on a server to make the sites visible or viewable.
And, web hosting is also known as a web host or hosting solution. It is an online business by a hosting company that provides technology and service to enable a site viewable on the world wide web or internet round the clock.
Why Choosing A Web Host Bears So Importance?
Your business installation online starts with the attempt of <domain> and hosting selection. It deserves ground-rooting importance, because:
(1) Server uptime
Your online business storefront needs to be live round the clock. So Server uptime does matter.
(2) Specific need
Choosing methodology might ensure who is the right player among a set of hosts listed according to your priority that generated based on your business size, sensitivity, and budget.
(3) Lifting capability
The right host can give your business a heavy lift for a better presence on the web.
(4) SEO Leverage
In terms of SEO benefits from better business visibility online, server quality, and overall service level that matter in user experience or real-time responsive presence online.
(5) Overcome Beginners' challenge
While you're starting your first website, Choosing the best web host from scratch might be challenging either. But winning over this challenge might lift your startup or small business to succeed.
(6) Asking potential provider
If you know the right factors of your choosing, it might be got easier to ask your potential providers. It will help you rank their offers to make your option.
(7) Get rid of sufferings
A smart appraisal of the potential hosting services can help you to avoid suffering like slower server, downtime suffering, support struggle, site damage from hacking, and so on.
However, here are twelve key factors that I'm showing you how to select the appropriate web host that your business deserves.
How To Choose A Web Host: 12 Key Factors
1. Hosting Type
Selecting a hosting type might be a crucial factor in terms of choosing the right way out of multiple choices.
This choice may keep your business far ahead of competitors in terms of speed, security, and controllability on operating your site with a more profit-friendly eco-system.
1.1. Choosing Operating System: Windows or Linux
Your choice of OS that matters. Linux hosting is convenient in terms of some benefits such as price-worthy option, operation flexibility, optimized stability, and unlimited freedom of customization.
On the other hand, Windows OS is most preferred to the larger firms whereas they emphasize licensed software and data privacy for the corporate users.
You'd choose whether Linux or Windows that depends on your pre-planned requirement that covers all needs of your business.
1.2. Host Category: Shared, Dedicated, or Cloud Hosting
This is crucial to determine an appropriate hosting server category whether shared, dedicated, VPS, or cloud hosting is the best fit or not.
In this regard, make sure you're familiar with the differences among these categories for the right decision.
Shared Hosting:
Shortly, shared hosting server space you have to be shared with multiple websites regarding various resources such as bandwidth, memory location, disk space, and so on.
This is the best option for small bloggers, web-show case display, personal port-folio profile, moderate traffic benefits, etc.
Shared hosting is easy to use, cheaper, and needn't know technical knowledge to operate. For instance, Namecheap, Greengeeks, or BlueHost might be your great choice for a shared hosting plan.
Dedicated Hosting:
Using a dedicated hosting server that allows freedom of your choice on modules, languages, and MySQL database.
A Company that needs these specific resources that are dedicated to its interest can choose a dedicated hosting server.
The online marketplaces, eCommerce stores, or social networks need these resources for lots of traffic inflow. Dedicated hosting helps you to admin autonomy with optimal performance and advanced security.
Cloud Hosting:
Cloud hosting is literally about the same as VPS, just differs in terms of distributed server connection.
Whereas VPS is connected with a physical single server, cloud hosting relies on several interconnected virtual and physical cloud servers. It hosts the websites ensuring greater flexibility security and stability.
Cloud hosting is the latest technology for hosting solutions for all sizes of businesses online. It delivers service that allows top-level security, performance, and real-time hosting solution for businesses.
It has profound benefits in terms of on-demand resources and flexible scalability in hosting management.
Here's a clear comparison table below that can fid the exact difference between dedicated hosting and cloud hosting for better understanding:
Shared vs Cloud hosting state. Source: Cloudways.com
For instance, Cloudways is fast growing cloud hosting solution platform.
Cloudways is deeply rooted with the world's famous brand servers like AWS, Google Cloud, Digital Ocean, Vultr, and Linode for bonafide services.
Since everyone has no easy way to get affordable service from those bonafide sources, Cloudways has made it easy for reaching affordable service to all sizes of businesses.
Cloud Hosting is the best choice to start a new eCommerce business.
