To have a website, you need two things: a domain name and a space where you will store all the files that make up your site. Hosting is just that.
A website consists of many different files, and all of them should be stored in a secure place that is always online and accessible to anyone who wants to access it at any time. It is where you can rent space for all your website files.
There are thousands of different hosting companies around the world to host your website, and they all offer different packages of space, bandwidth, and prices, many of which are either overpriced or don’t offer enough for your money.
If you are looking for quality domestic hosting, then you are in the right place because we have prepared for you six main guidelines that you should follow to choose the ideal web host.
Shared, VPS, Dedicated… Which One Should You Choose?
There are three different types of hosting:
- Shared hosting is what most often comes to mind when you think of hosting and is the best choice for small and medium-sized business websites.
- VPS (virtual private server), i.e. a virtual server, means a separate and independent part of the server that is not shared with other sites, enabling much greater flexibility in settings and much more resources.
- There are also dedicated servers, where the entire computer is only yours, as well as all its resources, but this is also the most expensive solution, so it is intended for the most demanding sites, applications, and systems.
Consider The Price
Many webmasters look for free web hosting providers, at least for their first website. It’s understandable – you don’t know how to compare hosting services and check their prices. Well, when you launch the website, you’ll see that there are a few other things that also differentiate in price. For example, free or very cheap hosts publish ads on their web pages and do not provide you with any technical support.
Check The Feedback
When comparing several hosting providers that meet your budget and technology requirements, check customer feedback as well. There is a lot of information on Google, Yahoo, and specialized forums. Also, some specialists that offer web hosting services, such as NVMe Hosting UK, also offer feedback from their previous clients, and this can be a great way for you to check their work. You can tell if a provider is trustworthy if they respond quickly to technical questions, fulfill what they say on their website, and have a reasonable opinion of them.
How Good Is Their Technical Support?
Technical support is always required from your web host, at least from time to time. When you start working on your website, questions will appear, such as: how to start; how to upload files; how to create an email account, etc.
Sometimes you will need an answer to these questions as soon as possible, even immediately. This is why your web host must provide technical support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your technical questions should be answered within 1-2 hours at the latest. In addition to the speed of response, check if the support is technically competent. And don’t go looking for phone support – the support lines are always busy when you need them. The most efficient companies use ticketing systems, where you provide all the technical details needed to answer your question within an hour or less.
Does It Provide Hosting Services
If you have your own website, you probably want to have email addresses on your domain, for example, info@mysite.com. You can check POP3, SMTP, and IMAP for webmail capabilities. Check if you can set the email address to automatically reply to the sender with an instant message (autoresponder). Check if you forward the message from one email to another for example all emails coming to sales@mysite.com must be forwarded to salesmanager@mysite.com
Tools For Websites – Blogs, CMS, Galleries, And Forums
Your host can provide you with free tools to create your websites, such as blogs, CMS, galleries, and forums. These tools will greatly facilitate the work on your website, and you will save a lot of money on web designers and developers.
E-commerce option – Shopping cart, SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
If you plan to start an e-commerce website, you may need an SSL certificate and an online store. These facilities usually include a higher price package or additional costs. You will definitely need an SSL certificate if you plan to collect credit card information on your website.
We hope that this manual was helpful to you and that, with it, you will easily find the ideal web host for you.