Choosing a web hosting plan may be difficult. Knowing the requirement and acting according to that is a great balance to maintain for many newbies out there. Without knowing the winning tips to pick a web hosting server for a first website; chances are neither the performance outcome nor the revenue return would be as expected. Hence, here we have compiled a list of top 10 helpful tips that any newbie should know before proceeding to purchase a web hosting plan.
1. Know your Individual Requirements
Not every website, or the web masters requires the same sort of requirement for each and every website they host. The requirements vary from website to website depending on content and what purpose it is going to be used. A checklist with questions like – website type, operating system, planned code and scripts, any special software environment, required bandwidth and storage etc. should be taken into account.
2. Server Efficiency and Uptime
No matter what type of server is subscribed to – shared, dedicated, VPS or cloud hosting, they should perform exactly the way they are supposed to. A decent amount of efficiency is expected off all type of servers; and an uptime above 98% should be standard. Even though the companies promise 99.9% uptime guarantee in papers, providing so in real life is almost impossible. There are websites that log the uptime record of various web hosts, those could be great references.
3. Server Upgrade Options
Most newbies kick-start a website with the minimal website hosting plan and the website requirements eventually grow. For example, the website may consume more bandwidth and exceed the monthly limit, or in a long more hard drive storage space may be required. A good web host should provide easier upgrade options where the users can upgrade to a higher configuration package with minimal efforts.
4. Moderate Renewal Price
There would be renewal fees in a web hosting service, some of them are yearly and most should be monthly unless you have paid the whole amount of money during the beginning of your plan. However, before signing up with a web hosting service every webmaster should check the Terms of Service for the renewal rates. Renewal rates could vary depending on the plan, the rate should keep within the website owner’s affordable range.
5. Refund Policy
Not every web hosting service is perfect, and the user might feel the urge to withdraw the service. In such cases, the web hosting company is bound to refund the cash they have taken for subscription. Most companies these days offer a comprehensive return & refund policy for 90 to 120 days; might vary from company to company. Also ask your company about cancellation charges, if any.
6. Automated Tools
Unless the web master is an expert computer programmer, they might not want to do a lot of coding and scripting for the website. There should be automated tools like cron jobs, .htaccess, automated scripts and programs installers, server sides etc. All these serve different purposes on the backstage of a website and should exist on a web hosting server.
7. Easy e-Commerce
Many websites these days are launched with the sole purpose of operating an e-commerce business, hence there should be easily installable plugins to incorporate those features into a website without much effort. Stuff like shopping card or SSL certification should be handy.
8. Limitations
In few cases, the website owners face service barring, limitation or even suspension for violating the rules on a hosted website. There could be misunderstandings if the TOS hasn’t been read before it was signed. Hence, read the limitations of a website hosting thoroughly and make your decision.
9. Usability
The user interface, features, control panel etc. should be easy to use. Difficult operation would take a lot of time to learn and distract the webmaster from their actual job hosting and maintaining a website.
10. Customer Support
Last but not the least, the customer support department should be very friendly and always willing to help. Unless there’s a 24/7 customer support service, don’t sign up for a web hosting service!
Conclusion
These are the 10 helpful points someone should remember while purchasing a web hosting service.
Santosh Kumar is a Professional SEO and Blogger, With the help of this blog he is trying to share top 10 lists, facts, entertainment news from India and all around the world.