Most importantly, cloud hosting has three major extra benefits than other hosting types:
- Easy to scale server resources
- No downtime at all
- No risk of data loss, and so on.
1.3. Areas of Specialization: WP or Non-WP: Joomla, Drupal, and so on
Your business website deserves a specialized platform like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal according to your business requirements and your preference as well.
There are about half centuries of specialized areas for your option to choose accordingly. About every bonafide hosting solution has effective support to host your site with their service.
2. Speed Performance
Speed is all in all for a business site. Before selecting a host, it's crucial to investigate the authentic info regarding server speed that they provide.
The factors such as server technology, location, caching, scalability, and mobile capability matter in the overall performance of a host with significant speed for site loading.
Make sure your host company provides information that leads your hosting solution significantly.
2.1. Server Technology Including Resources
Server resources and power-playing technology are considered vital factors that make hosting performance reliable.
Here are the major key elements; make sure the power of each one goes with a minivan standard of requirement while you go choosing a service:
Server Environment
Make sure the hosting resource environment is dedicated to maximizing server and App performance.
Considering all the limitations of shared hosting, a dedicated environment could allow you to boost server and app performance at its apex.
SSD-Based Hosting
SSD hosting matters in speed to cost. Because SSDs are superior and latest tech-product that helps provide less heat and cooling requirement is less with sustainable service that lasts longer.
PHP7 Ready Servers
Let your choice get preferences with the PHP 7 runtime supports. So that it could act with the latest stable release of the version such as PHP 7.2 to PHP 7.4 which is specified in your app.yaml file.
It's required in terms of getting the new patch release versions faster that are automatically updated through App Engine, but not the minor versions.
WP-Cache Plugin
Make sure the hosting service includes a pre-installed WordPress Cache Plugin for better performance.
Auto-Healing Managed Cloud Servers
While investigating cloud hosting, make sure the provider has an auto-healing managed server that helps to protect your website from crashing.
This allows the issues within the server will get resolved automatically while restarts.
Pre-configured PHP-FPM
PHP-FPM leverages to boost the speed of the website and faster the loading times within your PHP environment.
Servers Supported with HTTP/2
The best quality hosting providers can support your site with servers that are HTTP/2 enabled. Because it can boost the communicational speed between servers and clients.
Available Scripting Language Version
Make sure that cPanel based server management has the latest versions of Python and Ruby installed on the server that help to speed up the site's presence.
Whether Redis Enabled
Let your cloud hosting service is supported with Redis which boosts the database performance. It enables to combine with Apache, Varnish, and Nginx whoever together plays a role to increase outstanding performance.
2.2. Server Location
Server location is a major factor in terms of faster content available to the end-users. While the hosting server is located enough closer to the users, they can expect prompt data transfer speed.
So, a closer server means the quicker presence of the web content to the users.
Server location matters while CDN support is absent.
In this regard, Content Distribution Network (CDN) helps to solve the distance issue for faster content delivery. So, if you're far out of the hosting server location, make sure your hosting provider enables CDN service with the offer.
2.3. Scalability
Scalable hosting is an important factor for growing businesses that might need increased features from the service providers. It allows increasing storage, bandwidth, disk space, or other limited resources urgently to improve the capability.
Scalability feature also includes mobile capability that enhances users' range due to the better hosting service.
3. Security Practice
Security first is determined by server-level firewalls, SSL, security patching, TFA system, DDoS protection, and regular backup system. These factors overall or separately play an important role to decide on service while you consider:
3.1. Server Level firewall
Data security first! Image credit: Pixabay-com
Server-level firewalls have a vital role in data security. The main purpose of the firewall is to keep out unwanted network connections and boost the free flow of real traffic.
So, make sure your provider's servers are protected by operating-system-level firewalls that filter out unwanted traffic.
3.2. Single-Click Free SSL
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. An SSL certificate is an essential digital proof that verifies a website's individuality and assures an encrypted link.
This is crucially needful because the nature of information you send on the networks is moved from one computer to another computer to reach the targeted server.
So, make sure your hosting provider offers an SSL-trusted certificate that develops website security. And the trusted certificate can meet the complete HTTPS requirements for free, and it's possible to install within one click.
3.3. Regular Security Patching
Regular security patch management is a vital affair to protect against any potential cyberattack. It fixes vulnerabilities that were generated by any software and applications.
