Choosing a Web Host, plus Greengeeks Coupons
So you’ve decided to start a business and you need a website! You know you need to host this website somewhere you so you do a quick Google search and come up with literally hundreds of web hosting companies. How do you choose? In this article we’ll go over some things that you should know and look for before signing up for a contract.
Greengeeks Coupon Codes
One host that may be right for you is HostPapa, they are a good starter host for most people with good prices and good services. Plus, they have Green Geeks promo codes that you can use to save money on new purchases and renewals. If at the end of this article you decide to go with a different hosting company (there is one-size fits all so it’s totally possible!) just do a quick search for any coupons before you make a purchase. Almost all hosting companies have them!
How to Choose a Web Host
Choosing a web host is something that you should do with care as it can have a big impact on the success of your business venture. First, you should determine the main reasons why you are building the website before you move on to choosing a host. Some web host companies specialize in hosting specific sorts of websites, so you might get extra features or service that is relevant to your business. For instance, there are those who specialize in hosting e-commerce websites while others specialize in small personal blogs.
Determine What Kind of Hosting You Require
To make your search for a web host easier, you should start by determining what kind of web hosting you need. If you you are building a personal portfolio website, then you should opt for a
company which offers shared hosting plans. Shared hosting means that your website will ‘live’ on the same server as hundreds to thousands of other websites and you will all share the resources of the server. This is great because it is very inexpensive, the downside can be that if somebody else on the server is having a problem it may affect the performance of your website to even taking it offline entirely. This is extremely rare though. If you are running a personal or small business website I definitely recommend using shared hosting.
For medium size websites, such as for growing businesses, you can opt for a VPS web hosting company. VPS stands for Virtual Private Server, similar to shared hosting you will be sharing server space with other websites but the number is significantly less meaning that you get a lot more resources and a higher level of security.
Big companies that need a lot of resources or a high level of security should choose dedicated hosting plans because they can meet the demands of the big business data and traffic. You will be the only website on your server, and you will usually have a dedicated technician to help you out should anything go wrong.
What Type of Website Are You Building?
The type of website you are about to build will determine the amount of traffic you may receive and what features you might need. For example, if you plan to host a small blog, then you can go for a web host that specializes in WordPress websites. If you are building an online store then you will need to decide what type of e-commerce platform you want to use, or if you want to use a third party service such as Shopify that will handle the shopping cart and the transactions. A host that has a graphical website builder can work well for those interested in building an online portfolio or resume and requires almost no technical knowledge. For personal sites, a low-cost or even free web host might do just fine. For a business site, you should consider a hosting company where your website can scale up along with your business.
What Resources Will You Need?
Some of the resource factors you should take into consideration include storage and RAM. A solid-state drive offers high speeds and can store more data. High RAM works well for websites which require fast loading. Bandwidth and data transfer will affect the way people will interact with your site. Keep in mind that while a lot of web hosts will advertise ‘unlimited bandwidth’ on their shared hosting plans if you read the fine print if they determine you are using an ‘unreasonable’ amount of bandwidth you can be throttled or cut off entirely. And no, ‘unreasonable’ is not given a defined number.
Domains and emails offered by the hosting company can also be a factor. You can have professional looking emails if you host with a company which offers emails at your domain. Uptime and reliably of the website will also determine the way your site performs, while an uptime of 100% is pretty much unheard of in shared hosting most web hosts do a really good job of coming very close to that.
Security and Support
You will be hosting essential data on your website. To avoid being compromised, it is necessary to look for a web host which will assure you a high level of security and support. Regular updates of software on the web host will help avoid situations where the website could be hacked which could lead to lost data.
Web Hosting Prices
Most web hosts at the entry level charge about the same price, but it is a good idea to compare the pricing to make sure. Some hosts that charge really low rates also have very limited features, so make sure to take that into consideration. Some of the features you should take into account include an easy to use control panel, bandwidth, emails, disk space and website builder features. Also be aware that a lot of hosts have really good introductory offers for new customers, and then the price goes way up. So make sure you are looking at what price the service will renew at, and not just the initial offering.
There you go, lots to think about but don’t worry. There are tons of terrific web hosting services out there, you will definitely be able to find something to suit your needs at a price that fits your budget.