5 Considerations When Choosing Your Web Hosting Service

There are two fundamental things that make for a good, functional website - your domain name and your web hosting service.

A domain name is your digital address and it should be aligned to your overall business. How do you get a great domain name? By focusing on the domain extension. With over 1,200 new domain extensions to choose from, you no longer have to compromise on your first choice. In fact, you can now get a domain name that corresponds with your business model. For example:

● A business in the technology space can go for .tech
● An e-commerce or retail business can opt for .store
● An online business could go for .online or .site
● A creative professional showing off their portfolio could choose .space

When it comes to choosing a hosting provider, the global web hosting services market is set to be worth more than $75 billion by 2023. With the competition set to skyrocket, you will be spoiled for choices. With so many options at your disposal, users often choose the least expensive option.

However, it is important to remember that not all web hosting services are created equal. There is a huge variety in price, features, and quality that gives you a lot to think about before making a decision.

This article highlights five vital factors that you must consider when choosing your web hosting service.

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl / Unsplash

1. Security

Web hosting is big business, but so is cybercrime. Hacking methods are becoming more sophisticated. With many high-profile data breaches in recent years, web users are increasingly concerned about their security online as well as how their data is stored.

When looking for a web host, you need to make sure you find one that has strong security measures in place. This is not only important for keeping your data safe, but also instills users with confidence in your website. Look for a web host that offers an SSL certificate for your website in their package (Rebel now offers free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates in many of our hosting packages).

2. Backup

Professional web design doesn't come cheap. Think about all of the hours you've put into your blog content or the dollars you've paid to an SEO company to optimize the content and technical portions of your website. That's not an issue when you see the return on investment from increased site views and a good conversion rate, but what would you do if all that hard work and investment got deleted due to some technical glitch?

That's why it’s crucial to choose a web host that offers solid backup options. It means that a copy of your site will be taken at regular intervals so that in case of any technical problems, you can restore your website to a previous version without major disruption.

When comparing web hosts, take a look at how long your backups are stored. It may be that you would prefer to revert to a version of your site that is older than the most recent. With Rebel's Full Control Hosting, you can pre-schedule all of your backups.

Photo by Brett Zeck / Unsplash

3. Server Locations

The speed that your site loads at can have a huge impact on its success. If it's too slow, users may turn to your competitors for answers to their questions. The location of your web hosting server can have an impact on how your fast your site loads, so it is recommended to choose a web host that is as close as possible to your target audience who will regularly visit your site.

If you're a global business, then a web host that offers multiple global server locations is preferable. You should also look for web hosts that offer support for Content Delivery Networks (CDN) to help reduce global page loading times. Not only does Rebel offer 13 server locations around the world, but our web security product includes advanced CDN techniques.

4. Support

The internet never sleeps. Neither should your web hosting support.

There is no specific time when someone will access your website. This is especially true if you're an international business. If there’s an issue with your website in the middle of the night, you want to be sure that you can still do something about it.

Check to see if your web hosting provider offers 24/7 customer support. Knowing that you have support on call whenever you need it gives you peace of mind that you'll always be able to resolve problems as soon as they occur. Naturally, Rebel's award-winning support team is available 24/7/365, so you can count on us.

Photo by Micheile Henderson / Unsplash

5. Price

The overall cost is one of the big factors in choosing your web hosting provider. Especially for small businesses of individuals who are just starting out--they prefer packages that offer good service without burning a hole in their pocket.

There are two important things to consider when it comes to price. The first is that the cheapest service isn't necessarily the best. If a web host is cheap it probably offers fewer of the features mentioned above meaning that it could end up costing you a whole lot more in the long term.

The second is that the most expensive service isn't necessarily the best either. You may end up paying for features that you don't need at all. Understand what your needs are and look for a web host that offers a range of packages so that you can find the perfect fit.

Rebel has numerous hosting packages that suit every skill level and budget. The best part? You can get started for 70% off right now.