There are over 1,773,600,800 websites online today, which explains why the market for website hosting services to manage them sits at $38+ billion.
Renting a quality server from a hosting provider is essential for ensuring the quality and effectiveness of your website. If you’ve chosen the wrong one and it could cause your site to become unresponsive, your potential customers will bounce to another website with a better host behind them.
Read our guide to learn what web hosting is and how to find the best website hosting services.
What Is Website Hosting?
Web hosting is the process of renting out server space to clients. These services come in several flavors, including dedicated, VPS (Virtual Private Servers) or cloud, and shared hosting.
Dedicated hosting is expensive but gives customizable servers for your business alone that offer the speed and power that large businesses require.
A VPS or virtual private server gives you complete control and is less expensive but more difficult to manage. Shared hosting is a fast and inexpensive beginner option but can slow down websites that have heavy traffic.
Cloud hosting uses a network of VPNs. It’s reliable, scalable, and customizable but difficult to manage if you’re not experienced with configuring a server. Managed hosting companies handle the entire process for you, but they’re more expensive and give you less control.
Reseller hosting is best for web design or hosting businesses because it keeps them in control.
How Can I Find the Best Website Hosting Services?
There are over 5,000 website hosting services in North America alone, and choosing between them means knowing what to look for.
53% of visitors accessing a website on their phone will leave if it doesn’t load within 3 seconds, and PC and laptop users are just as impatient. Speed is determined by aspects of your website hosting services such as:
- Storage
- Bandwith
- Server technology and location
- Caching
Security is another important factor. The best website hosting services offer protection such as:
- OS patches
- Firewalls
- DDoS protection
- Malware scanning and removal
- Backups
Support is essential. Your host should have 24/7 server and application support with a range of methods to reach a professional who can respond quickly to and resolve any issues you have.
Creating a budget for web hosting is essential, but so is ensuring that the price you expect to pay is the same as what you’ll see on your final bill. If a company promises cheap web hosting services, be sure to look for hidden charges as well as cancellation and refund policies.
Web hosting needs to be scalable to meet the demands of growing traffic. You may also need optional extra services such as development functionality, email services, and domain names.
Which Web Hosting Service Should I Choose?
The number of websites and level of internet traffic isn’t going to slow down any time soon, and you need a host with servers that can handle it. Choosing the right one is a key factor in the success of your business.
The best website hosting services offer high levels of speed, security, support, and scalability at an affordable price.
DG Studio will help you create a website from the ground up, host it on our servers, and manage its SEO to attract customers. Schedule a consultation today.