Planning on establishing a company website? Our tried-and-true web hosting recommendations are here to help you select the right solution for your business, with recommendations based on factors like flexibility, reliability, and scalability.
In today’s interconnected and digital world, web hosting is an absolute must for any serious business or digital content creation. To attract customers who conduct their research online, your company needs a functional and simple-to-navigate website. In today’s digitally interconnected world, even a simple website listing your business’ hours of operation and contact information can provide an appearance of credibility to the venture.
The days of using a printed yellow pages directory to find a company are, sadly, long gone. If your company isn’t accessible in a search engine, it might as well not exist. Companies can’t have a strong internet presence without a website that is easy to share. Your company’s earning potential will suffer severely if consumers can’t find it. It’s true that investing in web hosting isn’t only a smart move for businesses; hosting services are also useful for anyone looking to launch a personal website, blog, or other online endeavour. The services presented here should prove useful regardless of the niche your website caters to.
Finding a web host, the firm that will keep your website’s data safe on their servers and send them to the browsers of your readers and clients, is the first step in establishing a presence on the Internet. One such choice is Bluehost, which has received both reader and expert recommendation and the PCMag Business Choice award. However, the additional services we’ve identified below are also useful.
What Features Come Standard With a Web Host?
Depending on your needs, a web host may provide more or less bandwidth, storage space, email accounts, and other services on a monthly basis. Taking the time to calculate exactly what your firm needs for online success is crucial, and the varied ways of paying (monthly payments vs. annual payments) might be very different. Rather of having to set up your own servers, you may start your own hosting business by taking advantage of the reseller hosting services offered by many of these organisations.
As a corollary, you should study up on the various web hosting levels. You can discover shared, VPS, dedicated, and WordPress hosting plans among your options. There are differences in features and specifications between the various tiers, so it’s important to compare them carefully. Detailed explanations follow.
Answering the Question, “What Is Shared Web Hosting?”
Shared hosting is a type of Internet hosting in which numerous clients’ sites are stored on the same server. Site A, B, C, D, and E all use the same server. The benefit of shared web hosting is its low cost, since the expense of running the server is spread over numerous sites. Web hosting has never been more reasonably priced! In reality, there is a choice that costs less than ten dollars monthly.
The other websites that reside on the same server as yours are like your roommates; there isn’t much privacy between you. Even if you lock yourself in your bedroom at night, they might still give you the creeps in the kitchen or the lavatory. Since all the sites are hosted on the same server, a sudden influx of visitors to Site A could slow down the loading times for the other sites. One site’s crash on a shared server could potentially bring down all the sites using that server.
The Definition of Virtual Private Server Hosting.
Virtual private servers (VPS) are similar to shared hosting in that numerous sites share the same server, but that’s where the comparisons end. By way of analogy, VPS hosting might be compared to renting a private apartment within a bigger complex. In comparison to living with a roommate, you have a lot more privacy here; sure, noise from a neighbouring apartment could still be an issue, but it’s far less likely. When it comes to web hosting, the increased demand on Site A won’t have nearly the same effect on Sites B and C. VPS hosting, as may be expected, comes with a higher price tag than shared hosting. You should expect to pay between $20 to $60 monthly.
Top-Rated Web Hosts
The Definition of Dedicated Web Hosting.
However, dedicated hosting is robust, but also somewhat expensive. This tier is for the most resource-intensive websites alone.
When you choose dedicated hosting, your website is the only one hosted on that server, as opposed to sharing resources with other sites like with shared or virtual private server hosting. Having a dedicated server is analogous to having your own house, to continue the analogy. This method ensures that your website uses the server’s maximum potential at the expense of the server’s resources. Dedicated hosting is the way to go if you want a powerful site, a virtual castle for your company. Nonetheless, many dedicated web hosting plans need you to manage back-end, technological concerns, much as homeowners are responsible for maintenance that tenants typically don’t worry about.
Related to the topic of dedicated hosting, several web hosting services also provide managed hosting. In this setup, the web host takes on the role of your in-house IT division and is responsible for the upkeep of your server. As a feature more commonly associated with dedicated servers, this hosting choice caters more towards commercial enterprises. Having this capability will naturally increase your hosting costs, but if you have the means to afford a dedicated server, the increase should be minimal.
Web hosting for WordPress: What Is It?
WordPress.org’s widely used content management system (CMS) is the foundation upon which WordPress hosting is built. With this open-source blogging and website-building platform, you may get started in a variety of ways.
Developing a website that you host on your own server will provide you the most flexibility. This is commonly accomplished by migrating the open-source WordPress CMS to a server or by signing up for a web host’s WordPress-friendly plan. If your hosting package is well-optimized, you won’t have to worry about doing mundane tasks like updating plugins and content management systems (CMS) or setting up manual backups. In these cases, WordPress’s preconfigured environment is already present on the server.
