If you are not happy with your current web hosting plan, you may want to look in other locations for a provider. Having the right web hosting plan is essential when you are trying to maximize your impact online. Some web host providers offer several perks while others are just a “bare bones” approach to web hosting. It’s important to read the fine print when deciding which company you want to go with so that you will know that you are getting the most for your money.
Below are 7 data points that should help you to find the best WordPress hosting service so that you can keep your overhead low while maximizing your online presence.
Hosting Price
One of the foremost considerations of most small business owners is to consider the price. It is not necessary to spend a fortune on a web hosting plan. Many web hosting servers claim to offer you the moon, and many of the extras they offer are attractive. But make sure you need the services before enlisting in their plan. It is possible to get basic web hosting service for under $5 per month, especially if you are a new customer. So, when operating on a low budget, consider starting with one of these companies first.
Online Reviews
Another way you can tell whether the web server you are considering is worth the price is by reading customer reviews. If most people are happy with the service, you probably will be, also. However, it’s important to read a lot of reviews so that you will get a clearer and broader picture of what people think. At the same time, it’s important to know where to find the most trusted web hosting reviews online. With so many ‘affiliate’ sites out there, it’s easy to find come across sites that just push the highest paying program. A great resource to consider are the hosting reviews at HostAdvice, as they have thousands of people accessing the site and providing their own ratings and reviews on a daily basis. There may always be a customer that was unhappy with the service but analyzing the reasons and factors that made them leave their opinion is what is most important.
Customer Tutorials
Occasionally, you will even find customer tutorials that will give even more insight into the format and features of a particular web host. By watching a customer tutorial, you should also learn how to set up your websites on the web host’s site and get it going with your content fast and efficiently. Many of these tutorials can be found on YouTube, but many may also be featured on the hosting server’s main website.
Uptime/Speed Reports
By viewing the uptime and speed reports of a web host’s site, you will be able to test the uptime and speed of any web hosting server that you are considering. Many new site owners don’t realize the importance of site speed and how it can affect site and user experience. What will this do to help you decide which one to choose? By inputting the URL of the hosting site you want to look at, you’ll get an instant report on both the uptime and speed of the server so you can see if it meets the requirements you’ll need for your site. If you have a multimedia-enhanced site, for example, with a lot of video content, you’ll need to have a server that is high on speed and uptimes to handle the load that clients will put on your server.
There is a tool online that provides this service free of charge. It is called, “Bitcatcha.” When you go to Bitcatcha, you can input the URL of a web hosting server to see the speed and uptimes, even if you do not currently have a site on their platform. This is a great tool to use to get an idea on the amount of time it will take to provide content to your viewers, without having to wait until you have a site online with their server to find out the hard way.
Affiliate Program
One of the perks of web hosting sites is that they tend to offer a high amount of gratuity (profit) for advertising their services on your site. While this should not be the main reason you choose a web host, it is certainly an extra that you may want to look into when searching for a web hosting provider. When you use the affiliate program on your web host’s site, you can earn a residual income for referring others to your web host once you have your site on their platform. Of course, you should make sure they truly do offer everything they say they do and that they are a reputable and high-quality server before doing so. This affects your reputation online, as well as that of your hosting server.
Company Story
You can tell a lot about a hosting company by reading their company story. To find out more about their background, check the “About” section on the host’s website. This is often where the company will share their information. But they may also have a blog that will tell you more about their history. Additionally, you may be able to find out more about a company’s history by searching YouTube videos for the company name and history.
A perfect example of a company story or an about us page for a data hosting company can be seen at pCloud. Not only do they cover the many different services and elements of the company, but also it’s background and the people who customers and clients might be working with. The more relatable a company is, the more likely a customer is to trust them as their business and hosting solution.
Why is this beneficial?
Knowing the history of a company will help you to understand their philosophy of doing business, as well as a little about their ethics and ability to do business. This information may be helpful when you are trying to choose a web hosting company because you can find a company that tends to align a bit more with your expectations and values, rather than just choosing any host for your website needs.
There may also be contact information listed where you can contact the business owner to ask any questions you might have about their services.
Online Success and Reputation
The best way to determine whether a company will be a good fit for your business is to check out their online success and reputation. It takes a bit more research to do this because you will not find this information on their site. What a company tends to do on their website is to show off their achievements. But you may not know about the pitfalls they’ve experienced.
To find out more about their level of success, you can check their customer reviews, go to the site’s social media pages to see how they are faring with the public, and check their rating with organizations such as the Better Business Bureau.
How to Decide on a Hosting Solution
After you factor in all of these considerations, the bottom line is that you need to choose the hosting server that will do the best job for what you need. If you have a lot of media content such as podcasts or videos, you need to find a host that offers high bandwidth and fast up speeds. If you want a lot of space for storage, you’ll need to focus on that. Think about what you need most to make your site work for you and base your decision on that.
Price is essential, as are the other factors we’ve mentioned here. If you can make a little extra cash with the affiliate marketing links, great! But choose your hosting plan based on your individual business needs. Then you should find what works best for you.