So that your site could be safe from further security risks.
In this regard, you might ask your potential hosting provider whether they perform regular operating system patches on the server.
3.4. Two-Factor Authentication
Two Factor Authentication (aka 2FA) is one of the best security practices to stop further broad force attacks.
2FA works as an extra layer of surefire protection that ensures the security of web accounts thereafter the login attempt with username and password.
Although it's a common practice, let your provider assure you that they also have this security feature. It'll allow only real you to prove your identity following some way to gain final access.
3.5. DDos Protection
Let you know whether your hosting will run with DDoS protection provided by the hosting company.
This works by a special system of algorithms with advanced software technology that monitors incoming traffic flow to the website. This technique allows only legitimate traffic used to pass through the filter to your website.
3.6. Backups Service (Automated Backups)
There are some bitter reasons you need backups of your website resources.
Such as human err, updates trouble, loss of data, malware infections, hackers attack, and so on. Only backups can help you to protect your site content restoring from the secure store.
Since regular backup provides top-level assurance to restore the site quickly, look for a hosting plan that allows you automated backups.
4. Freedom of Choice
Do you have the freedom to make your choices? If so, how much? A small to medium all size of businesses need to be assured this factor before choosing a hosting provider.
Freedom of choice makes it easy to reset the required form of hosting state that allows the best productivity of the website plan. Make sure the hosting provider enables the least limitations over essential changes based on the present situation in the future.
This might be required an alternative host, upper-quality resource usage, server storage extension, vertical scaling, Global presence, and/or anything else.
The flexible option that enables you to jump on the upgraded plan or technical leverages is one of the great factors to choose your hosting provider.
5. Team Collaboration
Especially startups, small businesses, or companies need a host that enables a flexible working environment for collaborative teams and their smooth workflow to achieve their business goal.
Thus you too might have a distributed business project that includes few or many team members who are located in different global places.
Then, the team deserves collaborative actions that run on a real-time smooth workflow.
Image: Credit to Anna Shvets, pexels-com
That's why quality team collaboration comes to the prime factor list for choosing an appropriate host that provides features that can meet the goal.
For instance, Cloudways provide high-profile features, such as Git integration, one account but multiple teams, team member inclusion, SSH and SFTP Access, multi-site projects, transferring ownership of the server, staging environment and URLs, also WordPress Migrator Plugin, and so on.
6. Controllability
Make sure the hosting provider has enough user-friendly cPanel or alternative controlling platform, your significant chance to upgrading a new hosting plan, the scope of new domain insertion, editing scope of .htaccess for technical SEO, and further transferability of websites.
While choosing a host, ask your provider whether they enable the user interface that provides good controllability:
(1) Is there an easy User Interface (UI) that includes all-controlling applications and servers.
(2) Does the host provide Controllability on WP websites using preinstalled WP-CLI.
(3) Is there a Comprehensive cPanel Experience or alternative controlling platform.
(4) Do they have available scope to upgrade the new plan for a better opportunity.
(5) Does the host allows inserting new domain
(6) In terms of SEO or technical needs, is it available to edit .htaccess
(7) Whether flexible to transfer existing sites
(8) Option that allows you to control several server parameters and upgrade packages
(9) Whether there are single-click backups and restore opportunity
(10) Option to stop application usage with just a single click. And so on,
Thus, numerous other essential things that come under easy controllability for better UX. You must need to consider comprehensive controllability as an impact player in terms of changes in the business over time.
7. Server-Apps Integrity
While your business will run on various media and channels, make sure prospective hosting servers have the ability to provide you with enough integrated add-ons and other web services in the place. This is crucial while things come to the cloud hosting services.
Most specifically, the following media or channels come for instance, and deserve higher integrity for the overall productivity of the hosting service you will choose:
(1) Chatbots- such as Stack, HipChat, and so on - for real-time notifications.
(2) SMTP Add-on - configuring for email delivery from your server.
(3) API - for control the platform integrating servers and apps for development and management.
(4) DNS Service - integrated with an add-on.
(5) Migration add-on, Support ad-on, app upgrade add-on, and so on.
In terms of securing all add-ons and service apps within an integrated platform, you must keep querying or taking their trial period for satisfaction.
