Not every web hosting provider is created equal. Some are expensive, while others are surprisingly affordable. Some allow unlimited storage space and bandwidth, while others impose tight restrictions. These are things that can be factored in to the level of hosting service that’s right for your site’s unique situation. However, there are 7 standards that your web hosting provider must absolutely meet no matter what the situation is…
- 99.9% Uptime – What happens when one of the search engine spiders stops by your site to see if anything is new and it – gulp – finds nothing because your web host is having just a few little moments of downtime? One worst case scenario is that the search engine will actually think your site no longer exists and remove it from the listings. Don’t take the risk… the more uptime the better.
- Speed! – When it comes to the internet, faster is always better. Make sure your web hosting provider has multiple high speed connections to the backbone system of the internet. And if your site will be sharing space on a server (shared hosting) with other sites, make sure that there is a strict limit on how many sites are allowed per server so your site doesn’t get bogged down by all the others.
- Affordability – It’s certainly true that you pay for what you get, but the problem is that some are just being charged way too much. Unless your site is generating incredible amounts of traffic, chances are, a $200 per month dedicated server might be overkill. Ethical web hosts offer a variety of affordable hosting packages to custom suit any website’s particular needs.
- Ad Freedom – Now it’s been quite some time since ad supported webhosting has been a popular thing, but we need to mention this just in case. If you take your business (or personal website, for that matter) seriously, avoid advertising supported web hosting providers at all costs! Not only are the blatantly distracting ads displeasing to visitors, but search engines will avoid these sites like the plague too.
- Easy Management – A web hosting customer will often find the need to make changes or additions to email addresses, spam blocking settings, and other critical components that are controlled through the web hosting provider. Make sure your web host has a user-friendly interface such as cPanel. This allows even novices to log in and make the basic changes instead of needing to rely on (and pay) someone else to do it.
- Expandability – Adding a blogging system, photo galleries, wikis, shopping carts, and many more website components is something your web hosting provider should allow you to do. Look for hosting providers that offer Fantastico. This open source (think free) system allows one-click installation of tons of great add-on scripts and blogs to your site.
- Real Technical Support – This is a biggie. Who do you call when your site has crashed or your email address has ceased delivery? Rare as they are, these kinds of things do inevitably happen from time to time. Some web hosting providers only offer “leave a message and we’ll get back to you” service. In times of crisis, having 24/7 real time support is a must!
Until Next Time.
George Chaney
President/CEO
SEO King, Inc.
George Chaney
President/CEO
SEO King, Inc.
