One of the most important steps when launching your digital project or website is to find a reliable web hosting company. There are many things to consider at this stage including security, uptime, and support. Your main goal when choosing a web hosting company is to have your website safe and accessible at all times.

Choosing the wrong web host on the basis of low price can have disastrous consequences. A recent report on Forbes stated that over 30,000 websites are hacked daily. Top brands such as BlueCross BlueShield, Target, and Home Depot have suffered the unfortunate hacking experience in the last two years. A reliable web hosting company will provide you with a regular backup of your data as well as a remote server just in case someone hacks your site.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right web hosting company.

Understand the Type of Hosting You Need

The first thing you need to do is to determine what type of web hosting you actually need. This will help narrow down the options available. Are you planning to build a video blogging site with 24-hour streaming capacity, an e-commerce site, or a simple product review site? Do you need more features than is required for a basic site? Your answers to these questions will determine if you need a shared server for small websites or a more powerful dedicated server.

Hosting Package and Amount of Bandwidth

What packages does the hosting company provide? A majority of small businesses are contented with shared hosting because it comes at a lower price. However, low price carries risks such as slow loading times which could potentially turn away customers. Go for a company that provides a Virtual Private Server at a reasonable price for faster and high-quality performance. Bandwidth is also important to consider. You might not use all of it but leave enough room for growth. A good hosting company won’t lock you into a specific amount of bandwidth or charge you more for a later upgrade.

Do They Have a Backup Plan?

If, for whatever reason, your website goes down or you lose your website’s data, a good hosting service should provide you with a data backup to bring your site back to life. Find out if they provide data backup just in case you lose your site’s data.

Can the Company Handle Growth?

There are many web hosting companies providing low hosting prices and packages in the hope of attracting many clients. However, many of these companies are not sufficiently equipped to handle a huge number of clients at once. Your best option is to host your site with an established company that can handle growth without compromising the quality of service.

24/7 Customer Support

This needs no emphasis. You want a company with an accessible customer support team 24/7 every day of the week just in case you run into a technical or billing issue at 2 A.M.

Number and Location of Servers

A good hosting service should ideally have a good number of servers located in different parts of the world. This will ensure there’s always a server closest to your location for more efficient service.

Conclusion

You don’t have to choose a web hosting service impulsively. If possible check if they have a free trial offer that you can use to test their services before jumping in.

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Tips for Choosing a Web Hosting Company for Your Digital Projects