We all understand what the front end of a website is all about. Displaying a website that is visually appealing to our visitors, promoting our products and services in the most enticing manner to encourage a sale or further enquiry.
What most don’t know is the important role the website host plays in delivering the website across the world wide web. The difference between a good host and a bad one can determine if a visitor stays on your site or even finds it in the first place.
Here are a few things to be aware of when looking for a website hosting provider:
SPEED
Most users expect a website to load within a couple of seconds. Sites that take longer to load could see users getting frustrated and navigating away from the site. Speed is also a factor that Google takes into consideration when ranking your site. A slow site can actually effect where you show up in Google search results.
Looking for a host that has good processing power and memory allocation is a key factor.
SECURITY
Security is vital for websites, and a good hosting provider should have strong firewalls and constant monitoring for malware and unauthorised access attempts. Websites should also have SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificates installed on them, especially any that are set up to make payment transactions or require a user to input sensitive data.
Some hosts include SSL Certificates automatically and some will charge an extra fee.
BACKUPS
As they say, “Hope for the best but plan for the worst”. This is especially true when it comes to websites. Sometimes an update, an accidental deletion or even a poorly timed save can cause a serious problem or even break your website. This is where a hosting providers backup system can make or break you. Some providers offer automatic backups that you can set at a specific schedule, others may require you to organise your own backups.
How often is the website backed up and how easily is it restored? This is the question that needs to be answered to your satisfaction.
SCALEABILITY
This is an important factor if you are creating a site that is going to have additional content added to it over time. Things like large image galleries or adding numerous more products to your online store can effect the performance of your website.
Finding a hosting provider that allows you to scale up the hardware and storage for your site will be of great benefit to you and also keep the site speed at a premium level.
SUPPORT
Even for those of us that are relatively tech savvy, there will almost always come a time when technical support is required. For those of us that are not so technically inclined, good support is a must. Website host support can come in various forms; phone, online chat, email and a ticketing system.
A good website hosting provider will offer multiple of these support types. What to look for here is the average wait time for phone and online chat support.
WHAT WE DO AT STUDIO22
Here are Studio22, we offer a premium hosting service for your website requirements. Our web servers are scalable, fast, secure and backed up daily. We take care of all of the support needs and keep track of your website performance consistently.
We provide a monthly report that will highlight your website performance, security and framework updates, backup schedule and visitor analytics. Our goal is to deliver the best website hosting service with peace of mind for our clients.
If you would like to find out more on our website hosting services, please get in touch.