No matter if you’re planning to go with shared hosting or with VPS (virtual private server) hosting, your hosting provider will have a huge influence on the further development of your online business. Naturally, you do not want to end up dealing with low speed, poor customer service, security issues, and other similar problems. So, what mistakes should you avoid when choosing your hosting provider?
Not Reading Reviews
This is a mistake we usually make when we’re in a hurry. When choosing a hosting provider, take your time, do your research, carefully read customer reviews and comments as well as keep an eye out for the complaints. Both shared server or virtual private server hosting companies should have a review section on their page and if you are not sure even then, you can try to look for an answer in various kinds of hosting related forums. Next to this mistake, we could also mention another similar one – not reading the details about the service you are about to order.
Signing Up for a Long Period of Time
When choosing your host for the first time do not end up signing up for a whole year of service from the start. If you sign up for a long time you will most likely need to pay upfront and not all hosting companies offer a money back guarantee, if you are not happy with the service. A useful thing to consider at this point – some virtual private server hosting companies offer a free trial, where you can try out the service for a period of time and then decide whether you really want to purchase it.
Waving Away Security Issues
You should not just shrug your shoulders and hope for the best when it comes to security issues. Do your research about the security features that your host offers. Read carefully and make sure that you don’t end up putting your and your customers’ data at risk. Security should be one of the top priorities when choosing a hosting provider. It should be mentioned that most virtual private server hosting providers can offer much better security options than shared hosting providers.
Choosing the Wrong Hosting Plan
You need to carefully consider what type of hosting plan should suit your website best. If you choose the wrong type of hosting for your website, you will end up with several problems. Using shared hosting may be enough when your website is small, but if you experience a sudden spike in traffic your website is likely to slow down to a crawl. On the other hand, VPS may not be needed for a personal blog or a similar type of website, and you may end up overpaying for the resources that you are not using anyway. Consider these points and choose carefully.
Cheap does not Equal Good
Whether it’s shared hosting or virtual private server hosting, if you end up choosing price over quality after some time you may realize you made a mistake. If you choose the cheapest possible option, you may not have all the features that you wanted, the customer service may be poor or you may run into all kinds of other problems. Notice that we said ‘may’? Well, you ‘may’ end up fine, but when you look at pricing options, try to remember that quality often comes at a price.
