When it comes to your website, having a good relationship with the web host always makes a difference. It is important for establishing a fully functional website. It is crucial to keep it in mind that even though you are the client, it is still an obligation to abide by the terms and conditions put forth by the hosting company. In order to prevent any confusion it is essential to research on the hosting packages. Here are some very helpful points that are worth considering before you sign up with any web hosting company and some crucial information in terms of what you can do if you have already hosted your website.
Price is not the only factor
Look beyond the price tag. In most of the cases you will get whatever you pay for. Even an affordable web hosting service can be of be top-quality and it can be appropriate for the small websites, but at times the service might be very poor and you might get off with a bad start. Have a look at the features offered in the hosting package.
Preferably even if you are close to getting convinced with any web hosting plan, hold the decision for sometime. With some research there are possibilities of getting a better package with a better technology and price. Make it a thumb rule to compare the different web hosting packages you come across. You will notice the fact that by paying some extra money, you will get great hosting features that will be worth the price.
Some essential features to look for
- Complete Domain Control
- Free SSL Installation
- 24 / 7 Technical Support
- Powerful Control Panel Options
- Unlimited Email Accounts
- Easy Upgrades
Uptime – It really matters
It is not possible to be aware of your website uptime in advance, but it is important to know the statistics. Have a look at the websites that offer the information on these numbers if they are not provided by the web hosting company. The most ideal hosting solution would be one that provides with 100% uptime, but at times the surety of uptime cannot be predicted. The industry standard in terms of uptime is 99.9% uptime, this goes on to say that the downtime must be around eight hours over one year. If you notice hour- long breaks, it is the right time to either make a change in the web hosting package or the web hosting provider. The social media websites are great platforms for understanding the authenticity and market standing of any company, find your web hosting provider and follow them, see what kind of activities are carried on by them. If there is any downtime or grid, it is immediately communicated through the social media websites. Twitter is one of the common social media websites used for this purpose.
Understand Your Server
Shared Hosting Platform
In case you have hosted the website on a shared hosting package, a single server will be shared with many websites along with your website. There are possibilities that one of these websites might send an email spam. There may be downtime to your website as a result of this for you because the server hosting your website will be getting heavy traffic.
Yes it is true that there is some amount of risk involved in the shared hosting platform, and if your website is affected because of it, it will be bad for your business. Check your IP and contact your hosting provider if you think that websites that non authoritative are sharing the IP address. Also make sure to sign up with the best web hosting company that makes sure that your website is always secured.
When it comes to a shared hosting package, you are at the discretion of the web hosting company. Important factors like software, security and server-side implementation, your website configuration and the ability to accept the upgrades might be affected, and if this happens, you will be in trouble. The shared hosting package has its own pros and cons. Therefore it is crucial to understand what kind of server you are selecting and what you will get with it.
Essentials to focus on
- Server upgrades (e.g. PHP 4 to PHP 5)
- Dedicated IP address
- HTTPS support
- Website security
- Process for installation of the programs
- Configuration of the server-side scripts
Reputation of the web hosting company
This is the one of the most convenient means to determine how healthy your relationship is going to be with the web hosting company. Talk to your friends and check the web hosting forums to see what people are saying about the web hosting companies. Remember that no web hosting company will get only positive comments, there has to be something good and something bad. If you see only good things about a web hosting company, that might not be the real picture. If you have finalized the web hosting company, try to get as much information as possible so that you get an idea in terms of what can be expected.
You might come across testimonials on the website of the web hosting company, remember that these testimonials should not be the only deciding factor. There are chances that these testimonials are managed by the web hosting company, there are genuine testimonials as well but make sure to take all the factors into consideration before the final decision. If you have finalized some web hosting companies, check them in Google and try to get as much information as you can. On the internet you will get the complete information in the form of business reviews, articles, blogs, forum updates, press releases and social media updates.
Lastly, if you have been working with a web hosting company, submitting a review based on your opinion for the web hosting company is a good idea. It is a fact that user views are extremely important while purchasing any product. Make sure to portray the facts clearly so that the people get the right image of the web hosting company.
Growing with your web hosting company
One of the main reasons for having a website is to get popularity for it and to make it big on the web. In the beginning, the web hosting requirements of your website will be limited as the incoming traffic is low. However as the website grows, there might be a need to upgrade the account. If you have still not hosted your website, before doing so make sure that the web hosting company you select offers an easy way of upgrading the web hosting platform. If you have started with a shared hosting package, the process of upgrading to a dedicated server account should be simple.
Likewise, if you have started a website and you expect future expansion, see if upgrading is possible. You will come across some web hosting companies who offer just one basic web hosting plan as they would like to specialize in just one hosting platform. This might not be a great idea for the customers who are looking for flexibility, scalability and higher efficiency in the web hosting platform.
Look for outstanding support
See if you can get in touch with the support team if your website experiences an outage And can you do this 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here I don’t just mean the phone support. The easiest way of contacting the web hosting service is through online support, this is provided by most of the good web hosting companies. Online conversations can be documented easily, so in case something is promised by the representative of the web hosting company, if you have saved the log copy, it can be used for reference.
Online support is the best form of communication as both the representative and you have to be clear in terms of the respective points. All your questions must be cleared before you sign up with the web hosting company. Email support is also essential, and this is provided by all the good web hosts.
Make out the difference between fact and myth
Web hosting companies can be smart with words, and people are commonly fooled by them
Unlimited bandwidth
Unlimited bandwidth is not possible. The only reason why web hosting companies promise unlimited bandwidth is because of the fact that you might not reach the maximum bandwidth amount anyways. Do not get carried away with “unlimited” anything.
24×7 email support
This can be pretty amazing at times. Yes, you can send an email to your web host at any time, day or night, 7 days a week. However some of the web host does not work round the clock for answering your queries. Locate a web host who provides live online 24×7 support with a live representative; this facility will make it easier for you to reach someone soon.
99.9% uptime guarantee
This is the usual industry standard, and it is guaranteed by most of the web hosting providers. Most of the web hosting companies will make it look like there will be no downtime to your website, however it is important to take a logical decision. It is not possible that there will be no downtime, ask what they will do when there is a downtime. No doubt 99.9% uptime is possible, but make sure to check the terms and conditions that apply to this guarantee.
Instant account activation
It is a fact that even if you make the complete payment, your website will not go live right away. Website activation can take upto 48 hours. Time is required for all the DNS servers for updating the databases. The time when your website goes live, will be estimated by the web hosting company.
Transferring your website
The couple of steps mentioned in the transfer process might take a lot of time. It is not right to switch web hosts for a meager sum of money. If you think that you need to change the web hosting provider, do a through research on the web hosting companies you would like to consider.
Abide by the rules
The customers who don’t abide by the service terms and conditions will have their contract terminated. If in any way you host spam, share torrents or or upload any illegal content, you are simply inviting trouble. It is a fact that violators are always caught. Be real. By following the terms and conditions specified by the web hosting company, efficient management of website is possible.
Everything can be summed up in one thing, be genuine, get the best for your website and make the best out of it.
