How to choose the right web hosting service for your site- Web hosting services provide you with a "plot of land" in the Internet space, where your "home" - the website - will be located. If you have a website, it must be online. Web hosting services act as a host that will host your web page and make it live on the web so that your customers can access it from the URL link.


Different types of web hosting services work with different industries. Some web hosting companies develop the entire site for you, while others only provide "a piece of land with a shovel". Depending on your business model and size, you will be able to choose a hosting company based on the following factors. 

After familiarizing yourself with the terminology, you can determine which features are important to you and select the services that best suit your company's needs.

How to choose the best hosting company?




In order for the site to work without problems, you need to choose the best hosting company. The competition in the web hosting industry is extremely intense. How to choose the best provider? Start with the main points:

Bandwidth



The first thing to do when looking for a provider is to determine how much bandwidth and how much disk space you need. If your site contains a lot of graphics, dozens of pages, and a lot of traffic, you will need high bandwidth and a lot of disk space. In this case, it will be easier to choose an unlimited tariff. If you have a basic site that doesn't generate a lot of traffic, you'll need a lot less disk space and bandwidth.

Compatibility



Don't forget about compatibility. When users try to find the best hosting provider, they sometimes forget one important thing: the type of operating systems they support. You don't want to change the operating system. So, specify what system the provider serves.

Reliability



Reliability and availability are the most important characteristics to consider when choosing a web host. The availability value of the best hosting companies is typically 98-99 percent. This is called "uptime". Just make sure that the providers' claims are true.

Safety


Security is also an important aspect. It would be wrong to choose a web hosting provider without considering its security features. For example, firewalls, daily backups and user verification. It is also useful to be notified about changes, as this way you can find out about suspicious activity.

Learn how we choose the best web hosting sites to better understand your decision.

Hosting packages and what's included

The more material you have on your site, the more comprehensive your package should be. Here are their main types:

Shared hosting


Basic package of services. Your site is on the same server as many others. You share one server and resources such as memory or processor. This is suitable for basic sites that are built for sending emails, file sharing, and entry-level e-commerce. Shared hosting is cheaper, so it's a cost-effective option for small businesses and startups.

VPS


A virtual private server is designed for your direct purposes, it has more functionality than a shared server. You may be using a shared physical server, but a virtual server will be created specifically for you. This means that all resources are completely yours - from memory to processing power. This option is safer and much more reliable, because your site will be separate from others, and all at an affordable price.

Dedicated Hosting

This package is already on another level. Not only do you get your own server, but you also have full control over it. This means that you will have full administrative access and be able to do everything the way you like. This package includes a premium set of features that may not be required by every company.

Wordpress


WordPress is a shared hosting that takes into account the specialization of the client. Servers are optimized differently and equipped with features that are especially attractive to WordPress. For example, fast loading, pre-installation, security features designed specifically for WordPress, and WordPress updates. This is suitable for companies whose websites were created in WordPress.

Features of high quality hosting

The quality of hosting is influenced by several factors that you need to pay attention to when choosing a provider. Here are the most significant of them:

Uptime Guarantee


We will discuss uptime in more detail later. This factor is one of the most important, do not skimp on it! The highest uptime guarantee is provided by HostGator; its value is 99.98%.

Loading time


Loading time is also very important. Recent studies have shown that the average human attention span has already caught up with that of an aquarium fish. If your website page takes even a little longer to load, the business can suffer significantly. To keep up with others, make sure your hosting has a fast download speed. A2 Hosting page load time is 360ms; this is the best result of all hosting.

Support


A website problem is a serious matter, so you need competent customer support that is easy to work with. See below for details.

Location


The number of servers and their location plays a huge role in website loading speed and quality of service. Of course, the more servers, the faster the service, but their location also plays an important role. Try to find those servers that are closer to you: for example, in the UK, USA or Israel.

The whole truth about uptimes

If you are looking for information about web hosting, you will always come across the term "uptime", which is true, as this factor is the most important factor when choosing a provider. Uptime is the percentage of hosting uptime that the company guarantees. This does not mean that the company will not operate during the remaining time, but rather that it guarantees operation without interruption during this period of time.

Uptime is important because you want to minimize the amount of time your site is unavailable to customers. Otherwise, why do you need a website at all? A high percentage of uptime means that your audience will be able to browse the site and use the services most of the time. Well-known hosts such as HostGator and Bluehost guarantee over 99% uptime, which is good for business.

Frequently Asked Questions -

Readers often ask us the same questions. Here are the most popular questions and their answers:

What is the cost of web hosting?

The price is determined by the package and the type of service. It ranges from $2.99/month to $10/month. For more information, see the pricing and performance section below.

How can I get information about hosting services?

For this, special review sites have been created, such as this one, where all the necessary information for each brand is collected and presented in a compressed form. Read the reviews to get the information you need in a short period of time, without much effort, and make the right decision.

Prices and performance of web hosting

Some choose web hosting providers based on price alone. Of course, the price must be taken into account, but this is not the best strategy. The best providers offer pricing plans for every budget. In some cases, you get a discount by choosing a long-term plan.

Think about potential growth. You can choose a web hosting plan that suits your current site. However, if the site expands in the future, your requirements may change. Switching from one provider to another is not an easy process, so it is worth choosing a hosting where you can change the terms of the tariff. In other words, you should be able to switch to another plan if necessary. Low prices are always good. However, if you are limited by the amount of disk space or bandwidth, you should be sure that the risk is worth it.

In addition to this, it is worth paying attention to the available number of accounts. Even if you think you won't need to use additional email addresses, it would be nice to be able to create as many accounts as you need. As a rule, a large number of email addresses are included in more expensive plans. This feature is irrelevant for some users, but may be critical for others.

Customer service and hosting provider support

Even if you are well versed in website building, it is better to be sure that in case of emergency you have someone to turn to. Make sure your web hosting provider has a 24/7 helpdesk with a variety of ways to get in touch. The most trusted providers provide email, phone and live chat support, giving you the choice.

The best support is the client's freedom of action. Check your provider's terms of service to make sure you get your money back if you're not happy with the product. After choosing several providers, check what reviews they have left on the Internet. Ideally, these testimonials should be posted by their customers on dedicated sites and not on the company's own website. You can easily understand how a web hosting provider treats its customers from reviews.

What additional features does web hosting offer?

A good web hosting package not only provides basic options such as high bandwidth and disk space, but also additional features.

 If you have your own online store, choose providers that provide e-commerce solutions. If you want to quickly and easily update data, choose providers with offers from the field of content management systems. Make sure they can give you access to statistics about your site.

What are the Top Web Hosting Companies ?

Here is the list of top web hosting companies with affordable plans.

HostGator


Provider with one of the fastest download speeds. Uptime Guarantee: 99.98% (typically 100% in fact). HostGator's service packages are reasonably priced, their customer support is great, and the overall user experience is great. Learn more about HostGator.

Bluehost


In second place, just a fraction of a millisecond behind HostGator, is Bluehost cloud service with a 99.96% uptime guarantee. If you're not very computer savvy, you'll love Bluehost's intuitive format. See the full Bluehost review.

A2 Hosting


A2 Hosting is known for having the fastest download speeds in the industry, averaging 361ms. This hosting guarantees 99.96% uptime and 24/7 customer support available in the US via phone or live chat. This means you don't have to go out of your way to get answers. Learn more about A2 Hosting.

Conclusion

The temptation to quickly choose a web hosting provider and get on with other things is great, but don't give in to it. Take the time to do this and you will find a provider you don't want to turn down.