So you want to set up a new website for your business but you’re stuck at one of the first hurdles – which hosting provider select. A great web host will enable you to impress website visitors and turn them into paying customers, a bad web host could leave visitors totally frustrated with your website.
People often overlook the important part that a web host plays in online marketing but it really can be the difference between a successful website and one that does more harm to your business than good.
If you haven’t worked on websites before then you may struggle to decide on which host to choose, or which features you will need. These days there are so many different websites, web hosts and various templates and features available that it can feel like a maze of information.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes that you need to avoid when it comes to web hosting:
- Fooled by ‘unbeatable deals’ – It can be easy to get pulled in by half price sales and other supposedly amazing savings that you can make if you sign up with a web host immediately. However, making a rash decision without doing any research could end up costing you a whole lot more. Also, many of these so-called sales don’t actually live up to their promise. You are likely to see that same offer over and over again, so in real terms, that is the regular price for the web host. On the other hand, some people can end up paying for more than they need to because they offer a wealth of features that they will never even touch.
- Not checking reviews – One of the best ways to gauge how good a product or service is, is to read reviews by previous customers. Rather than read the biased information on a host’s website, take a look at any customer reviews you can find. Technology sources like PCMag will also publish expert web hosting reviews that will help build an unbiased overview of what you are getting.
- Using a restricted hosting package – If you don’t do some research and check the full details, you might miss the small print. Many hosts seem to offer great packages but somewhere along the line you may find that there is limited storage or bandwidth and this could bring your website to a sudden halt.
- Overlooking the importance of customer support – Not all web hosts offer customer support and some offer much better service than others. Free hosting accounts don’t offer any level of customer support, so if you find yourself in a bit of a tricky situation you will need to find the solution yourself. If you are fairly new to setting up websites, you may find that you are better off with the peace of mind of knowing you can get support if needed.
- Focusing on short-term requirements – If you don’t plan out your future website and web hosting needs, you could soon end up regretting it. You might think that you have found the perfect host but a year down the line you realise it doesn’t support a feature that you now need. Try and take a long-term view of what you may need from a web host to avoid having to start all over again.
- No guarantees – The security of having guarantees often helps us to make up our minds over purchases. Web hosts offer guaranteed Uptime (the amount of time online) and some offer a certain amount of trial period with a guaranteed refund. If you don’t get any guarantees with your chosen web host you could end up signed up for a year without the service that you want.