Website hosting on WordPress.com is distinct from the types of hosting discussed previously. WordPress.com employs the same source code as WordPress.org, but it conceals the server code and takes care of hosting for you. That’s why it’s comparable to the other website creation tools we reviewed. It’s a less complicated method of hosting WordPress, but one that limits your options. Although this method is simpler, it may not be suitable for you if you’re looking to fine-tune and optimise every facet of your website.
Amenities Designed with the Needs of Small Businesses in Mind
Look for a web host that provides not just the aforementioned dedicated servers, but also cutting-edge cloud server platforms (like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud), bespoke server builds if necessary, and round-the-clock customer support when it comes time to set up shop. You may require a web host with the ability to manage millions of pageviews or visitors per month, depending on the nature of your company. To help you get started, an onboarding consultant is included in many popular hosting plans.
In order to keep your customers’ credit card details safe when they shop online, it’s important to find a web host that supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates. SSL is the famous green padlock that displays in your browser’s address bar when you visit a secure website, such as one that offers online banking or shopping. Some providers include SSL certificates at no additional cost, while others may demand annual fees of around $100.
Hosting Information Supplement
Shared web hosting is an excellent place to begin if you are unsure of the specific hosting requirements for your organisation. At some point, you may find that you need more power and flexibility than your current shared hosting plan provides. Some hosts don’t provide all varieties of hosting, which is a major drawback. Before committing to a plan longer than a year, it’s important to consider how quickly and how much your website is expected to grow. Changing web hosting providers in the middle of the game is not an easy task, so it’s important to take the time up front to be sure the host you go with can support the development you foresee for your site.
After settling on a budget, think about how long you’ll be using web hosting. If you only need the hosting for a limited period of time, like a month or two, you can usually get your money back if you cancel. There are businesses that offer refunds within 30 days, and others that offer refunds within 90 days. Doing your research is crucial.
The Essential Functions of a Good Web Host
Many web servers provide rudimentary functionality in their entry-level packages but far more robust functionality in their premium plans. Make sure the package you choose has the services you require by reading the fine print. Verify that the cheap web host you’re considering includes a site builder tool if you’ll need one to create your website. The builder is often an optional extra that must be purchased separately. Website builders are not very expensive, but any web host that provides one at no extra cost is a bonus. Also, if it’s built in with your hosting platform, you’ll have better service and less friction.
It’s also important that your web host is available at all hours of the day and night, whether by phone or live chat. While online resources like FAQs, encyclopaedias, and support requests can be helpful, sometimes the quickest way to resolve an issue is to talk to a real person. It’s important to note that not all companies have equally helpful support staff available 24/7. We confirmed in our in-depth analyses of GoDaddy and Liquid Web that their customer care teams are as educated and helpful as they claim to be.
Linux is widely accepted as the standard operating system for servers. Nonetheless, there are providers that give you the option of hosting on either Linux or Windows Server. Make sure your web host offers Windows hosting if you intend to run any Windows-only server-side programmes, such as SQL Server or a.NET-based bespoke application. But you shouldn’t be frightened away by the prospect of using a Linux host. These days, it’s common for web providers to include some sort of graphical interface or control panel to make tasks like server maintenance and site administration easier to handle. You won’t be entering text at the command line, but rather selecting simple icons.
It’s common for Windows hosting to cost more than Linux hosting, especially for dedicated servers. Though not usually the case, keep it in mind as you shop about.
Internet Service Providers That Host Email
Having an email address is crucial if you want to have a presence on the online. You can easily receive messages, Word documents, and other files from prospective customers and clients. Fortunately, most hosting services also provide email as part of their packages. Some web providers allow you to create an infinite number of email accounts, which is fantastic for scaling, while others limit you to a set number. Naturally, you’d like access to an unlimited number of emails.
However, not all web hosting services include email. As an example, WP Engine does not. You will need to set up for email accounts with a separate provider if this is the case. For example, GoDaddy offers email plans for as little as $5.99 per user, per month. While it may seem like a lot of extra work and maintenance to have two separate hosting accounts for your website and your email, some webmasters really recommend doing so. This will ensure that the loss of a single service provider will not have a catastrophic effect on your company.
Reliability of Web Hosts
While all of the aforementioned perks are appreciated, nothing can compare to the value of reliable site uptime. Customers won’t be able to find you or use your services if your website is unavailable.
Uptime monitoring is now a part of our evaluation process, and the results indicate that most web providers successfully maintain site availability. If a web host has problems maintaining a constant connection to the Internet, they will receive poor marks in the ratings process.
Merchandising and Electronic Commerce
Our research revealed that, while many of the providers on this page offer comparable bundles, there are important differences between them. Some are more concerned with safety than others; for example, all of the ones I listed have anti-spam and anti-malware software. Various email marketing tools are provided by others. While many of the web hosts we looked at offered basic e-commerce features, you may wish to upgrade to a more powerful solution like Shopify or Wix Stores, two of our top selections.
If you’re in the market for a new web host, you can find hostbroad.com best recommendations in the industry in the table below. After you’re done, you can read our comprehensive, in-depth assessments of the top web host providers by clicking the links below.
