What to Look for in A Web Hosting Provider? 7 Key Features You Need

You have been thinking about establishing your online presence for your new business venture or your existing brick-and-mortar store. But, did you know that the web hosting provider you choose can make your business successful or cause it to stumble even further? This Reddit review has interesting insights on what qualities to check before choosing a web hosting provider. Please read it before making that decision. 

Here are the seven most important features to look for in a web hosting provider.

• Security

Cybercrime is a serious problem in the world right now and by the look of things, it’s not slowing down soon. Your website is the gateway to your shop. The last thing you need is for your data to land in the wrong hands, even for a second. This is why you need to choose a web hosting provider that prioritizes security. A good web host will ensure that they protect your infrastructure with SSL and firewalls and ensure that your data is encrypted and protected from any malware that comes your way. 

• User Friendly Dashboard

A clear, interactive, and user-friendly dashboard is indispensable for any business. A User-friendly dashboard makes it easy to navigate your website and this reduces cognitive load. Remember, your dashboard is your website’s user interface through which you can access your billing information, and customer care inquiries. When you invest in a good dashboard, it becomes easy for you to manage your account features, and buy new products and support tickets.  

• Reliability

Your website should always be online. Think of it as a gate; every minute of downtime means prospective customers get disappointed and move to the next e-commerce website available. Studies have shown that about 45% of shoppers will buy from another website if yours takes years to load. 

This is why you should choose a web host with an uptime guarantee of 99.9 %. This ensures that your online door stays open allowing your customers to shop day and night without interruption. 

• 24-Hour Customer Support

Customer support is the backbone of every successful customer service. Being able to access round-the-clock support when a technical issue arises or during times of emergencies is quite relieving. Choose a web host provider that will not keep you waiting for hours or even days before solving your problem. A web host with a dependable response time will keep you sane in times of crisis. 

• Performance and Speed

Google is not fond of sites that take ages to load. Google algorithms are set to mimic what customers do not want. This means that if your website takes more than two seconds to load, there will be a ripple effect and your bounce rate can go up by 103%. This is why you need to work with a web host provider who has modern hardware and lightning-fast speeds. Faster website loading speeds will ensure excellent user experience and improve your search engine rankings which is good for business.

• Availability of Back-Up

As brick-and-mortar stores unfortunately fall prey to burglars, so are websites susceptible to hackers. Research by IBM showed that data breach costs in the United States is $9.44 million. This burden can be quite heavy for a small business. Having a simple website backup for your business can save your business and increase its lifeline. When choosing a web host provider, be sure to ask them some key questions such as how often they conduct backups. You also need to know which programs they use to create auto backups. 

• Wide Range of Plans

As your website grows from one level to another, your hosting service needs to grow too. Moving from one web host to another is a tiresome process. This is why you need to carefully choose a web host that offers a wide range of plans to help your business grow. Ask your web host if they can adjust your resources dynamically when you need them.