Let’s be honest, finding a hosting provider is a pain. A combination of too much choice and not enough technical knowledge can leave you in a tough spot, and lead you to make the wrong decision.
Thankfully it doesn’t take much to flip the script and streamline this process. Here is all you need to know about choosing a provider so that the next steps are easier.
Below are Six Steps to choose the Best Hosting Provider for your business:
1. Learn About the Types of Hosting that Are Available:
The first hurdle to jump is understanding which hosting variant is right for what you require from it. There are all sorts of subcategories to consider, but the two main iterations are shared and bare metal hosting.
Shared hosting will see you make use of the same hardware resources as other clients of the provider. This is inexpensive and does not require much technical knowledge on your part, as the vendor will handle the heavy lifting.
The downsides are that performance may be compromised during peak periods, and configuration capabilities are limited by design.
The best bare metal server hosting providers, such as Maxihost, let you essentially rent a standalone server within a remote data center. This lets you set everything up to your liking, including specifying the hardware featured in the server itself.
This can cost more, but comes with unrivalled levels of control and customization. If you have the right in-house skills to make use of this, bare metal is the way to go.
2. Think About the Regions You are Targeting
Another deal-breaker when weighing up hosting providers is whether or not they are able to accommodate users in the areas you are most eager to target.
You might have a very geographically-specific audience for your digital services, in which case your hosting package has to be able to serve these users with the best experience.
That means deploying servers that are close enough to provide adequate performance that is not compromised by latency issues, sluggish speeds or any other performance problems.
3. Check Out Independent Reviews or Ask for Recommendations
You don’t just have to take the word of the provider that their services are second to none. It is also perfectly reasonable to read up on their track record either by looking for independent reviews published to reputable sites, or by asking for recommendations from people in your contact network that you trust to give you an honest answer.
4. Consider Control Options
One factor that could sway you towards a hosting provider is if it provides a user-friendly and fully-featured way for customers to control the packages they pick.
Ideally a browser-based interface is preferred for this, and of course you may also want a control panel which adapts depending on your level of expertise.
5. Analyze Uptime Claims and Support Capabilities
Uptime guarantees and security features could be instrumental in selling a hosting package to you, especially if you cannot afford any unwanted downtime for your intended application.
Not only should you see what promises a provider will make in this regard, but also check in on the support they offer customers. If you know that you will be well treated when something goes awry, you can have more confidence.
6. Use Free Trials to Form a Final Opinion
Last of all, remember that lots of the hosting providers out there will try to win you over by letting you try out their services for free before you make a commitment.
This will give you the opportunity to see whether the reality of a service lives up to the hype, or if you would be better off going in a different direction.
