It is easy to get lost and confused when there are so many web hosting companies out there who offer almost the same web hosting plans at different prices. We have encountered the same problems while selecting the ideal web hosting company for our client but after working with several of these companies these years, we know what to look for. Hence, in this post, we share some of the criteria you could use to choose the most optimal web hosting for your website or blog.
#1. Have a Local Office & Sound Infrastructure
It would be ideal to pick a web hosting company based locally so that you will know they are real, credible and not one of those companies who will close down anytime. A Singapore-based web hosting company has the advantage over others as they are less likely to subject to natural disasters. In other words, their hardware and servers will be safe and stable. This will ensure that your website or blog will be up and running all time.
This is critical if you are running an ecommerce website as there will be a spike of traffic when there is promotion so the server and hardware must be able to take up the load.
#2. Cheap but Optimal Hosting Plan
Not all cheap hosting plans are bad but double check the web hosting company server configuration so that they are not using outdated server and software for hosting your website. For example, if you want to host a WordPress blog, check with the web hosting company it has the minimum server requirement to install WordPress otherwise you would soon realize that your website will run into compatibility and security issues when the server and software are not updated regularly.
Depend on your needs, check how much space and bandwidth in each web hosting plans. If you are starting a basic blog, a basic hosting plan is good enough but if you need to upload a lot of heavy graphics, audio and video files then a bigger storage space and bandwidth is necessary.
#4. Offer Wide Range of Services
In addition to the above, make sure your web hosting company keeps up with the latest technology trend. A good web hosting company will provide great back-end management interface such as cPanel & FTP for their clients’ easy management. They should also take extra effort to block out spams to protect their customers’ websites.
If you are concerned about your website or blog ranking well in search engines, you must ensure that the web hosting company has Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features provided in their web hosting plans or as an additional service.
#3. Offer 24×7 Technical Support Services
Supposed you like to work at wee hours, having a 24×7 technical support is a must! The reason is simple if you broke your website or blog in the middle of the night, there is still an amazingly support person out at such hour, willingly and patiently guiding you step by step to restore your site. This super support staff will not only save your site but also your “night” as you will surely lose sleep and panic when you broke your site.
#5. Have Constant Backup for all Clients
Some hosting companies require you to backup your own website or blog yourself but a great web hosting company will also do auto backup for you so that when you broke your website and is beyond repair, you can still turn to you web hosting company to provide the backup copy for you.
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The above list will go longer when you are creating a more complex website or when your website evolves. Once you have set up these criteria, it will ease your selection process. Alternatively, we recommend you try one of the web hosting companies we used for our clients’ sites. It is a Singapore-based web hosting company named Vodien and the reason we like them is they are very helpful and responsive. Our clients like the online chat support so you reach them almost immediately when you have any problems. In addition, they are willing to help client to set up email account in different mobile devices if one has problem doing so. The only condition is client has to bring these devices to their office though.