What would happen if you had your websites go down for five or 10 minutes? No big deal, if it happens one time. If you buy hosting for your sites from an unreliable provider, however, site outages could become an ongoing problem. This means lost revenue and readers for you, and a time to look for a new web hosting service. Start by reading the following tips that can help smooth the process for you.
Make sure the host you choose has minimal to no downtime. It is frustrating if you try to log on to your site, and the server is down. If you have a business that relies on the internet for sales, this means you will lose a lot of money because your site is not operable.
If you are going to have a website that mentions products and services that you offer, you need to have e-commerce hosting available in order for the customers to make purchases. You do not want to push your customers, but at every opportunity, they need to have the ability to make a purchase at their disposal.
To get started with your very first website, consider a free web hosting company. After all, your initial site is the one that will teach you lessons – not make you a ton of profits. You may end up with a lot of downtime, and you’ll have ads that aren’t yours, but you’ll get an intro to running your own site.
When you choose a web hosting service, pay the company on a monthly basis rather than in large lump sums. Consider monthly payments – what if you need to cancel service sometime down the road? Depending on the terms of the service agreement, you could lose any money you paid for future services if the web host provider goes out of business or the service is no longer able to provide for the needs of your expanding company.
Considering using one of the many free web hosting services out there for your site? Free hosts won’t usually back up your website, so it’ll be up to you to ensure that everything you upload is also backed up on your computer. You risk losing your files entirely. If that happens, there is not much you can do about it.
Before choosing a web host provider, check to see how fast files can be uploaded or downloaded from their server. If this information is not readily available from them directly, use a “website speed test” service who can run a test for you. Realize, however, that accuracy varies and can be different depending on the time of day.
That’s really all there is to it. Reliable web hosting is a critical element of your online business plan, so don’t be afraid of switching around if necessary, to find a more reliable web hosting service that provides quality service 24/7. Follow the information in this article and you will surely find a web hosting provider that fits all of your needs.
