When it comes to selecting a hosting package for your website there are a whole host of options available. Which one is right for you or your business depends on a number of things, here are some of the key factors to consider.
What is it for?
The first thing to think about is the purpose of your site. If it’s just for personal use or to display details of a small business you can probably get away with a fairly basic hosting package. Be aware, however, that free hosting packages are often supported by advertising, if you don’t want your site to show these you’ll need to opt for a paid package.
At the bottom end of the hosting market there will usually be restrictions on the size of the site too. For basic sites this isn’t too much of a problem as web pages don’t take up too much space so a simple site with, say, 10 or 12 pages will be fine. If your site is likely to grow you should allow for this in the early stages as you may find it costs you more to add extras to a basic package.
If your site needs features like online shopping or interactive forums, you’ll have to look at a more sophisticated hosting package. For this type of site you may need to run scripts or other code so it’s important to check what the hosting company allows. Companies like pixelutopia.co.uk providing web hosting in Leicester offer a range of different options.
Speed and Reliability
A website is the shop window of your business so it’s important that it’s available when people need to see it. You need to make sure that your chosen web host offers a reliable service as if your site is down you could be losing business. Speed is important too as if your site takes too long to load people will give up and go elsewhere.
Hosting companies should be happy to give you statistics on reliability and it’s worth talking to other customers to gauge their experience. You also need to take into account bandwidth – the amount of traffic generated – as popular sites will need much more.
Site Design
If you need help designing and building a website the hosting company will probably be able to help you with that too. If you’re building your site yourself or getting it done elsewhere it’s important to check what is and isn’t allowed by the host.
Many people choose to use a standard platform, WordPress being one of the most popular. Make sure your hosting company has experience of dealing with your chosen platform.
Setting up a website shouldn’t be seen as a throw-away process. It’s an important part of any modern business so you need to take it seriously. Plus, building a site and getting it online is only the start, you need to make sure it’s kept up to date. Your web host is a vital part of the process so you need to choose carefully.
