If it’s just a casual or personal blog or website, using Blogger or other free blogging platforms would likely suffice. You may not need to spend for a paid web host. You can just get a custom domain and upload your own custom site HTML code if you want something that looks uniquely yours. However, if you want a blog or site for your business or something you want to monetize, you likely would need a premium or paid web host.
You can’t just randomly pick a web host. The quality of web host you get significantly affects the accessibility of your site and the overall visitor experience. Consider the following tips as you look for the best host for your blog or site.
1.Know Your Needs
One of the most important things you need to do when deciding on a web hosting service provider is your needs. You have to determine how much space you need. You need to know the applications or software required for your website. Also, you need to have a projection of how much traffic your blog or site will be getting. These don’t mean that you should already have a finalized website design before you make a decision on the web host to get. Ideally, you have to make dynamic or proactive decisions. For instance, one web hosting service provider offers a relatively cheap package but is unable to support the special software your site requires, you may want to consider doing changes on your design or just settle with the second best web host option, depending on which decision yields the most advantages.
2. Always Consider Scalability and Flexibility
If you succeed with your blog or site, it’s going to be inevitable that you will be needing more storage space, support for more traffic, and other features in the future. You can’t be stuck with a web host that can’t provide your growing needs. The web host you choose should support your blog or site’s expansion.
Additionally, a good web host has to be flexible. It should be able support different server types, languages, and features. You can’t be sure that your web development projects will always go as expected. Changes may have to be implemented. It’s not just your web dev team that should be flexible. The web host you choose should similarly adapt to your changing needs. A flexible web host may charge you more but this extra cost is better than having to find another web host altogether because the changes in your blog or site cannot be supported. Also, some service provider offer web hosting discounts on renewal which is a nice bonus and is a factor when determining a host’s scalability.
3. Ensure Reliability and Security
It’s a no-brainer. Your web host should be dependable. It should have good uptime, something close to 100%. Reliability, however, is not something you can evaluate by just looking at the specs of the server of the companies you are considering. There are companies that brag of having that best server specs but are unable to deliver the reliability you expect. In most cases, it does not make sense focusing on the specs. To gauge reliability, it’s better to read reliable reviews or ask for feedback from others who have already tried the web hosts you are considering.
Moreover, make sure that your web host can help you fend off DoS or DDoS attacks as well as malware. You need to make sure that the company are well-versed with these threats. It would also be great if the web host has backups of your data. These should be regular full backups.
4. Give Preference a Company Whose Main Business is Web Hosting
Don’t entrust your blog or site to a company that only offers web hosting as a side business. Unless this company has a proven track record in providing dependable web hosting services for a long time, it’s better to go for other options that have established good reputation in the web hosting business. Companies that specialize in web hosting are naturally better in delivering the services expected from them, as compared to those that only offer web hosting because they have the extra resources they want to convert into revenues. Companies that focus on web hosting have the experience, competence, as well as the updated knowledge to be able to provide the best possible service.
5. Choose a Company that Provides GOOD 24/7 Support
Of course, customer support is something you shouldn’t forget. If you are going to pay for web hosting, you need to ascertain that you can get assistance whenever you encounter problems. Take note that it shouldn’t just be mere 24/7 support, though. It has to be good or competent customer support. You don’t want to end up having to call several times without having your problem settled at the soonest possible time.
Additionally, the web host should volunteer important information to customers even without the customer asking. For example, if there are planned outages, details should be sent to you beforehand. Customers would also appreciate companies that provide useful alerts or information on emerging threats to help customers prepare or implement important security measures.
Also, good customer support means addressing customer needs or requests promptly and efficiently. Support should be available in multiple channels: telephone, email, live chat, messenger, or social media.
Web hosting is a critical factor in the success of a blog or website. The decision in choosing one should be taken seriously. It’s important to carefully scrutinize your options. Consider the tips briefly discussed above and do comparisons of the many choices available. Also, if you want to use reviews or go over feedback from customers, you need to ascertain first that these are credible reviews and feedback.
