If you want to successfully get your website online and you don’t have a lot of money 🙁 , Shared Hosting is the way to go! This is because shared hosting is affordable and effective. Of course Shared Hosting is cheaper than VPS. When you are choosing a shared hosting package, it is essential to note that there are important factors you will need to look for. If you don’t consider some of these factors, you will end up getting a very poor service. In this article, we will look at the factors you should look whenever you are choosing a shared hosting package.
1. The Number of Websites You’re Intending to Have
Most people run one website but online marketers will run more than one website. In such a case, you should note that shared hosting packages may set an upper/higher limit for those hosting several websites. They achieve this by simply limiting the number of databases that one can set up. This means you will require separate databases for each and every website.
2. Hosting Operating System: Windows or Linux
Those who use windows for their home PCs think that windows have all it takes for their websites. In the real sense, many websites are run on Linux servers. If you want to use software like Magento, Joomla, and WordPress, to create your site, you should use Linux. Before you choose either Windows or Linux, it is crucial to check the kind of software programs you intend to use. The software you’re planning to use will dictate the required operating system.
3. The Amount of Storage Space Required
If you are looking for a shared hosting package, it is important to determine the amount of storage space required to store your website’s software, images and files. Most websites may not require a lot of space. The biggest files you will need are videos and images. Software and programs do not take a lot of space. If you are running several websites or an eCommerce site with thousands of images, you will require sufficient storage space.
4. Bandwidth
When you are choosing for shared hosting packages, you should always choose unmetered/unlimited bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that your site sends and receives. For example, if you are given a one month bandwidth quota, it is good to know that every time a visitor visits your site, some of your bandwidth will be exhausted/used up. If a visitor clicks on one of the images to view in full size, streams a video or does a related thing, your bandwidth will be used up. For you to be on the safe side, it is good to choose unmetered/unlimited bandwidth.
5. Choose Great Performance
Of course there are a lot of factors that can determine the ease of use, convenience and speed of your website. These factors include: the size of the pages, number of plugins used and much more. All these factors are important but one of the most crucial factors is the type of web server that has hosted your website. It is very essential to ensure that your hosting provider uses the latest software that will easily provide you with the necessary computing resources required for your site to run its processes. Your host must use the best and latest hardware that will help your site load and run quickly. If your site is slow, you will most likely lose a lot of visitors. A delay will not only force your customer to leave your page but also reduce your sales by more than 7 percent. The technology used by your host matters a lot to your success.
6. User-friendly Admin Panel
Administering your site must be a very easy process. You can easily achieve this by just having a control panel that features a user-friendly interface. If you have all these, you will be able to easily update software, install a new website, add extension and much more. cPanel is actually a user-friendly control panel that is popularly used by web hosts. Of course your web host must be highly experienced in using cPanel.
7. Security Features
You must ensure that all security features are perfectly put into place so that your website is not hacked or infected. When you are looking for a shared hosting provider, it is good to choose the one that provides you with a range of security features that are reliable and protective. A host must be able to provide intrusion detection, SSL certificates, firewalls, email scanning, spam filtering, remote backup in case of hacking and much more. All these details will help in quick restoration of your site.
8. Additional features
When you are hiring a web host, it is always good to find out if they offer additional features for customer’s convenience. There are hosts that offer unlimited email accounts, live chat, email chat, technical support and much more. You must hire the services of a host who meets your convenience. Any time you need expert’s advice, there must be a very active customer care service.
9. Hire a host that stays online
If you hire a web host that lets your website go offline, your customers and potential customers will go and you will lose in business especially if you are an affiliate marketer. When you are looking for a web host, it is good to do a good research and hire the one that ensures your website is online.
Conclusion
Your website can thrive or fall depending on the type and the quality of the hosting. When you are choosing your web host, it is very essential to do a great deal of research and identify the best and most reputable hosting. Your online business depends on the convenience provided by the host. If the host does not meet convenience, you should never hire their services. The best host must have all the necessary packages and must have all the features mentioned above. When you are choosing a shared hosting, you should look closely at all the features and services offered. The above info will be of great help.
