When it comes to choosing a web hosting provider for your business, or personal blog, there should be two key points to start you off in the right direction; reliability and support.
Before I go any further, let me just tell you that I have had my fair share of web hosting providers. I started my hosting experience at GoDaddy as I recall seeing their commercials on the TV, they sounded great! Unfortunately, many of the features they mention or provide are not needed or useful and their hosting was slow, which is the case with many providers.
This leads me back to the two key points, reliability, and support, when choosing a web hosting provider.
Reliability
First point, when I mention reliability, I am talking about web host uptime and the flexibility to upgrade or downgrade. You might be starting off with a small website (or have a big website hosted elsewhere) but ensuring that your website is online 24/7 with peak performance is key to a successful online business. The last thing you want your website customers or visitors to see is an error or blank page! It is highly likely that the customer or visitor will not visit your site again, so uptime is a big factor.
Another factor is if you see yourself or your business requiring more resources or a different hosting package. The web host must be able to provide a quick and smooth transfer of your website, possibly to a new or better server, with as little downtime as possible. Some web hosting providers are not able to do this and would tell you to hire someone to do it for you.
Support
Now we go into the second point, support. A web host should be able to respond to your support request timely and be knowledgeable to complete or fix the issue you are having. I have had my share of interactions with a tech support where I almost had to guide them on how to correct the issue which is absurd! Now, it is not possible to figure out which web hosting provider has knowledgeable support gurus, but I will say to ensure they have online chat support and a ticketing system. Sometimes your request can wait, so you submit a ticket, and other times you require immediate support and that is where the online chat comes handy.
Do look at the reviews! Make sure you take into consideration those reviews that have substance, as there are reviews just trying to knock down the competition.
Lastly, my plug, I recommend A2 hosting! They have been exceptional for the past 5 years that I have been with them. They have been reliable and provide amazing support quickly and efficiently. Trust me, you will not be disappointed! If you are in need of web hosting, please contact us or click the banner below.
Thank you for your honest article. I agree that customer support should be a decision-maker when choosing a web host, especially for us that are just starting off. Could you share the other hosting providers you have tried?
Hi Susan, thank you for commenting on my article! The other hosting providers I’ve used are BlueHost, HostGator and Namecheap.