Choosing a hosting provider for your website can be confusing and downright daunting at times. How do you know which hosting company can provide the support and performance that you’re looking for? How do you know what you’re getting is not overpriced? If you already use a company’s service, is there a company that is a better fit for you? Would it make more sense to switch providers financially?
Below are some tips on how to assess your current situation and pick the right provider at the right price.
How Much Support Do You Need?
At this point in time, you should be looking into your current situation and figuring out how much support you’ll need to run your site. If you’re relatively new, stellar customer support may be of interest to you. Alternatively, if you work in an IT department and understand the ins and outs of running a site, performance may be the area you funnel your resources into. In any case, a web hosting provider with a 24/7 helpline is beneficial to both amateurs and professionals alike.
Peering at Your Specs
Once you’ve determined the amount of help you require, it’s time to make a list of priorities that you will come to expect from your web hosting provider. Are you looking for better bandwidth, additional storage or additional needs specific to your site? Once you’ve compiled your list, ask yourself: are my expectations reasonable for the amount of money I’m willing to spend?
Account Information
If you’re moving your website from one host to another, do you have the login information necessary to access your account? If you’re unsure, call up your current provider and gather the information before you decide to make your move over to a different company. Are there any notes or significant changes that your web hosting provider should be aware of? The account information you are going to need includes login information for cPanel, and if needed, information regarding FTP access. If you forget this information after moving your site over, simply asking your current host provider to reset your password. Additionally, migrating your website over to Canadian Web Hosting costs virtually nothing as they waive the migration fee and take care of the migration process for you.
Extra Charges
If you’re always paying extra for exceeding your bandwidth limit, you should compare other plans to see how you can get the most for your money. Otherwise, going a bit over every month shouldn’t warrant large charges, but even so be sure that the extra fees you’re paying are worth the performance you’re getting.
Looking At Discounts
On the other hand, if your website is relatively low maintenance and almost never reaches the limits of your plan, it may be time to look at cheaper plans. If you’re already on the cheapest plan, contact your provider and look into discounts.
Reputation
A company’s reputation can often determine their trustability and reliability in the industry. With that being said, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Do your research to make sure that good reviews aren’t stale, and that current reviews back up claims made on their site. Google reviews are a good starting point, as they show up when you search a company’s name in Google’s search engine. You can also check Facebook reviews, as many hosting companies have their online presence extended to social media. A simple search of the hosting company on Twitter may give you results too.
Location
One of the most important things to consider when finding a web host is whether or not they are situated in a location that may benefit the protection of your website’s information. For example, hosting with a company situated in Canada, much like Canadian Web Hosting, means that your site can enjoy the amenities given to them through Canadian privacy laws. This means that unlike the United States, company’s information is highly regulated and strict rules have been placed to protect the privacy rights of the private sector.
Be Aware of Cheap Offers
If a plan sounds too good to be true, chances are it is. However, if your site requires little to run and operate, cheap prices may not be out of the picture. For example, those with blogs or other simple sites can often find cheap and affordable hosting plans.
What Did We Learn?
If there is anything you can take away from this article, it’s that you should always do your research. You are responsible for the discovery of your perfect web host. Once you have found a company that responds to the needs and goals you have set, it will be easier to put your mind into larger projects and bigger aspirations, like creating your website!
