The type of hosting company you choose for your web design / website will depend on whether your business is commercial, such as with internet marketing or ecommerce, or for non-commercial purposes. The list of considerations is quite extensive so we pulled the top five, each highly important in the success of your online business. Remember, the service that your web hosting company provides will translate into the level of service you pass on to your customers, existing and new.
First, you have to have speed and a high reliability percentage. Although asking for 100% uptime would be ideal, the truth is that anything from 99.5% and up is considered acceptable. This means the hosting service must have redundant support in place at all times. Second, make sure the hosting company is capable of providing enough bandwidth to accommodate the level of traffic your site sees currently, as well as what you project for future growth. Third, if your web design includes any type of business offering, allowing customers to purchase a product or service, be sure the hosting service can support all facets needed. Customer contact capability would also fall in this category, providing your customers a clean, easy-to-navigate way of contacting you. Fourth, for some businesses, maintaining some level of control over certain aspects of the website is important so if this is your case, talk to the company to see what you can and cannot manage. Fifth and finally, technical support is critical. A common mistake is choosing the most affordable hosting company without giving much consideration to technical support but you can be sure the minute you need help, you will feel differently. Look for support provided 24×7, 365 days a year by trained professionals.