Domain Directions – 6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Website Host
Reliable web hosting is a critical part of building a website and supporting your business venture. Web hosting in Australia is a competitive industry, making it a seemingly overwhelming task to find the right provider for your unique venture. Follow this easy guide to ensure you take into consideration all of the important factors when choosing a website host to support your needs.
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1. Know which type of hosting you need
Before you begin web hosting shopping it is important to consider your unique hosting needs. Some important initial questions to consider include:
What kind of business am I building?
What kind of website am I building? Is it an ecommerce website or a blog?
What features are necessary to support by business?
What is the likely size of my web traffic?
Price, storage, and performance are all important features to consider when shopping for a shared hosting service. The requirements of these features will differ greatly depending on your specific needs. Available hosting options include:
Dedicated servers: Great for high volumes of traffic or if your applications need their own resources.
Shared web-hosting: Perfect for smaller business that require secure hosting on a budget.
VPS (virtual private server) hosting: Gives your website more power, control and security than the standard shared hosting solutions. This server is also made to expand with your website and business.
2. Security and Support
A hosting company’s infrastructure can represent one of the largest weaknesses to your website’s security. It is, therefore, important to choose a provider that include monitoring services, automatic backups, firewalls and other necessary security add-ons.
If you have any questions or require fast and effective technical support, you should feel confident that your hosting provider will be ready to help. Your revenue relies on your customers being able to access your site and products 24 hours a day. Choosing a secure website host can save you considerably on lost profits and opportunities.
3. Pricing Structures
Hosting providers generally charge based on storage and bandwidth usage.
Whilst some sites offer ‘free’ hosting, it is more important to focus on how a provider’s solutions will suit your needs. Various web hosts offer different features and low-prices hosts may not provide all the features you need.
Exploitative pricing structures may also leave you paying for features that your website will never use. With so many hosting providers available it is important to research competitor pricing to ensure that you are getting value for your hard earned money.
When choosing a pricing structure, it is also important to consider the long-term future of your website. If you envision any expansions to your website, it is important to choose a website host that will allow you to easily transition to a more complicated server. Choosing a host that you can stick with for the long haul, saves you the headache of going back into the ‘hosting dating pool’ when you are ready to expand.
4. Features and Add-Ons
What makes this hosting company special? Certain hosting providers will specialize in specific areas. For example, some may be attractive for those wishing to create an eCommerce site. Others will be appealing to those who wish to produce a blog with video content.
Additional features and add-ons that make hosting providers special include regular data backups, free domain name privacy and multiple data centers. Web hosting is one of the most competitive industries in existence today, so it is well worth your time to find the right provider for your needs.
5. Analytics
Analytics can help drive your marketing and content strategy. It should also be updated in real time and easily accessible. Therefore, when you’re searching for a provider, learn about the built-in analytics it offers.
6. Disk space
Disk space is synonymous with the amount of storage your website requires. This will depend on the number of images, audio files and video files you plan to have on your website. When choosing a website host it is important to consider whether they offer the storage your website requires now and into the future.
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Making a decision on which web hosting company to choose can be tough. Asking questions and doing your research is the best way to cut through the jargon and make an informed decision that will suit your needs. Researching customer reviews and server options can help you maintain a happy and ongoing relationship with the website host of your dreams.
Bio: Laura Costello is in her final year of a Bachelor of Law/International Relations at Latrobe University. She is passionate about the law, the power of social media, and the ability to translate her knowledge of both common and complex topics to readers across a variety of mediums, in a way that is easy to understand.
