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If you are embarking on a website design or redesign project, you are going to need a place for that website to live. Picking a provider for your web hosting services can seem like a daunting task due to the sheer number of options available these days. Here are some tips on what to look for and how to choose among web hosting companies.

How Do I Choose a Good Web Hosting Company?

There are a multitude of web hosting companies out there with prices ranging from very cheap to hundreds of dollars per month. In addition to cost, keep the following aspects in mind when comparing your web hosting options.

What to Consider as you Look for a Web Host:

1. Support

Decide how much support and what kind of support you will need from your web hosting provider. You want to be sure that you have access to at least a basic level of support via email or a ticket system. Many web hosting companies also have 24-hour phone support available, so this is something to consider if it's important to you to be able to get a human on the phone to help you should you have any issues.

2. Traffic

When evaluating different web hosting options, it's important to accurately estimate the amount of traffic that your website will get. (Pro tip: Take a peek at your Google Analytics.) Hosting providers generally set their prices based on storage and bandwidth, so you want to be sure that you are choosing a package that will best fit your needs. You can always start small and scale up as you grow. 

One way to start small is through shared hosting. With shared hosting, multiple websites share the same server. This is usually an okay starting place, but if your traffic grows, being part of a shared resource can slow things down. 

With a virtual private server (VPS), you are still sharing a server, but it is divided into virtual private machines. This sharing option allows for more customization and often better speed. It's a good middle-of-the-road solution for those who don't want shared hosting but aren't ready for a server of their very own yet.

With dedicated hosting, you get a server of your very own. This is generally the most expensive option, but it's the most customizable solution for your needs.

3. Uptime

You always want to make sure that your web host gives a guarantee for a certain amount of uptime. Uptime is the amount of time that the server will be online, and thus your website will be up. Most web hosting companies guarantee an uptime of at least 99%, but if you have a very high-traffic eCommerce site, for example, even one percent of downtime may matter a great deal to your bottom line.

4. Type 

Another major consideration is the type of website design you are building. Are you building a WordPress website? If so, you may want to consider a WordPress-specific provider for a web hosting solution that is more tailored to your needs.

5. Security

Security is an important consideration. Make sure that all potential providers spell out their security measures. Are there firewalls? Do they run scans to detect malware on their servers? Do they offer SSL certificates? Do they offer frequent website backups?

The website design and development team at THAT Agency is ready to help you with your website project from start to finish. We can offer web hosting recommendations based on your specific needs. Get in touch with us today to learn more!