Any business that chooses to operate an online business should seek for the right hosting company. As you shop around for service providers, you will discover many companies offering hosting services. Therefore, it can prove overwhelming. It is very important to find a reliable company because you do not want to experience frequent downtimes.
The 500 and 404 errors likely to be experienced by online users when they access your site can translate to unnecessary inconveniences and significant loses of business. The factors to consider when choosing a web hosting company include:
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Space & scalability
Website hosting companies offer many services. However, the basic service is providing space on the World Wide Web. Therefore, the amount of bandwidth and space is an important requirement when choosing a host. Some of the hosting companies provide unlimited bandwidth. This is particularly important for websites or businesses planning to grow and to expand in the future.
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Reliability
It is very important to find a reliable company. Reliability can be determined from the degree of experience, backup & retrieval of data/information, up time percentage and other features. Unreliable companies pose a significant threat to your organization because they are known to provide unstable services. It is important to find a website hosting company that has many servers that are in constant maintenance.
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Speed
Online users prefer visiting sites that offer speed. The business website should be able to load within seconds, otherwise potential customers will move away, resulting in loss of business. Before purchasing a plan, it is important to ensure the hosting company uses high speed connection. This will allow the business website to show-up faster.
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Security
Fast loading is an important feature. However, you are unlikely to derive maximum benefits if the business website is not secure. Although a fast website often attracts traffic, a site that lacks important security features will cause many of the users to leave the website. Therefore, it is important to find a host company that has in place plans that provide high security for private and financial data transferred. You need to find a company that provides SSH and SSL security.
5. Control panel
A website hosting company plays an important role in providing solutions. However, some of the providers offer control panels that can be used by their clients to update or modify their websites on their own. They ensure the panel has an easy interface. This feature is important particularly when the hosting company cannot be contacted.
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Technical support
Technical support is critical in ensuring the success of the online business. Quality support ensures businesses get speedy resolutions when they encounter a technical problem. The hosting company should be able to offer convenient and high quality support services in order to resolve queries that may arise any time.
If you have a large website development project, you need to find a host that offers dedicated servers to host your website where no other business has ventured but for a little more money.
Editor’s Note: Daniel Anderson is a Web Designer. Furthermore, he enjoys blogging on various topical subjects in the industry and recommends important hosts like the ones here: http://dynaboot.com/dedicated/.
