Business Web Hosting: What Should You Look for?

The agenda of a business owner is a never-ending list of to-dos that seem to be piling up every day, especially in the early stages of business development and launch. You, as the mastermind behind your brand’s idea, need to think of the design for your brand, you need to make sure that the voice of your brand is in line with its vision and purpose, and not to mention hunting for talented employees, landing vendor deals, and spending hours every day responding to emails.

Have we mentioned invoicing and handling your business finances and investors? Yup, those, too. 

In a slew of such mind-boggling responsibilities, selecting a business web hosting provider may seem like an annoying little chore that has no real bearing on your business. It really, really does.

It will define the success of your website, it will determine how easily and seamlessly you’ll be able to run your digital presence, and if you’ll be able to scale your business when the time comes.

Hosting, it seems, has the power to make or break your digital game. So, let’s go over a few essentials to keep in mind when choosing your provider. 

Evaluate your traffic needs realistically

If this is not your first rodeo, you already know that providers have a slew of criteria they keep in mind when establishing their offers. Some have flat-rate subscription models, customized solutions based on storage and bandwidth usage, all of which is relevant for you when you determine the best option for you. The price is a factor no business can avoid to consider, but that price should realistically encompass the usage that’s optimal for your website. 

Planning to build a massive e-commerce store that will attract hundreds of visitors and lead to dozens of purchases occurring all at once, you need a pricier, albeit more flexible solution to keep all that traffic under control.

Poor business web hosting may lead to frequent website crashes, which will plummet your sales and profits down the line. 

Choose the right location

As every digital expert will gladly confirm, the loading speed of your site will impact your success. Slow loading and delays can push your customers to leave the site, never to be seen again. Who has the time to wait around when there’s another brand with a site that loads in a second? One factor that affects your loading speed is the location of your hosting servers.

If you aim to attract more people in Australia, then hosting your site on servers in Canada makes zero sense and makes it impossible for your website to work properly and quickly for your target audience in the Southern Hemisphere.

To maximize the loading speed of your site for your target customers in the Land of Down Under, choose Australian web hosting with local servers that enable you to always provide the best user experience through your website.

Plus, having a hosting partner nearby means you’ll be able to get prompt support on technical issues if they ever arise, without worrying about the time zone difference and other common issues. 

Look for reviews and first-hand experiences

Google reviews, social media comments, and on-site reviews have become the modern-day equivalent of word-of-mouth marketing. They ensure transparency, access to information that will help you make your decision, and they push businesses to stay on their toes when it comes to competitiveness.

A single poor review may not seem like a big deal, but one customer who reads it will confirm otherwise. When you’re choosing a business web hosting solution and you have no experience of your own to make the right choice, your potential providers’ reputation should speak volumes of their promise.

Check for rewards, certifications, and security badges that promise a high-quality service, in addition to their customers’ majestic reviews. Industry-approved providers that have a stellar reputation are always your safest bet, and their well-established client base can be another reason to trust them with your site. Of course, other factors should be taken into account as well, from their pricing to their support options. 

Establish the level of support you’ll need

Nowadays, the idea of patience has dwindled to seconds when it comes to the aforementioned loading time, and to perhaps minutes or hours when it comes to supporting.

Having access to the basic forms of support when there’s an issue with your servers boils down to tickets, email communication, and sometimes the phone.

Alas, that doesn’t come with a promise of immediate solutions to your issues, hence the need to consider what kind of support you can expect from your business web hosting provider.

This is where the staggering difference between managed and non-managed service steals the spotlight since the first scenario gives you the peace of mind to let your provider tend to your needs, while the latter means you’ll need to resolve certain issues yourself.

In addition to providing the hosting service, the managed option is a far better solution in case of businesses that intend to scale over time. Let your provider take care of your system configurations as well as any ongoing maintenance and updates to prevent issues properly.

Security measures for your industry needs

Last, but certainly not least vital, is the level of security promised by your hosting provider. E-commerce companies that need foolproof checkout security and data protection also need high-end hosting solutions that provide the foundation of security every online transaction on your site requires. 

Check your potential providers’ site for SSL certificates and listings of other security measures, including firewalls, best backup practices, antivirus software and other security add-ons you can opt for if your site needs them. 

Think of hosting as one of those digital pillars of your business success. Invest time, research, and of course, funds into choosing the best provider for you, and you’ll create the perfect foundation for future growth and stability of your brand.