Are you confused on web hosting? There are so many web hosting services being offered these days that the whole process of web design can be quite confusing. In this post, we will look at 10 of the most important concepts of web hosting so that you can make an educated decision on which one you should use.
What to Look for When Choosing a Web Hosting Plan
Take a look at the following components and concepts of web hosting and think about what your priorities are as you shop for a web hosting provider.
1. Understand the costs.– One of the misunderstood notions about web hosting packages is that the start-up costs for a web host are much less than what you’ll pay for the renewal. Domain renewal can be more expensive than the hosting plan so you should check both the domain renewal cost and the hosting cost per month.
2. Look into shared hosting plans.– Shared hosting plans are plans that allow you to have multiple domains that are hosted on one server without having to open a separate account. If you have a business that you plan to expand to include multiple websites with domains, you may want to look into shared hosting.
3. Look at email solutions.– If you plan to host your email accounts for your business with your chosen web hosting provider, understand what their policies are and how many emails and space you’ll have to use this function.
4. Cheaper is not necessarily better.– With the growing number of websites that are mushrooming up every day in the world, there is a huge supply of new web hosting companies. Some are offering extremely low monthly costs at the rate of $2.95 per month or less. This sounds appealing, especially if you are going to build several different websites on their platform. But remember that your price may go up substantially at the end of the trial period, and there may be other problems with the host that you are not aware of. Hosting is just one of the many costs associated with website, but it can also be one of the most affordable as well.
5. Choose a well-known brand when possible for hosting packages.– The best way to make sure you’re getting a quality hosting service is to go with a well-known hosting company such as Bluehost, Host Gator, or GoDaddy. Each of these services is unique, and they are offered at different prices. But they all have a reputation for offering exact features that you can count on that many website owners have found to be satisfactory. Check reviews for each company as you are making a decision.
6. Consider co-location of services.– Colocation of services is a concept in the technology world that allows you to put all of your services under one roof. There are times when this is highly advantageous because it allows you to pay your bill all in one place and manage your accounts under the same umbrella of services, as well.
7. Don’t duplicate services.– One mistake that some web owners make is to duplicate services. Check carefully to see what your domain service offers as well as what your web hosting provider offers to see if you have what you need. Don’t duplicate services such as email service or media storage if you already have a solution for that.
8. Test drive before buying.– One thing you can do if you want to try out different types of web hosting services is to test drive it first. Sign up for the trial that is usually offered to start a package then thoroughly check out all of the features to see if you like it well enough to subscribe.
9. Check their customer service– See what kind of issues the server has with other clients and how well they resolved the issues. Remember that technical problems are just part of the problems you’ll encounter when dealing with web hosting and design. But having 24/7 customer support is important when you do confront these issues. You need to keep customer downtime to a minimum so that you won’t lose customers. So check to see what their customer service is like before signing up. In addition to checking customer service and support information on a hosting site, you can also view these hosting reviews from 83 different site owners around the world.
10. Don’t fall for free extras.– When you are looking for a web host solution, be careful not to fall for the free extras that many companies offer. While some of these might seem to be a good incentive, such as $100 worth of AdWords or other perks, they are only worth it if you like the hosting provider. Purchasing a web service solely because of the free extras is a bad decision because you may find that the server does not do what you need to maximize your website.
These are some of the important concepts you should keep in mind when choosing a web hosting plan. Make sure that your content will be compatible with the server that you wish. If you have dynamic and rich content such as Flash videos or other media, it’s possible that it may not be compatible with all web hosts.
You also need to see if the host focuses on mobile-friendly and responsive web sites. It’s too important to make your site mobile-friendly to risk getting on a server that doesn’t optimize for mobile users.
For example, the webs.com server allows you to optimize your page for mobile users right on their site. This is a great tool to see if your site that you built on their server will be up to par when serving up your content to mobile customers.
Alternately, you can use the Google mobile optimization tool. But it’s important to know that your web hosting server will be compatible with mobile devices so that your mobile customers will be able to navigate around your site without issues.
One Note About GoDaddy.com
We thought we’d include one extra note about GoDaddy Hosting. They are not only a web host, but they also offer an auction platform where you can auction off domain names. Buy or sell domains that you own on their site to make extra money or to find a domain name for your websites. This is not a reason to join their hosting plan, but they do have a good reputation, and you can make extra money by buying and selling domains if you learn the tricks of the trade.
An Easier Solution
If you decide that you’d like to have your websites, hosting solution, and content all on one server, you can look into webdesignteam.com. That’s us. We are web designers, web hosting providers, and artists who can help you design, maintain and host your website all in one place.
We customize your web site the way you want it. If you don’t know what you want to do with your design, we can advise you on that, too. We can include the following languages and options with your website:
- HTML & CSS
- Responsive websites
- WordPress
- Joomla
- WooCommerce
Ask about our other services such as graphic design, 2D, and 3D animation, and infographics, to name a few. We simplify the process of creating a stunning website while offering you top-quality hosting at the same time. Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions. We’ll be glad to help you create a website that you’ll be proud of.
Contact us on our site at webdesignteam.com.