It takes some serious effort to choose the best web hosting for your projects.
If you are not completely new to blogging, you probably have an idea about web hosting.
There are multiple web hosting options and plans available over the internet.
However, not all the options are the same.
In this Advanced Web Hosting Guide, I will walk with you to help you to choose the best web hosting service for your blog.
For your convenience, I have put things up in a very simple and step-by-step manner.
So, let’s get started.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is something like your own space on the internet.
To give your expressions a global voice through your own website, the very first thing you need is to buy a web hosting.
There are various companies that provide web hosting services.
I have compiled my Personal Recommendation on this topic later in this post.
However, you can jump at the last but one subheading of this post to buy the best web hosting service immediately.
Importance of Choosing a Good Web Hosting:
Since web hosting is the foundation pillar of your blog, you must take care of it.
A good web hosting service ensures a good ROI for your business.
Generally, good web hosting services are a bit more expensive than their mediocre competitors.
However, it really pays off in the long run.
Here, in this post, I have discussed a few properties of a good (or, even great) web hosting service provider.
Let’s continue.
How to Find the Best Web Hosting for Your Blog?
Choosing the best web hosting service for your blog is neither an easy task nor a difficult task.
All you need is to follow the system I am going to show you here and grab the best web hosting for your blog or business website.
Also, make sure that you take notes on every step of your learning process.
Recommended Features of a Good Web Hosting Service:
I have listed down 4 major features to look for in your web hosting provider service plans every time you choose them as your hosting partner.
1. Speed:
This one is obvious.
Always check which specific arrangements your would-be web hosting service provider is providing you to make your site faster.
This includes CDN, In-built Cache Support, SSD Storage, and lots more.
If you are confused about anything (technical or non-technical), please feel free to ask your service providers to clear your doubts.
2. Security:
Your blog or website is going to become your Virtual Asset very soon.
So its security matters most.
This is why, you should also check if your would-be hosting service provider is giving you any security features or not.
This includes SSL, Database Scanner, Anti-Hacking Support, and lots more.
And like always,
If you are confused about anything (technical or non-technical), please feel free to ask your service providers to clear your doubts.
3. Storage:
After Speed and Security, the next term comes the Storage your hosting service is going to give you.
This is important.
Because as your blog will grow up, you have to upload more videos, more images, more downloadable items, etc.
And all of those items need enough storage to hold good with your contents.
So always try to be extremely clear about how much storage space they are given to you for your particular plan.
And also be super confident that your hosting partner will be able to increase your storage limits as per your requirements from time to time.
Pro Tip: Do not get fooled by “Unlimited Storage Space” offers from Cheap (and Non-Reputed) Web Hosting Service Providers. There might be a catch.
4. Up-time:
Do you know what the term “up-time” means in the case of web hosting?
If not, here it is.
Up-time means the total time for which your blog was live in a particular time frame like the last 5 years or, the last 12 months and so on without any interruption from your end.
Generally, the best web hosting service providers allow 99.9% up-times (and they mean it).
However, you may find some cheap web hosting service providers claim about 100% up-time from their end.
Beware of that kind of claim.
Always verify the real truth with some supportive data.
Because
Ideally, your blog should be online effectively 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
5. Backup:
You probably know about this.
Backup is an accidental measure that you should always take very seriously for your all digital assets.
And there should not be any exceptions.
Most top-class web hosting service providers value it.
So they generally provide an in-built backup system with most of their plans.
However, you need to be confirmed if your would-be web hosting service provider is providing such a backup service or not.
If they are not providing a backup service, I recommend you to say them a “Big No”.
6. Limitations:
Know your rights.
Yes.
When you are pretty sure about what your Hosting Service Provider is going to provide you, you also need to know how they are limiting you.
For example, some hosting companies hold you for traffic i.e. they offer a certain amount of traffic (say, 25,000/Month) for a particular plan and insist you to move to the next plan for more traffic (say, 50,000/Month) allowance.
Likewise, some hold on bandwidth and some limit your access to root.
While not a serious issue for newbie bloggers, however,
Right?
Now let’s check the Pricing Slabs.
Pricing:
In this section, we will tally our potential web hosting provider in accordance with their Pricing Terms.
We’ll check for 2 basic things here as more advanced things will make this topic more complex.
1. Number of Sites (to Be Hosted):
To keep things simple and economical enough, the best web hosting providers generally come up with 3 kinds of plans for their shared hosting packages.
They are Single Site Hosting (generally the cheapest plan), Multi-Site Hosting (generally, a medium-priced option that is good to host 3-5 sites), and Unlimited Sites Hosting Plan (generally, the best plan that can host unlimited sites under a single Control Panel).
Decide which plan will be best for you according to your commitment and hunger for success.
For example, I recommend you buy Single Site Hosting Plan if you are a Hobby Blogger and do not bother about the huge income potential from blogging only.
Whereas, Unlimited Sites Hosting Plan is great for Full-Time Professional Bloggers (like me) who want to earn a living from blogging.