8. Monitoring Server
Server monitoring matters in an ideal hosting service for finding the solution in real-time. Make sure the company you will host they monitor the server round the clock.
“Server monitoring” means, the task of observing the performance of a server's operating system resources to avoid further exhaustion. The key elements of watching include CPU usage, memory consumption, the capacity of the network, I/O, activity levels of the network, and disk usage.
In terms of maintaining the server health quite stable and secure with undisrupted regular performance, server monitoring is essential by the system administrators.
The continuous tracking on the hosting server's operating resources, responsiveness, error rates, or bottleneck situations could help to identify the issues for troubleshooting.
So, let you know how regularly they track, review, remedy, and prevent the potential issues for a healthy server that gives you peace in mind.
9. Support Quality
How much fluid is the support system to find a real-time solution using contacts such as live chat, phone, online ticketing, tech support, and so on? This is another factor to be investigated through research on the potential service providers.
More specifically, measuring the support quality is so vital to pick out the right provider. Here are the support line to figure out the essential paths from futurist hosting providers and review sites around the web:
9.1. 24/7/365 Live Chat
How much time the prospect host takes to respond, And how much easy or simple is their solution standard that matter in service quality.
9.2. Online Ticketing
Figure out how fast is their ticket response. And whether it's their common practice or not.
9.3. Enhanced SLAs
Availability of service level agreement (aka SLA) which could advance your support for quality hosting benefits.
9.4. Apps-level Issue Solution
In case, solution of any trouble that generates issues might be with the plug-in, server errors, your database or email add-on, and performance optimization. Ask the host how they practice these issues.
9.5. Application Monitoring Quality
Let you know how the hosting company arrange to investigate your server problem or bottleneck situation.
9.6. Server Customization
Make sure if the server configuration or customization is needed how they take to attempt to solve this.
Whether the hosting provider's door is open to help deploy PHP, caching configurations, or help to change the server configuration as well.
9.7. State of Refund Policy
How generous the prospective company is in terms of refund policy is the symbol of corporate culture to understand their lift.
Because, in case you might get the service quite unmatchable with your desired package of service that your business deserves. Then, this policy might help you revert without wasting time.
10. Range of Additional Resources
Make sure whether the host has flexible ways to get additional resource support such as developers' access, email preference, domain registration system, and so on.
10.1. Domain Registration
The leverage of domain registration from the single hosting place is pretty expected. It can save time and effort to build own business umbrella for growing faster.
10.2. Email Preference
Make sure the host has enough scope to provide you with email preferences in terms of taking advantage of email marketing using the same host and same domain.
It might be a separate email server provided by the same host but has comprehensive integration.
10.3. Developers Access
Often hosting systems might require developing any application or area for a better experience. Developer access might be essential anytime. So, this is crucial to provide resources that allow easy access to fix the things within the required area.
10.4. Managed Migration Service
Anytime for any reason, you might need to transfer your existing site to a new hosting server. Let you know from the hosting provider whether they have significant resource support to succeed in the transfer.
Thus, knowing and understanding the range of resource support might be one of the major factors for your hosting preference.
11. Price and Real Cost
How much does a web hosting service cost? And how much should you pay? This is essentially a prime factor that impacts your service size and quality as well.
The pricing policy of a hosting company is the foremost factor to determine the host for usage. It should be competitive and affordable to your business. You need to make sure there's no hidden cost associated with the charges.
Determining a hosting charge depends on your size of dedicated resource plan and perspective of gradually business-enhancement over the future requirement. Also, pricing matters on the service type you prefer such as shared, VPS, dedicated, or cloud hosting package.
Accordingly, you need to do your in-depth research to uncover reasonable pricing offers from top-notch service providers. Let you care about your objectives of the hosting solutions so that the offer can maximize its service for you and simultaneously minimize your hosting cost.
Here are two types of pricing tables by world-class hosting leaders you can take a look to follow your pricing comparison subject to feature quality:
(A) Pricing Table: Shared Hosting Comparison
Shared hosting offer comparison by some topnotch providers. Offers are Starter plan for first year, then renewal price per month but bill annually:
Host | 1st Year | Renewal | Starter Plan | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hostinger | $1.39 | $2.99 | SingleShared | |
Namecheap | $1.58 | $2.88 | Stellar | |
DreamHost | $2.59 | $2.59 | Starting | |
GreenGeeks | $2.49 | $2.49 | Lite | |
BlueHost | $2.59 | $9.99 | Basic | |
FastComet | $2.59 | $9.95 | FastCloud | |
A2Hosting | $6.99 | $10.99 | Startup | |
SiteGround | $3.99 | $14.99 | Startup |
(B) Pricing Table: Cloud Hosting Comparison
Cloud hosting offer comparison among some top providers on the web.
