Reasons Why Choosing A Good Web Host Is Key
A business is only as strong as its weakest link, and this can often be the web host for its site. If you’re not a programmer by nature, all of the fancy words and directories can get confusing at times. Frequently, when there are too many confusing choices, we just pick any old thing. As fun as this may sound, this article will put an end to that overwhelming confusion.
Website Hosting
Considering using one of the many free website hosting services out there for your site? Be especially diligent in backing up your files, because most free hosts do not provide that service. That is just part of the price of saving money on website hosting. You’ll need to keep a full backup yourself to get your site back up if anything happens to cause it to disappear.
Choose a hosting service that can offer you enough space for your website to grow. An HTML page takes very little space, but adding pictures or videos will need a lot more space. In most cases, 100 megabytes is sufficient to allow for extensive development of your website.
You’ll have to back up your data before posting it to a hosting service. Most services require you to do this. This is critical, not only for the sake of compliance, but also for you to have a copy of vital data that you solely manage. Your site will be fully protected if you take the time to back it up locally.
Use caution when considering web hosting packages that offer unlimited services. For instance, if you’re offered unlimited disk space, the caveat might be that not all file types are included. Also, infinite bandwidth might be considered to be tiered payment plans. Be sure to read the fine print and know what “unlimited” means in terms of your plan.
Know that many web hosts use Linux, but Windows is used extensively as well. In effect, this requires you to learn the features of nuances of each platform. Linux is usually much cheaper to use than Windows, and could result in lower monthly rates for your site.
Choose a web hosting company that is dedicated to clear and open communication with customers. You want hosts that interact with users to ensure they can resolve any issues that will cause downtime. You also need to have the ability to contact them if you need help.
Be wary if a web host charges an unreasonably low price for service. While you’ll no doubt be tempted by their low prices, you should also realize that they often translate to low quality services. They either have a risky business model, or they are cutting corners in a way that will end up affecting you and your website.
You also want to ensure that your web hosting company is connected in multiple ways to the Internet. This will ensure that your website will remain online if one of their connections is suddenly dropped. Speak with the company and confirm that they have redundant connections and that every single one has a decent level of bandwidth for ensuring that your website will stay online despite any problems that may occur on their end.
Be sure you can contact your host various ways if you have issues. Look for companies that offer a variety of mediums for customer support needs around the clock. This saves you many headaches if something happens.
You should now have sufficient knowledge to at least understand the terminology, and be able to recognize both the good and bad features of a web page hosting company. Even if you are already locked into a website hosting agreement, you can inform your IT person and prepare to move your site to a better hosting service once your current contract expires.