Before you canvass around for a web hosting service provider or hosting plans, take some time to review the following questions and determine your business specific needs.
1. What is the size of your webpage?
Webpage size matters significantly in terms of website performance and SEO ranking. These are some of the important reasons why you should give attention to your web page size:
- Loading speed: A website load speed is one crucial factor in ranking web pages. Websites and web pages that load faster are ranked higher compared to slow-loading sites. The reason behind this is that users dont find slow-loading sites useful for their high bounce rate.
- Mobile search: According to Luke Wroblewski, Googles Product Director, 3G phones are slower by 40% in loading website pages compared to desktops. 4G phones are also slower than desktops by 12%. The only means to improve the loading speed is to reduce the webpage size.
- Cost of Web Hosting: Website hosting plans are bandwidth-based. Meaning, your host will estimate the bandwidth size based on the size of your webpage and the number of site visitors and pages. If your site is filled with large-sized pages, chances are, youll need to pay more for higher bandwidth.
2. How secure should it be?
The website is any business brand and storefront. Its also the businesss first contact with its customers. If the website is not secure, business relationships and customer trust can be compromised.
Website threats can be in any of the following forms:
- Malware infection affecting site visitors
- Stealing site visitors name, financial info, email addresses, and other transaction details
- Making a website a part of an infected site botnet
- Crashing or hijacking a website
While no industry is immune to hacking and other website threats, retail, healthcare, and financial industries are most prone to data theft.
Your web hosting provider assumes a crucial role in your brands website safety and security. Your host will provide the infrastructure where the site will be built upon. And just like building a home, your business needs a sturdy foundation to keep everything safe.
Just because your website has lesser traffic, it doesnt mean bots cant exploit it. To keep your website safe, you have to update all your software, improve your content management system, or subscribe to a password manager.
However, if youre still shopping for the right WordPress hosting plans, check the plans of your host thoroughly and see what security features they can offer.
3. What is the projected volume of traffic on the website?
While you cant guess the potential traffic, you can make an informed assumption. If its a new website, you can already expect to get low traffic volume from the start, unless your business already has a sizeable reputation.
If your website is already up and running for a couple of years, you can review your analytics and make a more informed and substantial guess.
4. What is your expected loading rate?
Most site visitors expect a fast loading website. These people dont want to spend more time waiting to see what you can offer. Its for this reason that you should choose hosting plans that can make your website load quickly.
More prominent websites with high traffic volume will require a different hosting level and power compared to a newbie website that has a limited number of audiences.
5. How will you rate your experience in managing and running an online site?
Be real with your website management skills. Are you still figuring everything out, or are you a seasoned website builder and manager? If you need hand-holding, WordPress hosting plans provide beginner resources and have strong customer support.
If you already know your way, prioritize scalability, customization options, and software compatibility over support and ease of use.
6. Will you need a website designer?
If youre building and handling the website by yourself, then access to a website builder or templates can make it easier for you. However, if you need a professional website designer, check any compatibility concerns when selecting your web hosting provider.
Be real and honest in answering these questions to establish your needs. If you need planning and consultation, get in touch with WP Suites, and talk to their representatives. They will help you assess your business web hosting needs and suggest hosting plans that will complement these needs.
Image credit: Website needs via Chaosamran_Studio/Shutterstock