The consistency of your website directly impacts the customer’s approval and the chances of them returning to you will be slim if that consistency begins lacking. The consumers want to know you are on top of your game and this article will help you achieve that position, but only if you can earn it.
Stick with a provider that’s in the same country as your target audience. If you are targeting people in the United Kingdom, be sure your web hosting plan is with a provider that has their data center located in the United Kingdom, too.
If you are going to have a website that mentions products and services that you offer, you need to have e-commerce hosting available in order for the customers to make purchases. You do not want to push your customers, but at every opportunity, they need to have the ability to make a purchase at their disposal.
Even if you are offered a discount for doing so, resist the temptation to pay in advance for years of web hosting service. In the event that your host server goes out of business, you could be stuck with no compensation. In addition, you may just be unhappy with their service, or you may find that you need to go out of business yourself. You will likely have trouble getting a refund if you pay too far in advance.
Avoid choosing the cheapest web-hosting service out there, and certainly think long and hard before you go with a free one. If you are running a business online, your reputation can be severely damaged if you choose an unreliable hosting service. In addition, the free ones will often have advertisements that make it obvious you are not willing to pay for a basic service that is important to your livelihood.
Choose a web hosting service that offers a simple and easy to navigate eCommerce system. Even if you do not initially plan to offer products for sale on your website, realize that this can be a valuable asset as your company grows and expands. You will save yourself a lot of time and energy if you can easily add this service if the need arises.
Your web host should provide you with live statistics on your visitors. Get a visitor counter on your site, and compare this number to the statistics given to you by your web host. It is in your best interest as a business owner to closely monitor and manage this data.
Make sure that the web host you select has a very high uptime guarantee. Uptime is the percentage of time that a server is online. For instance, if a web host claims that their servers provide 99% uptime, then their servers are online 99% of the time. You don’t want to select a web host whose servers do not provide high uptime percentages. This is why uptime is so important when selecting a host.
If you are using your website primarily as a blog, choose a web host that will allow you to sync with popular blogging tools like WordPress. These tools are usually free and simple to use, but you will likely want to host them with a professional service. Choose one that allows you import the files directly into their platform.
Though it shouldn’t need to be said after reading that entire article, but choosing a hosting plan based on its price alone is never a good idea. Many companies offer options all across the spectrum and the ones that you choose, could mean the life or death of your business.
