The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Hosting Provider

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You need a website. You have a clear idea of what you want, and have carefully considered the type of hosting you need. Now, with credit card in hand, it’s time to decide which company to sign up with.

Choosing a hosting provider is one of the most crucial decisions you’ll make. The future of your website depends on it.

If you were looking for a babysitting service for your children, you wouldn’t just pick the cheapest option that came along. “Leave your kids with us for just 50c a day. Pick them up whenever.” Your kids mean more to you than that. You’d want to make sure they were safe, and being looked after by people who know what they’re doing. Saving money isn’t your priority; investing in their well-being is.

Invest some time up front in the future well-being of your website. Who should you pay to host your website? What are the qualities you need in a hosting company?

Here are six key criteria to consider when weighing up the options.

1. Speed & Performance

Do you remember the last time you bought a new laptop? You immediately noticed the improvement in performance, and the old one suddenly felt surprisingly slow. Fast is good. You want a hosting company with the equivalent of a new laptop.

First impressions are everything. You don’t want new visitors to your site to leave before your home page loads. How committed is the hosting company to performance? It requires an ongoing investment in both hardware and software.

It’s not always easy to tell how often a company upgrades its hardware, or how much money they invest in it. Here are some ways you might find out:

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by Adrian Try via SitePoint