Web Hosting For Startups
No startup today can forgo online presence. So, if you are a startup owner, then you cannot ignore web hosting plans. Again, many startups have web-based products, so the startup owners cannot do away with judiciously deciding upon a web hosting type to purchase.
Remember that choosing the type of web hosting corresponds to the early days of your startup, but its effects will last throughout the entire lifespan of your entity.
When it comes to choosing a web hosting type, there will be many options available, but the one you should choose will depend on the needs of your startup. There seems to be no need to mention that you need to select that hosting that works the best for your startup.
Jumping straightaway to the things you should consider before you finalize a web hosting type for your startup is not the right thing to do. It will help if you brush up your knowledge with the fundamentals of web hosting.
What is Web Hosting?
The meaning of a web host is the first thing for you to know about when you set out to select a web hosting type for your startup. There are two fundamental components associated with every website–the domain name and the web host. To make things simpler, you can regard the name of the domain as the address of the building–the server space–in which the website resides; and the building is the web host.
When you type the URL (domain name) on the address bar, the browser finds the IP address, and it pulls up the website from the web host.
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When you take a web hosting, you buy or take on lease space on a web server from a hosting service provider to accommodate your website. In other words, web hosting enables accessibility to your website on the internet.
Types of Web Hosting
Web hostings are of different types with different advantages as well as disadvantages. It would help if you did the due diligence in choosing the web hosting that corresponds to the needs of your startup. Web hosting comes under the following types:
Shared
In shared hosting, your website shares the hosting space with other websites on a single server. And each of the websites is allocated with specific storage space and resources. Shared hosting is the most popular and the cheapest among all the hosting types. However, it is excellent for startups, if the traffic is of the average level.
Dedicated
Dedicated hosting involves gaining access to the entire web server without having to worry about the uptimes or the impact of other websites on the server performance. In this type of web hosting, you do not share the server space or resources with other websites. If your startup needs high volume traffic, as in the case with large e-commerce websites, then dedicated hosting is the best option.
Virtual Private Server
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a type of shared hosting but with certain specialties. It involves your website has its space on the server. And at the same time, it shares the server space with other websites. If you need more control and want higher traffic levels, you can consider VPS hosting.
How to Choose the Best?
Web hosting companies will leave no stone unturned in provoking you with a lot of attractive deliverables. It is, however, necessary for you to separate the good from the bad and select a web hosting company that will fulfill your needs.
The following are the factors you need to consider:
Server Uptime
You want your website to be accessible all the time. It is here where the consideration of uptime and reliability comes in. Server uptime or reliability is the duration of your website remaining accessible. And since you want your website to be accessible all day and night, you need to choose a web hosting company that provides maximum uptime. So, check out the uptime history of the service provider and also whether it offers any form of guarantees on uptimes.
Technical Support
The availability of a technical support team is crucial to keep your website running. There will be times when your website might become unavailable, and in such times, you need the services of technically expert personnel to bring it back online.
So, check out the availability of a competent technical support team before purchasing a hosting plan.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a crucial consideration. It is the amount of traffic your website can withstand in a period, say within a month. When you choose a web hosting provider, check out the bandwidth requirements that depend on the volume of traffic you expect regularly.
But beware of the false claims of most of the web hosting service providers of offering unlimited bandwidth. They usually hide that their shared hosting plans are capable of handling only a certain number of visitors per month. If your website attracts more than the traffic limits, its performance will be affected, and your sales will be hampered.
So, check out the bandwidth capacity of the hosting provider and whether it matches your requirements.
Domain Management Tools
If you own more than a single domain, you might also want to host the additional domains from your account with the hosting service provider. And most of the web hosting service providers will allow hosting of multiple domains. But you should ensure the availability of a control panel with the host so that you can easily manage the basic server configurations, your domains, account passwords, and emails.
Fully Managed Magento Hosting
If you want to run a Magento eCommerce store, the fully managed Magento hosting3 is the right option for you. It is a hosting plan that provides compatibility with the eCommerce software Magento. The main benefits of managed Magento hosting are no hidden fees and proper security.
Pricing
Once you have decided upon a plan, the next thing to do is to pay the hosting service provider. So, make sure you understand the involved costs, options for payment, and other associated costs. Also, compare the prices of a select hosting services provider as prices vary among them.