Offers are Starter plan for first year, then renewal price per month but bill annually:
Host | 1st Year | Renewal | Starter Plan | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cloudways | $12.00 | $12.00 | DO1GB | |
Hostinger | $9.99 | $18.99 | CloudStartup | |
DreamHost | $4.50 | $4.50 | Object Storage | |
FastComet | $47.95 | $59.95 | Cloud1 | |
SiteGround | $100.00 | $100.00 | JumpStart | |
Namecheap CloudStorage | $4.80 | $8.88 | St. Business |
Pricing list on the Starter Plans have born on present price by Hosting Providers can help you while your requirement is limited. Pricing maybe changed based on events or festivals according to providers strategy and policy.
You could reveal a transparent and workable pricing plan through your adequate check-up considering all the potential offers in the market. Needn't be forgotten that it must be revealed subject to quality features that embrace your actual requirement.
12. Business Friendliness
Make sure the simplicity, how easy to use the service in terms of standard compliance, feedback chances, specific business friendliness such as e-commerce, and so on.
12.1. How Easy to Use The Service
Easy to use and simple matter in choosing a host for the starters. So, it's a great factor of business friendliness that must deserve your attention.
12.2. Standard of Compliance
This feature is required for credit card companies in terms of secure transactions. They need to make online transactions protected against identity theft.
According to the PCI Compliance Security Standard Council, if any merchant wants to get credit card data processed, stored, or transmitted, they need to be PCI compliant.
12.3. Feedback Facility
This is obviously, let you know the potential hosting company has easy to provide feedback regarding their service quality. It might be seen in some companies who frequently ask you to provide feedback after each issue you'll get solved.
12.4. How Much E-commerce Friendly
E-commerce is the widest sector in the business industry. It might differ in size or feature, but every e-commerce needs a hosting service that should be smoother, undisrupted uptime, and sustainable service for the client deal.
Conveniently cloud hosting might be the friendliest solution for the e-commerce business today - all it requires is to take time for uncovering the fact.
12.5. B2B Mega Platform
B2B platforms mediate the businesses among business parties that also deserve a loyal service from a top-notch hosting company. Friendly support is essential for many reasons such as data security, real-time support on any issues if arise.
12.6. Startup Businesses
Startup businesses are growth-sensitive and promising to their company mission for dedicating their efforts to boosting business growth.
It needs a hosting service that doesn't disrupt their attention to the main job due to unexpected hosting issues. So, ensure the host that goes with your significant startup-friendly needs.
12.5. Small Business Friendliness
Since small businesses are at the heart center of the USA business industries, it deserves a hosting service according to its friendly dealing features. Who is the best friendly service in the competitive market, it will be according to the business-host eco-system quality?
12.8. Other User Types
There are numerous other user types in the business industry. Such as B2C Deal, B2G company, Financial Services, Business Bloggers, various agencies, and Niche Bloggers.
Also, Personal Bloggers, Solopreneurs, Serial Entrepreneurs, SaaS Companies, Healthcare Services, Home Businesses, Marketing Consultants, Professional Freelancers, Mentor or Coaches Gaming Industries and so on.
All the user types differ in their demand subject to hosting size and quality. If you're not happy with the declared features and commitment by the potential hosts, you need to go trial.
A trial hosting might help you discover the best friendly hosting company for your peaceful business nest.
Recap of the deciding factors in Infographics
Last Words
The factors on how to choose a web host are integrated format to filter a hosting provider's state of quality. The best web hosting service always keeps you in peace of your mind for business.
According to that format, making your goal is set, all you need to fix the aforesaid factors step by step - considering first things first. Let you follow not only your instinct, get experts' opinions too learning the factors intuitively.
Finally, you have the chance to take the refund policy or trial offer by the generous but intuitive hosting companies. It'll help you get a sustainable hosting solution that works.
If you like this article, please share your friends or community circle to aware of the factors.
