If you are running any type of business, it is important that you have a website. Having a great website will allow potential clients to learn more about your products or services from anywhere in the world at any hour of the day. It is like having a virtual 24/7 shop window.
Whether you have made your website yourself, or have hired a company to design it for you, you are going to need to host it somewhere. There are lots of web host companies operating all over the world and picking one for your website is an important task.
One of the first things you should try to do is find a web host that is based in the same country as you. If you are living and running your business in India, then it is a good idea to try to find an Indian based company for your hosting. You can find a detailed review of the top web hosts in India over at the Fortunelords website, which is a great resource for digital services.
Having your website hosted in the country of your audience can be beneficial for you as a company and for your potential clients, who should experience a faster loading website. Once you’ve compiled a list of potential web hosts, it is a good idea to then look at each one in more detail, as there are a few things that you will want to avoid.
What are the prices for hosting?
The first thing is to check what their prices are for their web hosting packages. Most web hosts will have a range of different hosting packages available starting with a basic package for the beginner or someone who just wants to host a single site, through to reseller packages where you can become a web host reseller, and sell hosting to your own clients. Many will also offer other options such as VPS and dedicated servers, but these are not something you’ll need at this stage.
For a single website, you’d most likely be better off with their basic package. But, what are their prices? Most hosts will generally have similar pricing for their hosting services, but some may have very low or high costs.
If the prices are much lower than the other hosting companies, this can sometimes be a red flag. The quality of the hosting may be poor in comparison, and you may experience a lot of down time, which is when your website is offline and not working. Another problem could be the lack of customer support in times of problems.
If you see that a company has very high prices, it may be because they are offering more functionality and options within their hosting accounts. Most hosts offer shared hosting, where your website is hosted on a server along with hundreds or thousands of others. Some will also offer semi-shared hosting, where your website is hosted on a server with only a limited number of other websites, and not hundreds of them.
Customer Reviews
It’s always a good idea to check reviews and testimonials before purchasing or signing up for anything. There are lots of websites that share web host experiences, so if you’d like to get a better idea of what the web host is like, spend a little time looking through reviews.
Most web hosts will have a Facebook Business Page, and you can usually find reviews and feedback on there from their clients. You could also check and see if they have a Google business page, as many people will also tend to post reviews on that platform as well.
You’ll want a web host that has good uptime, which means the website will rarely be down or have problems, as well as one that offers fast and helpful customer support.
Are they an established business?
One thing that you want to avoid when choosing a web host is a company that looks like it has only been around for a few months. The last thing you want is to get your website up online and then have continuous problems with the website, or the company simply shutting down and leaving you completely in the dark.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t trust all new types of business, but when it comes to web hosting, particularly when you are going to be hosting your business website, you want to use a company that is established and reputable, and not one that could disappear in the blink of an eye.
The best piece of advice when it comes to choosing a web host is not to rush. Spend a few days shopping around and look closely at any reviews you can find from existing or ex-clients of that company. Honest reviews can tell you a lot more about a company than you might realise.