Have decided to build a website for your business or organization? Excellent! Now you must choose a web hosting service to store your website and all your important files.
Before we go through the topic of web hosting, it is important to know that any website and all its files must be stored in order that your customers can access it. To store the site you must understand several things, including your requirements, what companies offer, prices and more. In this article, we will explain how choosing a hosting company, what to test and how to act.
What your requirements?
The first question you should ask is what your requirements? Without answering this question, you will not understand how to go forward. This question refers to any type of site you want to build? Will it be based on a management system like WordPress, a commercial site like Shopify, blog or another type? What hardware and software requirements? Storage type and more.
Hosting type you need
There are several different types of web hosting, we will explain to you all so that you know what is best for you.
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This is the most common type of storage. Shared Hosting is similar to a building with several apartments when lift, staircase, and lobby of the building is shared by all. Your storage company takes care of the server and its operation. That is a collaborative storage is such that all sites are in the same storage, share their internal memory, disk space and so on. It is suitable for small websites that do not have a lot of traffic and have a large consumption of sending Email Address and more.
Virtual Private Server – VPS
Like the shared storage, virtual private server is a storage enabling you to manage a little more that shared storage, even higher memory, as well additional resources. But the difference is that you have to take care and maintain it. Is more suitable for medium-sized sites with higher traffic and how to use larger. This storage space you get, and the system now operating licenses can be used as a normal server. Another thing is that you can add domains as you want. Its price is higher than shared storage.
Dedicated Server / Hosting
This type of hosting is high-grade than VPS, it’s similar to the purchase of a house/villa. You do not share any information and resources as internal storage, and no one is on your server unless you allow them, as well as the security level, is the highest. The highest flexibility and is suitable for big companies and businesses as well as for large sites. You get a server with an operating system and can make use of your own, without other factors. Its price is a much higher virtual server.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud storage is another type of hosting when using several storage servers and you can have everything you want to store this kind. It can accommodate to small and large businesses, and its price depends on your use, which means that payment is by use. Storage type is suitable for businesses that anyone can maintain the hosting without hosting company.
Windows hosting or Linux Hosting?
Windows and Linux are two of the leading operating systems for web hosting. Linux is more popular operating system in the reason it is more flexible. Linux operating system supports more features and tools like PHP, MySQL, Python, WordPress and more. Windows operating system and supporting tools: ASP, ASP.NET, MSSQL, and others. To know what is right for you, you must know which language the operating system and your site will then determine the storage company on the best package for you. Please note that there is no connection between the operating system of your computer and storage operating system.
Apache or Nginx server
Apache or Nginx are HTTP servers which they can also serve as a static file or image file and dynamic pages like a page of a website. This section is more important for developers and server administrators and less for you. In any case, if the developer wants to know, ask the storage company.
Control Panel Hosting
There are a number of control panels for the most popular storage service is: cPanel which supports the Linux operating system, DNS management, email, FTP and more. The second system is popular Plesk similar to cPanel but it also supports the type of operating system is Windows. In principle, those who manipulate you to the site need to know to use these control tables, it should be noted that the storage Control Panel is not like the control panel of content management system like WordPress.
Systems and Applications
Systems and applications are all systems that you are going to work with them. For example, WordPress is a content management system, Joomla, and Drupal so well known content management systems. E-commerce systems like OpenCart and PrestaShop and more. Check with the storage company if your system is supported there, for each operating system in another language does not match the storage have you.
Technical Support
One of the most important things you need to know when choosing a hosting company is technical support. Imagine that you install an extension or app and your site crashed, it’s terrible but even worse if you have no technical support at this time. If your site is new and you have no customers or visitors use the site, you can suffer a bit. But if your site is active and intermediate level, this is very bad if you do not fix the problem instantly. If your site is not a simple, select the storage company that lets you 24/7 technical support. Many companies offer support through phone, chat with a representative, email, opening a ticket through their website.
Https and SSL security
It is important to know if you’re building a website is e-commerce, you must install an SSL certificate, it is a security certificate in order to secure passage of your customer information such as credit card numbers and other personal information. We encourage you to move the whole site to https if it is active and users can enter to the website. SSL certificates cost money, so check the storage company can allow the installation of any certificate without problems. There is also the option to install an SSL certificate free of charge through the Let’s Encrypt.
Server Uptime
Availability Server is several times the server was available. For example, to log on to your website. Select a server available to her is 99.9% or higher. We recommend avoiding companies that offer less than 99.5%. Availability of server ie 99.9% of the 30-day month, your site is active 29 days, 23 hours, 16 minutes, 48 seconds – in other words, your website is down in 30 days, only 43 minutes and 12 seconds.
Backup
Like your computer, if you install new software and computer crashed, or have made changes and innocent like to restore another version. Check when there are backups of all your files, it is very important backups very high in order that you can quickly pull information and restore a previous version if necessary.
HTTP/2
HTTP / 2 is continuing to HTTP protocol, is a new version and faster. Check with your storage company servers allow HTTP / 2, it helps the efficiency and better speed of a site.
SSD
SSD (solid-state drive) similarly establish a standard computer allows inserting of files and data, this is actually the hardware on hosting. Removable SSDs faster and can allow pull data much faster and therefore prefer companies offer SSDs.
Memory / Storage
Memory or storage capacity is how all your files together consume anywhere. Select the company offers a large amount of memory at a lower price, but on the other hand, know how many do you need. It is also important to take a margin in order for you to develop and grow the site and don’t change the plans for a few moments.
Option to CDN (Content Delivery Network)
CDN is a network of servers that are in different locations and their goal is to match the server that the user’s specific location on your website and thereby save time charging and uploading content to an external server. Check a company that knows to deliver these services, there are companies that offer the service for free and some for a fee. CDN is highly recommended for medium to large sites with large traffic and volume.
Customized email
This is an important part you need to know, email refers to email box personalized with your own domain, for example, Your@company.com, it’s different than just email and free you know like gmail.com of Google. When choosing a hosting provider, make sure that how many emails you can create, and what their maximum storage space.
Data Base
Database this is used for storage through efficient and orderly database so it helps to access and easier processing. Usually stored on a hard disk and may be accessed through the Control Panel of storage. Choose a company that offers a large number of a database for you. Of course, it is more important for your development team.
Monthly Traffic
Monthly Traffic is the number of visits to your site users, or alternatively, the number of downloads of files, with the amount of traffic is higher, you can get more traffic from users.
Domain Management
Many hosting companies offer a free domain for a year or a similar proposal. In addition, you enjoy, check how you can manage your own domain as adding different rules for management, DNS and more.
Website Builder
There are hosting companies that allow web builder that allows installation of management or e-commerce systems faster and easier. It is not necessary and depending on your needs.
Hosting Prices
Prices of different storage services by type of storage is usually chosen a website, shared storage is the cheapest between $ 1.5 to $ 25 a month, a virtual private server (VPS) ranged from 10 $ to 120 $. Dedicated hosting price can range from $ 50 to $ 2000 a month, the cost of cloud storage can range from 1 $ to $ 200 a month.
When you check prices advisable to check what price you pay for the second year or higher. Many hosting companies offer a good deal the first year and the normal price starting from the second year.