Every business wanting to build a website requires a web hosting account. It allows storage of the website’s files including code, images and other things required for users to view the website on the internet. There are many web hosting providers offering a range of plans in the market. So, how do you choose?
There are several things that you must keep in mind when choosing a web hosting plan in India. Read on to know about them.
Needs of Your Business
This is one of the most important considerations you need to make while choosing hosting services for your business’ website. You must identify the resources you need for your website and ensure that the hosting plan you opt for can handle the expected traffic.
If your website is new, and you do not expect huge traffic, go for shared hosting plans. It can be an economic proposition for your business. However, if you are building an e-commerce website, you need specialised services to cater to the high traffic as well as maintenance requirements. In this case, you should opt for dedicated hosting or specialised hosting for e-commerce platforms. Go for plans that offer adequate server resources, bandwidth, and security based on the needs of your business.
Server Reliability and Uptime
For the smooth running of your business, the loading time of your webpages must be short. So, consider the uptime score of a hosting service provider before finalising a package. Look for uptime scores of above 99%.
Ability to Upscale or Upgrade Server and Other Resources
As your business grows, the requirements for resources are bound to increase. To ensure that your website does not crash due to an increase in traffic, choose a hosting provider that allows you to upgrade your hosting plan when the need arises.
Compare the Costs
The domain and web hosting price is an important factor while choosing a hosting provider. Many companies offer a special introductory offer price to new customers while quoting higher prices for the renewal of hosting plans. You should be aware of this. Also, do not go with the cheapest plan; ensure that you compare the features of the plans as well.
Features and Inclusions
Before finalising a hosting plan for your website, check the features being offered and whether services like domain hosting, security, automatic backups, and virus protection are included. Other essential inclusions to look out for are one-click installers, access to .htaccess file, and FTP access.
Downtime and backups
A good website hosting provider will be able to restore your website with minimal downtime. Check the service provider’s backup frequency or the inclusion of features that can allow you to take backups of your website via the control panel.
Customer support
You must also check the quality of customer support being offered by the web hosting service provider. Look out for providers who have a live chat option or are known for providing essential support to their customers. You can gauge these from the reviews of the existing users.
Lastly, ensure that you check the reviews of the hosting plan and the web hosting service provider before you make the purchase.