When you own your own business, you have to plan ahead to ensure years of successful operation. One of the first steps is choosing a web hosting company that will work with you for years to come. A good web hosting company can make all the difference when it comes to running your business and staying ahead of the curve. In this article, we look at some helpful tips to follow when switching web hosts.
Choose a reputable company
You can’t choose a good web hosting company based solely on price. There are plenty of cheap web hosts out there, but you get what you pay for. A good hosting company will have excellent reputation and a great track record. Ask any friends or colleagues who host with the company you are considering and ask for their feedback.
If a company is new to the hosting scene, they may not have the same track record yet. On the flip side, a company with a long history may not be as innovative as they were in their earlier years. Regardless, a reputable hosting company will have excellent customer support. They will be able to answer any questions you have and help you get set up.
Avoid giant hosting companies
While large hosting companies can offer fantastic discounts, they also take on thousands of customers at a time. As a small business owner, you will likely only need a few hosting accounts. For example, if you run a one-person accounting firm, one hosting account would suffice. The same is true if you only have a couple of employees at a small business. The exception might be if you have a huge ecommerce website that requires massive amounts of server power.
If you have a very small business, you might also be able to find a special deal with a big hosting company. To find these deals, sign up with a number of different hosting companies as a client and see which one offers you the best deal.
Test your website while hosting is active
Your hosting provider should allow you to test your website during the first 30 days of hosting with them. This approach allows you if any problems are with your website or if your hosting provider is providing poor service.
You should also make sure your hosting provider has a good uptime rate. Uptime refers to how often your hosting provider is able to keep your website online. A hosting provider that has an 80% uptime rate should be fine. The hosting company you choose should be able to write-off any downtime they experience due to natural disasters, power outages, or any other reason.
Choose a smaller hosting company
Big hosting companies have a lot of competition and can often offer great deals. If you can find a smaller hosting company, the cost should be much more competitive. Smaller hosting companies will have fewer customers, making it easier to get answers to your questions.
As a business owner, you will learn a lot from hosting with a smaller company. You will get a feel for how things work and what is required to keep your hosting account running smoothly. With a big hosting company, you will have less flexibility to do things your way.
Know what you need from your hosting provider
One of the keys to choosing a good hosting provider is to know what you need from your hosting provider. This will vary from business to business, but here are a few things you will want to keep in mind.
Uptime rate : You want a hosting provider with an above-average uptime rate. If your hosting provider fails to keep your website online, your business is severely impacted. A hosting provider with an 80%+ uptime will provide a crucial level of reliability.
Backups: You want a hosting provider that offers backups. Since your website is a reflection of your brand, you don’t want to risk losing your website or any critical data stored on it. A hosting provider that offers backups will provide peace of mind.
Bandwidth : You need a hosting provider that has enough bandwidth to handle your website’s page load times. Your hosting provider should be able to provide enough bandwidth for you to scale up in the future.
Customer support: You want a hosting provider with great customer support. If you need help with anything, you want it to be a phone call or email away from getting answers.
Conclusion
The secret to choosing a good web host is to choose a reputable hosting company with excellent customer support, a good uptime rate, a reliable backup, and plenty of bandwidth. Avoid giant hosting companies, use a smaller hosting company, and test your website during the first 30 days you host with that company. Finally, make sure you know what you need from your hosting provider and what they are capable of providing.
If you follow these tips when switching web hosts, you will be well on your way to hosting with a reputable company and enjoying great service for years to come.