When setting up a website online, one of the first things you need to do is choose a web host. Because of this, a lot of people end up choosing a hosting provider that is not suitable for them. This is because they don’t really understand the differences between hosts and what they should really be looking for.
In this blog post, we are going to take a look at the different mistakes people often make when choosing a web host provider for their company. If you are committing one of these areas, you could find that your website is at risk of downtime, poor user experience, and security issues.
Not making regular backups
There are many amazing features that come with the web hosts that are available today. One feature you should most definitely look for is automatic backups, ideally on a daily basis, although the best hosts will enable you to configure this to suit your requirements. The last thing you want is to lose all of your data.
Trying to operate all of your websites on one host
Yes, you may have found a host that seems ideal, and so it seems logical to host all of your websites under the one account. In fact, there are a number of benefits associated with this; for example, billing will be a lot more straightforward. However, this is all outweighed by one disadvantage, which is the fact that your websites could all go down at the same time. If the server crashed, you would experience a full Internet blackout. This could cause you to miss out on numerous opportunities and a large chunk of profit.
Not taking the time to read reviews that have been left by previous customers
When doing your research to find the web host, one of the most important things you need to do is read the reviews that have been left by previous customers. You can also read in-depth hosting reviews that have been left by objective industry experts. You will discover everything you need to know, including the security features that are in place, loading speeds, customer service levels, and so on. It is better to find out this information before you have exchanged any money! It is also worth pointing out that you should read customer reviews on independent review websites so that you can be certain that they are 100 per cent genuine.
Failing to look into potential restrictions
When looking for a host provider, you are going to be presented with all of the features and good points about the host in question. After all, they are not going to lead their sales pitch with all of the different things that their service is missing. It is up to you to go digging and find this out for yourself. All hosts have limits. Make sure you find out about bandwidth limits, as well as options regarding multiple POP accounts, SSH, and installing your own software.
Not checking out the customer service levels before you sign up
In addition to the blunders that have already been mentioned, a lot of people make the mistake of signing up for a host without experiencing the customer service for themselves first. You need to test the quality of their customer service. This begins by taking a look at the different options that are available to you. Do they have a FAQ section on their website? How can you reach the company? The best providers will offer several options, for example, email, phone, and live chat. You should test out each of these options to see how quick the response time is and whether or not the customer service representative was helpful. The last thing you want is a live chat bot that just provides you with scripted answers.
Choosing a free host
Last but not least, the final error you need to avoid is choosing a free host. If you have already gone for a free host, it is time to look for a new provider. There are a number of different reasons why this is the case. This includes the fact that you may not be able to run the scripts you require and your SEO may be adversely affected. In addition to this, you will not be able to scale up your site as your company develops, the host will likely put ads all over your website from third parties without your permission, and your site will be painfully slow. As they say, you get what you pay for! If you opt for a free host, you can expect a very low-quality service.
As you can see, there are many blunders that businesses make today when it comes to choosing a web host provider. If you feel like you have made any of the errors that have been mentioned above, this is a clear indication that you should seriously consider changing your host provider. After all, the web host you choose will have a massive influence on the user experience your website providers, and so you cannot afford to cut corners and go for a substandard service.
