A common problem for every new entrepreneur is how to obtain the expected visibility for your business. Attracting new customers is one of the biggest challenges for newcomers and the Internet can be a great ally for your company to grow. However, some other doubts may arise. For example, how to create a website and which hosting provider to choose?
There are several services on the web to host a website, but not all will be beneficial for you and your business. To help you find the best web hosting provider, we have gathered some valuable information in this post. Take note and have a good reading!
Why should I care about choosing the best hosting provider
Before we start with the tips, it is important that you are aware of the power of the Internet in business and how a website can really attract new customers to your company.
According to the data released by the Global Digital Insights in 2020, there are over 26.69 million Internet users in Malaysia in January 2020. Almost half of the population has access to the web, that is, they are potential customers browsing the network.
With these numbers in mind, it is easy to understand the business potential that the internet provides and part of the success that your website can achieve is due to the hosting provider you choose.
Now that you know you need to choose the best website hosting provider, let’s go through 8 tips to know how to choose it.
Plan before looking for a provider
Before you search for the best hosting provider for your website you must have in mind what you need. There are several types of web hosting with the most diverse configurations, and everything will depend on what is your demand.
If you are starting or already have a simple institutional website, with a few pages of information and a contact register, you can opt for shared website hosting.
As you are looking for the best hosting provider, this first step is a great opportunity to talk to the provider, describe your need and/or project and analyze if they will provide the necessary help, because if they do not support the purchase, imagine in the future, if you need technical support.
Check the infrastructure
Something to check when hiring a website hosting service provider is the technology and infrastructure of hardware and software made available by the supplier. This information will have a direct impact on the performance of the offered solution, in addition to the continuity of its operation, reducing the risks of downtime and data loss for your company and, therefore, it is so important to be aware of this item.
Review resource limitations
When hiring a hosting, you must be aware of the development demands of your company. Resources are generally scalable. However, there are limitations in all hiring options. When purchasing a hosting plan, you should check what feature options are available if your business grows.
Be aware of the availability
One of the most important characteristics when looking for a provider is the availability offered by him. In IT, availability is understood as the time when the resource becomes available (Uptime), as well as the SLA (Service Level Agreement).
The lower the availability, the greater the chance that your site will be down and the greater the chances that you will lose business opportunities. Therefore, it always looks for providers that offer at least a 99.5% SLA.
Search for technical support
Your website may go down and you won’t want to hang on a phone line for hours on end to solve a small problem. Support is an important part when looking for hosting so that you don’t suffer from situations like this.
It is extremely important that you see which contact channels the provider provides technical support, the most common ones are Telephone, Chat, E-mail and Help Desk.
You should also keep an eye on the contract or terms of use to verify the support’s operation, separate charges, call resolution time and other essential items for the good relationship between your provider and you.
Observe the technologies
Not all providers in the market support the technologies you intend to use on your website. If you create a page with an unsupported tool, it may be that the contracted hosting just doesn’t work, which may be the case with hosting on Linux or Windows servers.
If this happens, it will bring a huge headache, being necessary to reformulate the site or hire a new hosting that supports the technologies employed. Observe what the provider supports and always try to be in contact with the support area to avoid a problem like this.
Consult the payment methods
With the huge supply of providers, there is also a large number of means and forms of payment. You can get good discounts for advance payments, for example.
When making the first contract, check if the provider has guaranteed days to return your money. Otherwise, avoid payment in the long term, as the service may be poor and you have to terminate the contract. After a few months of use and adaptation to the provider, it is interesting to look for long-term payment discounts.
Explore the possibilities
Over time, your website may grow. In the beginning, you may just want to provide some simple information and with the development of the business, start selling products or providing advanced services through the website.
In this case, a basic shared hosting will no longer satisfy all your business needs and it will be interesting for your company that advanced options are available from the provider for a more appropriate configuration.
Choosing a provider is part of a successful business strategy and a mistake made by many start-up entrepreneurs is to neglect this simple fact.
So, always be aware of what is being offered within the price charged. Simply choosing a cheap hosting provider without adhering to the tips described here can put your company in a difficult situation.
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