Do you have, need, or want your own domain name? Do you have (or want) a blog? Do you need a specific blogging platform (e. g. , Wordpress)? Are you tech-savvy or a beginner? If you’re not a developer, you might consider a host like Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly. These hosts make it easy to create a stylish personal or professional site without any technical know-how. Do you really need a paid webhost or could you get by with a free option? If you plan to have a personal blog without your own domain name, consider free options like Tumblr, Blogger, or Wordpress. com. Do you rely on (or want) a visual panel like cPanel to install software and updates? Do you need to migrate an existing website to a new host? If so, does your site require specific tools (a certain blogging platform, support for certain types of apps, etc. ) to run? Do you need to be able to sell products or services and take payments?
If you have access to your current website’s statistics, use that information to gauge growth.
Shared hosting: Shared hosting is great for personal websites, bloggers whose sites are mostly text-based, and small businesses who use external ecommerce sites like Shopify or Etsy to handle their sales. Your website will be hosted on a server that also hosts other peoples’ websites, which means you’ll be sharing resources, such as bandwidth, hard-drive space, CPU power, and RAM. As the most affordable and user-friendly type of web hosting, shared hosting plans typically offer website-building tools, one-click management panels, and limited support. Many shared plans also come with a free domain name. Bandwidth and hard drive space are limited. If a shared server becomes overcrowded or hosts resource-intensive websites, your site’s performance may suffer. Dedicated hosting: Dedicated hosting is ideal for large businesses with server administrators, as well as high-traffic/resource-intensive websites with lots of customization needs. With this type of hosting, you’ll have an entire server dedicated to your website. You’ll control every aspect of your website, including maintaining all applications and databases relied on by your website. You’ll also be responsible for ensuring that your server is secure, patched, and up-to-date. If you don’t have a server admin and aren’t technical yourself, you’ll need a “managed” service plan, which can be pricey. Virtual Private Servers: This plan is recommended for businesses whose sites rely on more customization than what’s available on a shared server, but don’t require as much bandwidth or storage space as what comes with a dedicated server. VPS service is similar to dedicated hosting in that you’ll have your own operating system and the ability to manage all aspects of your server’s backend tools. It’s also similar to a shared server because you’ll be sharing the physical hardware with other customers. Like a dedicated server, you’ll need advanced technical know-how (or a managed support plan) to build and maintain your site.
Some services allow you to choose an operating system (usually Linux or Windows). The industry standard is Linux, but if your site uses custom tools written with Microsoft . NET, you’ll want to choose Windows. Make sure the service offers acceptable security tools. Security is especially important if your site is commerce-related or collects user data.
Many plans offer claims of unlimited space, but this is usually not necessary for simple websites. In fact, this claim should be a red flag—unlimited space is a technical impossibility. The host’s servers could be overcrowded, thus decreasing server performance. Make sure that you have room to expand and grow. Examine the different storage upgrade options—some companies offer more space as your needs expand.
The amount of bandwidth you use will be determined by the amount of traffic you receive as well as the amount and size of content you host. A heavily-visited site with lots of pictures will take a lot more bandwidth than a heavily-visited site with mostly text. “Unlimited bandwidth” is rarely unlimited, and the trade-offs for services like these are often very noticeable. These hosts will typically be much slower than a host that applies bandwidth limits. Make sure you know what happens if you go over your bandwidth allotment. Depending on the company, you may be charged a fee, or your site may be taken offline until the next billing period.
Some hosts don’t provide any support (just a support forum for users to help one-another). These services tend to be cheaper, but may be frustrating if you’re not tech-savvy.
If you’re having trouble finding sites hosted by the service, don’t be afraid to call, text, or email support to ask for examples.
Be cautious when seeking reviews, as some of the top search results (usually with names like “Top Webhosts” or “Best Web Hosting Sites Ranked 2019”) are operated by the hosting companies themselves (or by people wanting to make a buck off of referrals). If you’re having trouble determining a hosting company’s reputation, ask around. You can even make your own post on a forum like Reddit’s webhosting forum, asking for reviews and recommendations.
Most services advertise two different rates (monthly and yearly) per plan. The yearly rate is often displayed as a cheaper per-month amount, but you’ll have to pay for a year up front. If you choose to pay for a year in advance, make sure the service offers a pro-rated refund should the service not meet your needs. Many services offer a low promotional rate when you first sign up—these rates may double or triple after you’re a customer for a certain amount of time. Find out how long the rate you agree to remains available, and what the rate will be after the promotion ends Web hosts may bundle all kinds of services and products within expensive packages. Make sure you don’t sign up for more than what you need. Some services offer free hosting with very limited services. For example, you’ll usually not be able to use your own domain name on a free site. Free sites also tend to display advertisements (and interfere with your ability to set up ads for yourself). [2] X Research source
