Having a website host that is both reliable and high-performing is crucial to the success of any website. That might sound like it should come standard with any hosting company, and it should – but it doesn’t. Like all consumer products and services, all are not made equal and you usually get what you pay for.
What is a website host?
Consider the scenario where somebody is typing in your URL in their web browser. They are essentially knocking on your website’s door waiting for you to greet them. In the real world, we would love for someone to answer the door quickly for us, with a smile on their face and a warm hug.
Unfortunately, it is 2019 and websites still cannot offer physical hugs (that would be… weird?). What they can do is open up that metaphorical door and show you the website. Here’s where you as the consumer are blessed with the beautiful task of choosing 1 out providers to get the job done. It is like a video game screen where you get to pick which character you want opening that door for you. Chances are you’ll want the fastest character.
Why your website host is very, VERY important
If it were up to most people, they would likely just go with a website host they have heard of. After all, it’s not like website hosting is some cool thing to know about. It is pretty very boring and when paired with the fact that the competition is endless, it seems pointless to research which ones are best. While all of that is true, it is crucial for your online presence to get it right and here’s why:
Speed
No matter which hosting company you are using, your site should be loading in under 3 seconds. If not, something is definitely wrong and it could be a number of things. In most experiences I have come across, a consumer will buy the economy hosting plan which means they are allocated a small amount of space on a shared server with a bunch of other websites.
With that being said, speed is one of the biggest factors, if not the biggest, in choosing the right hosting company. Typically, a user leaves your site and will go elsewhere if they aren’t served some sort of indication of a loaded website within a second or 2.
Uptime
If you rely heavily on your website for your business, whether it be selling products, or getting ad revenue, then the uptime of your website can directly affect your bottom line. A reliable hosting company is an essential part of your presence (or lack of) online. If your website is generating money while it is up, it is only costing you money for every second that it is down.
The average hosting company advertises around 99% uptime. That may seem more than reasonable but in reality, they are really advertising that their sites are down for 5,259 minutes every year. That is a lot of downtime when you factor in that you don’t exactly get to choose when those minutes happen.
A big reason for downtime is the overtaxing of the server your website is on. Unfortunately, this means that a good part of your downtime will be when people are actually awake and using the internet to potentially visit your site, rather than at 3 am.
Support
The most overlooked feature of a hosting company is its support. Because of the depth of technical knowledge needed to properly assess a hosting issue, having a company with competent, fast-acting, around the clock support is a huge selling feature that need not be underestimated.
If your site goes down at any hour of the day, you’ll want a hosting company that can answer your questions right away, at any hour, so that you can get your site back up and running.
Security
Some hosting companies will go the extra mile to make sure that your website is not only secure, but will actually do as much as back-up your website frequently so that they can just pull a backup should your website get hacked or get deleted. Of course, the person maintaining your website should also be taking backups just in case but in my eyes, that’s peace of mind in knowing that you don’t have to worry about losing your site for good.
Today’s web is full of data hacking and cyber threats. One thing the internet as a whole has taken a real stand on is the need for an SSL certificate. SSL certificates encrypt all of the data shared on your site to provide additional preventative measures from malicious attacks that might compromise sensitive data shared on your website. Make sure your hosting company offers an SSL certificate as it is a necessity for your online presence. Google will now show your site as a potential threat if your site does not have one.
I can help
Trying to find the right hosting company can be daunting. You need to know what you want in order to find the right one, and sometimes it’s knowing what you want that can be the hardest.
Don’t worry, I can help! I provide an array of hosting solutions and website support plans that will be sure to fit your need. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are fed up with your current hosting provider.
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