The key to owning a reliable website is in the hosting package you choose. A good hosting solution will provide your website with the backing it needs to flourish. Quite simply, you won’t be able to find success if you invest in the wrong solution. With all of the potential options on the market, it can be difficult to find what’s right for you. What do you need from a website hosting package, anyway?! Let’s find out.
Reliability
Arguably the most crucial part of any web hosting service is their reliability. You don’t want to be in a situation where your website suffers copious amounts of downtime. I once observed a company attempting to lure in a potential client with a website that refused to load because of hosting downtime. It looks incredibly unprofessional and could lose you that all-important sale. Ensure the company you choose is reputable and you shouldn’t have to worry about suffering from downtime.
Support
When issues do arrive (and believe me, they will), you need to be in a position to seek help. Some hosting companies are notorious for taking ages to respond to issues. Some don’t even respond at all! You need a way of solving the issue quickly, or at least understand what’s going on. Pick a company with a well-known reputation for providing excellent support to its customers. You might never need it, but you’ll be incredibly grateful for it when you do.
Storage
Although this is a fairly obvious consideration to mention, it’s important to think about storage. Most hosting options will come with different types of storage allowances. Think about how much content you intend to implement on your website, especially in the form of media like videos and images. If you pick the cheaper option but later find you need additional storage, you won’t be able to get the most out of your website. In some cases, you can upgrade if necessary in the future.
Accessibility
Some hosting companies don’t provide you with the ability to manage your content easily. While the majority will come bundled with a control panel to help you with this, that’s not always the case. Again, this is a simple task of analyzing reviews to ensure you’ll be given full control. The last thing you want is to implement a website which is incredibly difficult to manage and alter over time.
Mailboxes
You’ll be presented with a selection of mailbox options when picking a website hosting package. More mailboxes will cost additional money, so think about your realistic needs. Is it worth having unlimited email accounts to pass around the entire company? Could you make do with five or ten for the most important people in the business or hobby-related venture? Weigh up the pros and cons and make your decision.
A lot of website hosting packages come with the ability to register your domain there and then. Alternatively, if you’re looking to migrate, some hosting packages have tools in place for a smooth transition. Do your research in advance and pick the right solution to suit your needs.