The first step in developing a website is choosing the right hosting. In addition to storing the files and data of the website, the hosting provider plays an important role in the security and performance of the site.
Choosing a web hosting company that offers an excellent uptime guarantee is essential to prevent your site from experiencing too much downtime.
It can be tempting to go for the cheapest option available. However, you should look at what the hosting provider offers in terms of storage, ease of use, eCommerce infrastructure, and customer support.
In this article, we’ll share some tips to help you choose the right web host, whether you’re launching an eCommerce site.
What to consider when choosing a web hosting provider?
The different types of web hosting are adapted to different projects and business needs.
When creating a website and deciding what to do, it is essential to consider a few crucial factors:
- Budget. You have to evaluate the costs of and get premium themes and plugins. Also, the more types of websites you have, the more expensive it will be.
- project scope. Do you want to build an online store, a personal website or a corporate landing page? Calculate the potential traffic of the website, as it will help you predict the resources required.
- Website building tools. Take into account the platform you are going to use to create the website, whether it is a CMS or a website builder, and check if the web hosting you have chosen is compatible with those options.
- Functions. Consider your bandwidth and storage needs in relation to your website requirements. Also consider the scalability of the hosting plans, to ensure that the website has plenty of room to grow.
- Security. Review the security measures the provider implements, such as access management, SSL certificates, automatic backups, and software updates.
CMS vs. website builder
When choosing a hosting provider, make sure it’s compatible with the website building tools you want to use.
If you want to create a website, the most common options are to use a (CMS) or a website builder.
CMSs have a steeper learning curve because you will have to deal with technical tasks like customizing themes with code. If you have no experience in website design, it may take you a little time to create a website that fits your idea.
The most popular CMS are WordPress, . To use them, you will have to install and configure the one of your choice in your .
On the other hand, website builders require no programming. Just drag and drop elements, and the site will be ready in no time.
For example, Zyro comes with a ton of free designer-made templates and customization options. Its grid system can help you create web sites quickly and easily.
It also offers an AI text generator to create content elements and speed up work. If you need to improve CRO (conversion rate optimization), the builder comes with SEO features and a heat map AI tool to predict user behavior.
Plus, most website builders provide , so there’s no need to purchase a separate plan.
If you are starting an online business, you may be wondering how to build a . Here are some popular eCommerce platforms we recommend:
- . An open source WordPress eCommerce plugin that offers feature-rich marketing tools and modules.
- Magento. An open source PHP-based e-commerce software, suitable for creating online stores. Although it has many extensions, advanced customization can be a bit overwhelming if you are not technically savvy.
- PrestaShop. Another open source solution to create online stores. It is packed with useful features and geared towards small and medium-sized businesses.
- Shopify. A website builder with a drag and drop editor and tons of built-in apps for eCommerce management.
When deciding which platform to choose, consider prices and payment options. Make sure it’s accessible and supports all major payment gateways like PayPal either Skrill.
It’s also important to note what the platform offers in terms of inventory and order management, such as bulk product uploads and multiple shipping options.
Last but not least, check that the platform is mobile-ready and SEO friendly. You may also want an eCommerce platform with blogging features to improve customer engagement.
Regardless of which option you choose, supports all major eCommerce platforms like , and Magento.
You can install more scripts by accessing the section Website from the hPanel and clicking self installer.
Storage and bandwidth
Storage refers to the space on the server where site files and data are kept. These files include, but are not limited to, images and videos.
It can be difficult to calculate the amount needed when you’re just starting out. After all, it will depend on the type of content you post.
However, most web pages occupy a 2MB average. This, compared to the amount of disk space offered by most providers, is not much. For reference, the plan Simple Hosting from offers 30 GB of disk space.
Keep in mind, however, that files such as videos, images, and banner ads accumulate over time.
This also applies to your bandwidth allocation and largely depends on the amount of traffic you receive. The bandwidth is the data transfer limit of a website within a period, usually every month.
It is divided into two categories: measured Y not measured.
Metered Bandwidth sets a monthly limit on the amount of traffic the website can receive. If that threshold is exceeded, the site may crash and visitors will not be able to access it.
Unmetered does not limit monthly bandwidth usage, as the limit is only set on the server capacity covered in the plan. Luckily, this is also the most common model used by many web hosting services.
A good rule of thumb is to choose a plan that offers more than the amount your website currently needs. However, most hosting plans are easily scalable, so you don’t usually need to worry about it.
Even so, it is a good idea to know how to estimate the necessary amount of resources that your website will need:
- Look at the average number of monthly visitors. You can easily find it using , for example.
- Check the average page views. This number can be found in Google Analytics.
- Calculate the average size of your web pages. Use online tools like or to see the approximate sizes of all your web pages.
Then multiply all those numbers. For example, let’s say your average web page size is 2MB, with average monthly traffic of 3,000 visitors opening about two pages. The result will be 3,000 x 2 x 2 = 12,000 MB or 12 GB/month.
Using the 50% tolerance rule, the website will need about 18 GB of bandwidth per month.
For comparison, ‘s bandwidth for shared hosting plans starts at 100GB and it becomes unlimited as you increase the plan.
Note
It’s good to note that “unlimited” here doesn’t necessarily mean “unlimited.” It’s just that the bandwidth threshold is so high that it will seem unlimited to most users.
Speed and optimization
The speed of your website is crucial, as you don’t want it to lag even a millisecond. This is especially important as it and the overall user experience.
Although there are many factors that influence website performance, server speed is an important part.
To check the speed of a server, keep these two factors in mind:
- Time To First Byte (TTFB). It is the time from when the browser sends a request until it receives the first byte of the page. Google states that the ideal estimate is .
- Component charging time. Measures the time it takes for a server to load the . If the data is already cached, it shouldn’t take more than a few milliseconds for the server to serve it up on the page.
To check if the web server is fast, you can run a speed test with tools like or .
In addition, uses as the main web server in place of , which significantly improves .
Security
Regarding security, some factors must be taken into account, such as access management, the , the firewall, network monitoring, backup copies and automatic updates.
A good web hosting provider should offer a robust and secure system that allows you to limit administrator and user permissions to the server. Access to the backend should be limited to only the IPs you use.
Next, consider the security measures that the web host implements. It should offer multiple layers of firewalls to protect against malware, encryption methods, and a way to detect malware.
uses Immunify360 Y Bitninja to fortify and monitor servers and wanguard to detect and mitigate DDoS attacks.
Last but not least, the web host should take regular backups of the site and automatically update the software whenever the latest version is released. This is to prevent potential data loss and other vulnerabilities from outdated software.
Ease of setup and use
Check what kind of user interface the hosting provider offers. Most of the popular hosting providers work with cPanel, which is a very popular control panel brand.
uses hPanel as your control panel. It is intuitive and extremely easy to navigate. hPanel has a lot of functions, the interface is more agile and it adapts to all types of clients.
The hPanel is very intuitive. It’s easy to do anything from managing your domain names and hosting, to installing software or taking care of your files.
In addition to an intuitive user interface, a reliable hosting provider should offer an extensive information library and knowledge base to help you get started.
See if the hosting provider offers tutorials for their users. Check to see if they explain complicated terminology in layman’s terms and offer straightforward methods for solving problems.
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