How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider
Choosing a web hosting provider is critical for any digital project’s debut.
With so many elements to consider, from security to uptime to support, it’s challenging to sort through the thousands of web hosting companies offering what appears to be a comparable quality of service.
However, there is a method to the madness and as Gold Coast Websites are industry experts, we can help you in your decision to choose a web hosting company.
#1 Tip – Evaluate and Understand Your Web Hosting Requirements
To begin, you must understand your requirements as an online business. It is critical to establish rough estimates of the resources required to maintain the site operational, and starting with an estimate of daily visitors is a sound technique.
Without a general idea of how many visitors your project will receive, you’ll either spend far too much for an unreasonably large (and expensive) server or far too little for a server that cannot handle the volume of traffic generated by your website or application.
#2 Tip – Conduct a thorough assessment of security measures
Cybersecurity is a top priority for both small and large businesses.
When choosing a web host, you should consider their security track record and the protocols they have in place to guard against cyberattacks in all their forms. Numerous firms, including Amazon, the New York Times, Airbnb, GitHub, Pinterest, and WIRED, have experienced downtime due to DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks. Website hosting should provide DDoS protection and other security features such as a web application firewall and encryption.
As a side point, if you want to share client data with your web provider, you’ll want to ensure that they comply with GDPR. The GDPR clarifies that brands can be held liable for data sharing with non-compliant third parties.
#3 Tip – Conduct An Infrastructure Inspection
The quality and strength of a website host’s infrastructure are critical. Nowadays, it is pretty simple to set up a server and begin hosting websites for others, “although it is challenging to do so well. The web host’s infrastructure distinguishes between the best and the rest.
The following are a few basic questions brands should ask prospective web providers about their infrastructure.
#4 Tip – How many uplink carriers does the hosting company have at each hosting location?
How much bandwidth does the organisation have available at each hosting location?
This will assist in determining peak performance.
What is the topology of their network? To assure uptime, we’re seeking redundancy, preferably with multiple carriers.
How many peering relationships does the hosting business maintain? Enhanced peering typically decreases IP transit costs, improves user experience, and increases network resilience.
Can the business provide dedicated connections/lines for increased reliability and security? This one is not required, but it is an excellent addition.
Finally, “the hosts’ data centres’ geographic location affects their capacity to service your consumers. Therefore, if most of your clients are based in Australia, it’s preferable to stick with a host that employs AUS-based servers.
#5 Tip – Take Scalability into Account
Scalability is another critical factor to consider, as your requirements (which, as previously stated, you should have determined before beginning your search) may alter. You do not want to be compelled to change web hosts when that occurs. Rather than that, it’s prudent to select a website hosting company that can scale your business. It is necessary to assess the scalability of a prospective hosting provider.
Each of us wishes to expand our company. It is critical to have an adaptable partner to assist your expansion by managing your infrastructure’s increasing “hunger” for resources.
Take into account specialist hosting companies
While some website hosting providers are open to organisations of all sizes, others have specialised in working with brands that leverage specific technology or operate in specific industries. Brands should analyse the host’s business objectives to determine whether they align with their own business and technology. Determine whether the host is specialised in your industry or the technology that powers your website.
Managed hosts that assist you in operating the application layer’s performance (such as WordPress, Adobe Experience Manager, or Sitecore) provide products and performance capabilities that give you a competitive edge over a generalist host.
