Know How to Choose The Best Shared Web Hosting for Your Website
Web hosting is undoubtedly one of the most crucial steps to be taken before launching a site. However, most of us find it quite difficult to choose the right plan. Many businesses even end up making a wrong decision. That is why, I have compiled these 5 steps that will help you choose the right shared hosting plan for your website.
First know what your website exactly needs
Before you pick the right shared hosting plan, it is important for you to know that what your website needs exactly. What kind of site you are going to build? What kind of resources will it need? how many visitors do you expect visiting it each day?
If you haven’t built a website earlier or you don’t know the answers of these questions, starting small will be better for you. Upgrading hosting plan is quite simple. Hence, it is better to avoid spending extra for things that your website will not require.
Also, it is important for you to ensure that your hosting plan will keep things easy as well as simple for you. Apart from cost, the biggest benefit of shared hosting, lies in its ease of use. So, why get shared hosting from a web hosting service provider that does less to maintain your hosting environment?
In short, you need fully-managed solutions that provide easy upgrades as well as affordable prices.
Don’t forget to compare shared hosting plan features
Shared hosting features is another highly important thing that you should look at while selecting a shared hosting plan. Check out how many domains your plan can host. Also check out whether you will get unlimited bandwidth offer or not. Check if there is any add-on software. Also see whether it will include free email or not.
Different web hosting providers offer different sets of features. Hence, you should first compare a list of features from different providers for identifying items they have in common. Then establish a baseline of what the market offers commonly at various price points.
After that have a look at the additional features that each provider might offer. Some of the features may be more useful than others. Focus more on the value instead of getting caught up in list length. If you are in doubt about what value different features will be providing you, simply speak to an experienced person or search the web for information.
Study hosting prices very carefully
Never make the mistake of choosing hosting solely based on lowest price even if your budget is low. Don’t look at only the initial signup cost but also check out the renewal rates. Sometimes providers charge an introductory rate for the first term of service but then increase the rate during renewal.
You can also find that the price given on the main sales page of a web hosting provider’s website lists a price that is only available if you pay in advance for a longer term. So, you can either select a plan according to your budget or adjust your budget for taking benefits of discounts for new customers as well as longer terms.
Always choose shared hosting with an easy-to-use control panel
Almost every provider will have some kind of control panel for helping you manage your server. However, these control panels don’t always compare well with one another. Products like Plesk & cPanel are industry’s most widely recognized and utilized control panel. But, some companies provide their own proprietary control panel. While this practice is not bad, some of these proprietary systems may be quite tricky to use. If your provider provides a non-standard control panel option, don’t forget to check the reviews.
Check the reputation of your shared hosting provider
Finally, don’t forget to check the reputation of your shared hosting provider. Reputation always matters. Check online reviews. Also, pay attention to their uptime guarantees.
In a nutshell
As said earlier, web hosting is the most important step to be taken before launching a site. Many small businesses end up making a wrong decision in the beginning just because they don’t evaluate their needs properly. So don’t make any decision in a hurry. If you do so, you may face many issues while accessing your web pages.