Likewise, Part-Time Bloggers should start with Multi-Site Hosting and then Grow Bigger with time.
2. Discounts and Offers:
Do not overlook the probable Discounts and Offers from your Hosting Service Providers.
If applied wisely, these discounts and offers can cut your Start-up Costs to a significant level.
Generally, the best web hosting service providers give awesome introductory offers (like free domains, free SSL Certificates, etc.) and discounts (like 30% Off on Hosting Package for the 1st year, etc.) to attract new customers.
Take full advantage of these kinds of deals.
Because as your blog will grow, you will always find ways to invest more and more on it.
It, therefore, is a must to minimize the start-up costs for your blog.
Support:
Emergencies can happen anytime.
No matter due to what.
But you will be in need of Instant Support from your web hosting service provider.
And that’s the ultimate truth.
So please have a look at the support arrangements your Hosting Service provider has made.
To do this better, check for the following 4 kinds of support channels:
- 24/7 Live Chat: This is my favorite channel. I trust most companies that provide 24/7 Live Chat Support.
- Ticket-Based Support: This kind of support is good too if the TAT is less than a few hours.
- Phone & E-Mail: These channels are a must for any hosting service provider.
- Knowledge-base: This self-service support option is not bad to address general issues.
Give your potential hosting service provider full marks on the basis of their support arrangements if they are willing to serve you through the above mentioned support channels.
Extra Services:
After looking for a lot of traditional services, let’s now look for a few extra services.
Best Web Hosting Service Providers offer most of them either for absolutely free or for a nominal cost.
Have a look:
- SSL Certification: It secures your data and transactions. Search Engines value it and your potential customers trust it. Is there really any reason not to make your blog “SSL Encrypted“? If you have any confusion regarding this, feel free to ask me in the comment section below.
- Hacker Protection: The bad guys attack good sites like yours and mine. This is an unfortunate truth. All we can do is to take protection. And some hosting service providers just help their clients with that. Talk to your hosting service provider if they are also providing hacker protection services for your website or blog or not.
- Site Migration: This feature is extremely helpful for people who already have a live blog and want to change host for some reason. While most of the hosting service providers offer site migration service to their clients, some offer it for free. Check if your hosting service provider gives you a free site migration service or not.
Now let’s check what others are saying about your potential web hosting service provider.
Market Reviews:
This has become an integral part of my research system (before I invest anything in it) since I made that $47 mistake.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you can remember that $47 mistake of mine and the measures I have taken to avoid that mistake again.
And as a part of your own research before investing anything, you should include “Checking Market Review” in your Research Arsenal.
To keep things simple and as accurate as possible, check out the following:
- Independent Reviews: These are the real gems. Check for Independent Market Reviews about your hosting service provider before making any transaction with them.
- Sponsored/Affiliate Reviews: Although the reviewers earn a few extra bucks (at no extra cost to you) for writing these kinds of reviews, however, they try to keep things as accurate as possible. And most of the reviewers write reviews after testing the products or services by themselves. So you can trust them and their reviews for choosing your hosting service provider.
- Social Reviews: Check out the Social Profiles of your hosting service profiles for experiencing what others are saying about them and how they are handling the complaints, feedback, etc. If done, properly, this step can help you a lot in selecting your preferred web hosting company.
My Personal Recommendation:
I do not care if you have heard about this company before or not.
All that I care about is this company is capable enough to give you true value for money.
Although they have a few limitations (just like almost every hosting companies have), overall they are superb for all the aspects mentioned here.
And finally, it comes with a 30-Day Refund Policy that makes it totally Risk-Free to give a Test Drive.
I am so impressed with their Service and Business Conduct that I am planning to provide FREE WordPress Installation Service (with Must Have Plugins) for all the newbie bloggers who decide to host their blog with Hostinger.
Host Your Blog with Hostinger Now.
Conclusion:
I have discussed everything that can (and should) influence your decision to choose the best web hosting service for your blog.
The bottom line is you have to take decisions wisely and act accordingly.
If you follow this step-by-step guidance seriously, then there will be no reason that can prove your decision (in selecting the best web hosting service provider) is wrong.
Please share this post with your beloved ones.
Now let me know which is your favorite web hosting service provider and why or if it is possible that you need more help to choose the best web hosting service providers for your blog.
Either way, just let me know your concern by leaving a quick comment below.
See you in the next post.
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Hi Subhabrata,
Great share. Some nice tips mentioned here to choose web hosting provider. One shouldn’t choose a web hosting provider just by keeping the price in mind.
Thanks for sharing this guide.
Hi Amit!
Thanks for your appreciation.
Yes. You are right.
If you are not going for FREE Hosting (not recommended for professionals), you should invest (no matter how small it is) for the best possible.
Keep in Touch and
Blog Ethically.
Cheers.
Subhabrata.
Thanks for the good writeup. It if truth be told used to be a amusement account it. Glance advanced to more brought agreeable from you! However, how can we keep in touch?
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