Building a website? Experts reveal top tips for web hosting
There were just four webhosts in the infancy of the internet in 1969. There are now 1.2 billion registered hostnames worldwide!. But, with industry growth comes enticing new deals and cheaper packages – so, how do you know which web hosting plan is right for you?
A bad webhost can lead to slow, lagging websites, more crashes, and limited webspace. Not only is this bad for your site’s performance, but 1 in 4 internet users claimed they’d exit a site which didn’t load within 3 seconds, and 46% said they would never revisit it again after2.
Thankfully, web hosting experts Fasthosts have come up with a list of top tips to help those looking to buy web-space to kickstart their business.
Five top tips for web hosting
Ensure your web host is secure
One of the most important steps in building a website, and one you should look to act on straight away, is ensuring there are measures in place that guarantee the cyber security of both your business’ and customers’ information. The simplest way to do this is by making sure your website is SSL certified (secure sockets layer).
There are many benefits to improving website protection, the most important of which is providing a secure connection that encrypts personal data and payment information. Your customers also have that assurance that they’re entering a secure environment, thanks to the little padlock symbol that appears beside your URL.
Don’t underestimate page loading speed
Website speed is everything. In fact, it’s estimated that slow-loading pages cost the US economy over $500 million each year, with a single-second delay reducing conversions by an astounding 7%. Incredibly, as many as 40% of all consumers would abandon a website if it took longer than three seconds to load.
Put yourself in the best possible position to satisfy customer demand by considering the benefits of varying bandwidths. Or if you’re setting up a site for a bigger business and you’re expecting a lot of traffic, perhaps unlimited bandwidth is your best bet, for wholly unrestricted connectivity and a speedy site no matter the traffic or on-page content.
Combine web hosting and domain registration
There are numerous supporting steps involved in establishing a website, from coming up with and registering the perfect domain name to set up a purpose-built business email. You can simplify the process, though, by keeping your eye out for a web hosting platform that also offers domain registration or name transfer, and email hosting as part of their package.
This makes it more straightforward to create your website initially, and also streamlines the admin processes, and allows you to manage each working element more easily.
Make your web hosting package work for you
Your website is your own unique digital space for you to publish information about your brand and engage with consumers – and everyone’s requirements are slightly different.
For instance, while 34,800 Brits Google search for ‘host a free website’, for help around setting up something as simple as a personal blog, a further 2,040 are looking to develop their ecommerce offering with the ‘best web hosting for small business.
So, it’s important to make sure your web hosting package supports your needs exactly.
Additionally, consider the scalability of your website, and whether there’s room for growth as your brand develops in visibility and reach. You might not need too many features just yet, but be careful not to limit yourself before you even get started.
Consider a specialist web hosting company
Creating a website can be a time-consuming process and one which often requires organisation, patience, and skill. And, with an average of 1.8 billion worldwide websites online at any one time, it’s important to get it right or you run the risk of falling behind.
Fortunately, you can effortlessly skip over many hurdles that come with building out your site, by working alongside a specialist web hosting company. With countless hosting platforms to pick from, too, make sure to find one that offers round-the-clock support, for everything from everyday queries to server concerns.
Understanding how to get the most out of your website and web hosting package can make all the difference, when it comes to handling customers, creating on-site content, and managing growth.
Full information can be seen at: https://www.fasthosts.co.uk/blog/building-a-website-our-top-five-web-hosting-tips/
