With so many web hosting options available in the market today, it can be hard to choose a service provider who suits your business. Most inexperienced individuals tend to overlook the vital factors and instead focus on unnecessary peripherals. Knowing what to look for when searching for suitable solutions could certainly help in avoiding such mistakes. And this is especially true for small businesses searching for cheap web hosting options. So, how do you find a hosting service that guarantees the best bandwidth, loading speed and other factors crucial for your site’s success?
Server Security and Speed
While a shared server would be sufficient for small businesses, it displays the hosting provider’s URL. While there’s nothing wrong with this aspect per se, most people won’t trade on websites whose data isn’t hosted on a secure server. A shared server would thus not be the best solution for businesses that trade online. When looking for a hosting service provider, only consider companies that can provide dedicated secure servers when you’re ready.
Your site’s profitability will greatly depend on the speed at which pages load. Furthermore, this could also affect your search engine rankings. Businesses should thus invest as much as they can afford on speedy hosting solutions; there’s no such thing as a server that’s too fast. At the very least, the plan you opt for should have a T3 internet connection.
Access to Raw Server Logs
Server logs are used to analyze website traffic. Your host should offer unrestricted access to your own server logs so that you’re able to analyze aspects like where visitors originate, how they navigate through pages and how long they spend on your site. Some companies will even provide an online log-reading program that presents all the data in a user-friendly format.
Flexibility
Your website will need to grow in accordance with the rate at which your business expands. Scalability should thus be a priority when it comes to choosing the ideal hosting plan. That said, you should only pay for functionality that offers value to your site and business. So don’t forget to discuss future upgrades when making inquiries and negotiating deals with the service providers you’re considering.
When shopping for affordable web hosting solutions, keep in mind that there’s simply no one-size-fits-all plan. It’s practically impossible to find two service providers, or even plans, that are exactly the same. To find a plan that suits your website and content, you should outline what functionality you need from your hosting provider. Having a checklist that you can work through systematically will help you choose solutions that fully cater to your requirements.