Web hosting and a domain name is something very essential to creating a self-hosted website. Though, you can make use of some free platforms like Blogspot to save some money required for a web hosting account. However, both things are mandatory when it comes to the self-hosted blog. There are numerous providers out there claiming to offer quality as well as reliable services.
In this post, we will talk about the most essential things you should consider before purchasing web hosting for your very first blog. Usually, a newly started blog doesn’t need features such as unlimited bandwidth, storage, and email accounts so you can ignore these options. Instead consider checking if they deliver reliable uptime, fast loading speeds, sophisticated customer support, and refund policy.
Without further ado, let’s start!
Basic Tips on buying a hosting plan for your first website
Important Tip: Your hosting provider plays a crucial role in your website’s performance. Thus, it is advisable to read up on as many hosting providers’ reviews as possible. To start with, you can read this Siteground hosting review to find out more about what they offer.
1. Platform Infrastructure
The first and the most important factor to look for is a “web hosting infrastructure” that your provider is utilizing. You can research thoroughly and learn which technology they are using for data storage, data protection, backups, and uptime. Are there any robust DDoS security measures or active firewalls? The account isolation measures and security protocols.
Usually, trusted companies ensure server-level firewall, default DDoS attack monitoring, virus scanning, and malware removal at no extra cost. Besides that, multiple data centers and high-speed network connectivity also plays a vital role to deliver cutting-edge hosting services.
2. Technological Embracement
Technology is changing with every passing day, so your hosting provider should embrace the latest technologies as top priorities. For instance; SiteGround as an innovative and advanced host strives to deliver the fastest rendering backed by shared SSD hosting, custom LXC containers, and server-level cache mechanism. The goal is to choose a company that ensures outstanding services and the latest innovation implementation.
3. Web Storage and Data Transfer
Gone are the days when web hosting was expensive, nowadays, many hosts allow unlimited web space alongside unmetered monthly bandwidth at affordable prices. Though many host providers still provide limited storage, you can choose A2Hosting to avail yourself of unlimited bandwidth and storage on solid-state drives. If you’re planning to run a media-rich website then selecting an account offering large space would be a wise decision. On the other hand, blogs and text-based websites can start with a 5GB volume.
4. Free Domain Name
Who doesn’t like to get freebies? It’s human nature to get the best possible deal on the money they spent online or offline. That’s why hosting providers (almost all except a few) give a free domain to new customers on the purchase of a yearly based web hosting subscription. If you’re a novice webmaster and find it difficult to decide which companies are giving a free domain name, then, here are a few ones; Bluehost, InMotionHosting, GreenGeeks, and 1and1.
5. Customer Support and Refund
In this competitive business (hosting), customer support is the backbone to make or break any company’s reputation. Lacking an expert and experienced technical support as well as fewer supporting channels could be a red sign. So to address this issue, well-reputed companies do offer multiple assistance ways such as live chat, call, email, etc.
The thing is, you should double-check if the provider you’re going to choose does have various contact ways? If so, then confirm other features mentioned in the list and buy your first web hosting account. A money-back guarantee helps to protect your investment if the company failed to deliver reliable services – you can ask for a refund.
6. CMS Compatibility
Businesses and enterprises can rely on custom-made web design but nowadays WordPress is one of the most used content management systems empowering more than 30% of websites. An individual blogger or small business can’t afford the cost of custom-built design so in that particular case, they can use WordPress – it’s free and open-source software.
Of course, WordPress has some basic requirements such as PHP, MySQL, and an Apache-based server. If you’re also planning to utilize the WordPress platform, double verify primary specs. The same goes for other platforms like Joomla, Magento, Drupal, etc.
7. Renewal Prices
Last but not least, many companies offer insane discount prices to first-time buyers ranging from 50% off to 80% off which entice users to choose that host. Things start getting weird at the time of renewal when they demand a hefty amount to renew your account which usually costs 2x compared to the first invoice. So, it’s wise to check renewal costs before making any purchase. All you have to do is contact the host and ask related queries.
So, there were some basic and essential factors every blogger, webmaster, and entrepreneur should consider before purchasing a web hosting account for their first blog. We hope by taking the following points into account, you’ll be able to select not only reliable but also peace of mind web hosting with less hassle.
Conclusion:
We thought these to be the basic tips on buying a hosting plan for your first website. As a newbie, you’ll be faced with lots of hosting options that might probably get you confused. You can reach out to us for guidance on buying your very first host.
Originally posted on December 15, 2018 @ 1:05 pm
Business owners, bloggers, etc. who are just starting out tend to be intimidated by all the details that are involved in setting up your first website and finding hosting.
I’d suggest that people who are just getting going use one of the largest web hosts (Siteground is a good one, as you mentioned), who have designed their products around getting people set up with a WordPress website or something else that’s simple to use.
Siteground, HostGator, BlueHost, GoDaddy…all of those mark off your checklist here.
Someone who is building a new website could choose from any of those and successfully get going. I do find that after you’ve gotten your website going and are more familiar with hosting environments enough that you can compare, after a year or so of using whichever host you’ve chosen, you do some shopping around. It may be that your promotional offer is expiring, and (as you mentioned) the renewal price is much higher. Or, it’s likely that there are just better deals available elsewhere.
The first and the most important factor to look for is a “web hosting infrastructure” that your provider is utilizing.