Deciding to launch a blog is an exciting and challenging endeavor. There are numerous components that go into creating a stellar blog such as content, page design, and more. One of the most important aspects of starting a blog is selecting the best web Hosting company to host your new site. How does an individual even come to the conclusion if a web host is good or not? Do bandwidth and storage features still matter these days? What kind of hosting service should you go with? Here’s how to select the perfect web host for your blog.

Why is a Good Hosting Provider Critical?

A good Web Hosting provider is important for many reasons. If you’re trying to build a community around your blog or a lucrative online asset, there are a few upfront expenses you’ll have to shell out – and that includes a hosting service.

A good Web Hosting Provider creates a solid foundation for your entire blog. If your host goes down, your entire blog can plummet with it. If the site is too slow, your audience will look elsewhere for their content fix. If it doesn’t offer the features you want or need, you’ll get frustrated.

Due to all of these reasons, it’s really worth spending some time figuring out which web hosting service is right for you.

Aspects of a Good Hosting Service

For web hosting newbies, there are some characteristics that you should know about when seeking a hosting service for your blog. These include:

• • Security – You don’t want your site getting hacked and you certainly don’t want your readers getting hacked either. So always note what type of special security features are offered.
  • SSL Certificates – Google is gung-ho about ensuring sites are secure. SSL Certificates help to encrypt data, helping to maintain security on your blog.
  • Pricing – A shared hosting account should be pretty affordable and will typically cost you under $20 per month. Dedicated or VPS hosting will cost more.
  • Backups – Make sure the hosting provider for your website has backup options as it’s critical to backup your site on a routine basis.
  • Customer Service – When you’re new to the world of blogging, you will surely run into issues along the way. It really helps to select a hosting company that has amazing customer service to help you out in times of trouble.
  • Email – You should have a professional email address that is the same domain as your blog URL. See if your web provider can give you the opportunity to add on an email too.
  • Reliability – Building a successful online business blog means that you don’t want your blog to be down, ever. That means it’s vital to work with a web hosting company that is dependable and keeps downtimes to a minimum.

Knowing Your Needs

Now that you know what characteristics a good web hosting provider should have, it’s important to know your personal preferences. Depending on what you’re planning to do with your blog, one type of hosting might be a better option for your needs.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering your needs:

• • Are you going to be seeing tons of initial traffic on your blog?
  • What platform are you utilizing to build your blog?
  • What is your budget?
  • How much coding experience do you have?
  • How concerned with security are you?

Ensure the Web Hosting Service has a Solid Reputation

After you consider you needs and start searching around for the perfect hosting service, it’s essential to know if the company has an established reputation. Always do your homework on any web hosts you are considering. A good web hosting company will have lots of positive feedback, and few (if any) negative reviews.

Be Wary of the Fine Print

Introductory deals are common with budget web hosting services. They’ll offer you a sweet deal in order to woo you into signing a contract. But after a year or two you may realize your needs have changed OR you completely loathe the company.

That’s why it’s very important to never lock yourself into a multi-year contract with a company if you’re unsure of what may happen down the road.

Understand Hosting Options Available

There are several different web hosting options available, including shared, virtual, and dedicated we hosting.

• • Shared Hosting – Just like its namesake, shared hosting forces a user to share the resources of a web server with other folks that subscribe to the hosting service. For instance, Server A is crafted to cater to 1,000 hosting customers at capacity, and thus bandwidth and data limits are in place to keep performance levels optimal.
  • Virtual Hosting – This type of hosting service are more powerful than shared hosting providers.
  • Dedicated Hosting – This is hosting at its best – rock solid and completely dependable. When you purchase dedicated hosting, you get server hardware and resources dedicated specifically to you.

It’s important to shop around when looking for a good web hosting service for your blog. It’s also important to know about the aspects of a good hosting company as well as your personal needs.

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