Anyone who is interesting in starting a website has to be concerned with web hosting. However, there are many things that people don’t know about web hosting. They don’t know what it is or how to choose a host. Here are some great tips about web hosting so you can make smart decisions about your website.
If you are hosting your site with a Linux based site, be sure the company you choose updates their information regularly, and at all levels. You don’t want your page to crash or be insecure because your host is not properly maintaining their servers and networks, so look for those that do.
Should you choose shared or dedicated hosting? If your website has a lot of traffic and is very involved, shared hosting may not be to your advantage and may actually hurt your business. Instead, opt for a dedicated server.
When transferring your site between hosts, have a copy of your website at both your old and new hosts for a few days. It’s important to do this because it takes 6-48 hours for the DNS to propagate. During this time, some visitors will be sent to your old website, while others whose ISPs have updated their DNS info will be sent to your new site.
Make certain to read reviews to determine whether your potential web host has frequent periods of downtime. If your website is often inaccessible to visitors, there can be drastically negative consequences. For example, if you are running an online business, downtime directly translates into lost business because potential customers will not be able to access your website. Customers may also feel uncomfortable conducting transactions on your website because they might believe your website to be unreliable. Choose a web host that does not have a history of being offline frequently.
If you are considering using a particular web hosting site, read reviews about it. Specifically, check for reviews written by users of the site’s hosting services. Just as you wouldn’t make a major electronics purchase without first checking out product reviews, nor should you bypass looking at reviews for web hosting sites you’re considering using. Doing this now can save you frustration further down the road.
Even if you are offered a discount for doing so, resist the temptation to pay in advance for years of web hosting service. In the event that your host server goes out of business, you could be stuck with no compensation. In addition, you may just be unhappy with their service, or you may find that you need to go out of business yourself. You will likely have trouble getting a refund if you pay too far in advance.
Now that you’ve learned a bit about web hosting, take the information in this article and use it when you are choosing a host or hosting a site yourself. The right web host can make or break the success of your site, so learn as much as you possibly can about hosting and you’ll be happy you did.