Are you still hosting your website on a shared server? If so, you’re putting your business at risk.
In this article, we’ll explain why quality website hosting is essential for any business and how you can make the switch to a better host. Keep reading to learn more!
Web hosting is the all-important cog to ensuring your business’s online presence operates at a superior level that is essential to winning in today’s digital world. A web host, or web hosting service provider, can be defined as a business that provides individuals and companies with the tools and services needed for the website to be viewed on the internet. Web hosts will store your websites on specially designed computers called servers. When someone wants to access your site, they will type your URL in and instantly their computer will connect with the server that’s hosting your information and then display it on the computer screen of the person wishing to access it.
There are countless web hosting services offering different packages for different prices. According to HostingTribunal.com, these web hosts are currently hosting 2 billion websites and around 400 million active websites in 2020. This is a staggering number, but most likely not surprising. As our lives and the media we consume increasingly becomes digital, this number will increasingly grow. With the large number of websites being hosted around the world, it’s easy to get lost in the ocean of content. That’s why it’s crucial to find a good Web hosting service that can help you with things that will help you rank on Google.
Depending on your needs and digital and coding capabilities, it’s essential to find the right web hosting service. The right service provider will vary from person to person, depending on special features and the hosting location.
This blog aims to address features that are a must. And why an excellent web hosting service is so crucial!
As internet speeds continue to increase, people continue to demand better-optimized sites and faster load times. The time of waiting three minutes for a site to load in the dial-up era is far gone. Now, people will not even wait three seconds for your site to load.
The need for site and page speed is even more crucial when you examine Google’s site ranking criteria. Google stated in their Google Webmaster Central Blog that site speed is one of the most important factors when it comes to ranking your page on Google. Depending on the type of business that you have, the higher you rank in Google search results will determine the number of clients you get or the sales you make.
An article from Akamai Developer shows that, and, sites that were loaded under 5 seconds had average session lengths that were 70% longer and bounce rates that were 35% lower compared to sites that took longer than five seconds. Therefore, a slow site could be catastrophic for your conversion rate.
The right Web hosting company will reduce load time and keep your potential customers from bouncing. Two main features that will influence website speed and performance from a web host perspective that you should be aware of:
The right web hosting provider will positively impact your page’s loading speed and thus help your Google ranking. When time is money, it’s crucial to be as fast as possible on the web.
The security of your website is crucial as it will protect you and put your customers’ minds to ease. The internet is accessible to more people every day, whereas Statista reported in July 2020 that over 4.57 billion people had internet access worldwide. As the number of people accessing the internet, so is the amount of online business being conducted online. Nasdaq noted that by 2040 it is expected that 95% of purchases will be facilitated by e-commerce.
As increases in e-commerce and the amount of money being moved online continues, so will the number of security threats and attempts to steal it. With increased security threats, it is more important than ever to secure your website. The security needs to start with your web host.
There is no single component or feature that will protect your website from attacks. However, web hosts should be supplying you with an array of tools and technologies that will protect you from threats.
These are some of the features you should be looking for when finding the right web host provided.
As data becomes the most sought-after currency in the world, you will want to be sure that you protect your customers’ data. With online threats becoming more frequent, you will want to make sure your first round of defence starts with your web host provider.
We have included support and safety together here as these two factors go hand in hand. Here is an example with, ‘if a server crashes’.
Both of these situations can lose you a lot of money if you are an e-commerce business depending on sales. Additionally, if your server crashes and it doesn’t have any backups, you may lose all of your customers’ information or potential leads that you have been generating.
HostingAdvice states that most sites have an uptime guarantee of about 99.9%, which means if you have anything less than that, you may be hosting your site with the wrong web host provider. Uptime is vital to consider when looking at price comparisons. A new web host provider may provide a great deal, but if your uptime is anything more than the standard of 99.9%, is it worth it?
You will also want to think twice about hosting with a new provider because of the uncertainties of the market. Thesitewizard shares just how difficult it may be if your host provider has to close down their business or you have to switch providers due to unforeseen events. They state that if you have changed service providers, “your site, in its present form, is really gone. If you want to move it to another host, you will have to redesign it again from scratch, using some other software.
Lost data, the pain of switching hosts and redesigning pages, and inadequate uptime, can cause your company a lot of headaches and cost it a lot of money. Saving money is essential to having a profitable business; however, if your primary income source is from your online business, it may be better to save money in another place. By having a web host provider that gives you excellent uptime and the safety of not having to switch providers, later on, you can be sure that your site will always be alive, and capable of making you money!
Picking the right web host will save you money, time and a lot of headaches as time goes on. With so many people accessing the internet and using it to shop online, you will want to make sure that you have a website that offers safety, speed, and security for you and your customers.
If you are currently using a web hosting provider that doesn’t offer the big three things we mentioned above, you may want to consider contacting your provider to enquire why, or it may be time to move on to a new provider. Whatever you decide to do, remember that your website is your business and it represents your brand. If there are problems with loading, ability to access it, or security, your customers will be less likely to shop or work with you and recommend your company to a friend.
Take the time to research your options and make the best decision you can regarding your website hosting. We at WEBO Digital are also here to help you. If you have any questions or concerns, please do contact us.
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