What to Look for in a Web Hosting Services In Bend Oregon
In the heady days leading up to the debut of a brand new website, there are many options to consider. Branding, domain registration, and layout planning are all essential steps.
One of the most crucial decisions you’ll need to make when launching a brand-new website is which web hosting services in bend oregon plan and provider to go with.
Fortunately, this step is simpler than many of the others on your checklist. Choosing a reliable web host is much less difficult and time-consuming than designing and promoting your website once it goes live. In spite of this, it’s important to take your time when selecting a web host to ensure that you get the best possible service for your particular requirements.
Choosing the right web host from the beginning will save you the trouble of switching to a different service provider down the road.
What should you look for if this is your first website? Especially if you have a limited understanding of what web hosting entails.
We break it down for you.
Ten Qualities of a Good Web Host
Finding the right web host is essential if you want to reap the full benefits of web hosting. With so many options, it can be hard for someone who has never done this before to figure out how different service providers compare to each other and what factors are most important.
These ten characteristics are crucial to look for in a web host, regardless of the type of website you’re launching.
- They have a solid industry reputation.
Reputation is one of the most important factors in determining the success of a company. When a company provides excellent service on a consistent basis for many years, word of mouth quickly spreads. But how does one discover the standing of a business?
Try to find supporting evidence from impartial parties. What kind of web hosting awards have they won from authoritative bodies and webzines? I was wondering if there were any reviews of them in any tech magazines. In that case, what do they have to say?
What do actual customers have to say about their experiences with the company? You can learn a lot about what others think of the web hosting provider you’re considering by doing a little digging on Google. Assuming the feedback is mostly positive, you can rest assured that you are in capable hands.
- Guaranteed 99% uptime.
Downtime on a business website means lost revenue. If your website is down more often than not, even if it is just a hobby, you run the risk of disappointing your visitors and losing them as followers.
A web host’s primary responsibility is to ensure that your website is always visible to the public via the internet. It’s inevitable that your website will be offline for a short period of time while your web host performs maintenance. Your website will be down more often if you don’t take care of the servers that host it.
How well web hosting providers deal with the kinds of problems that can knock your website offline is a major differentiator in quality. Uptime is the percentage of time your website will be accessible to users, and it is standard practice for reputable web hosts to guarantee at least 99% uptime. Some of the best web hosting companies even guarantee 99.9% uptime or your money back.
- They provide a number of plans.
You need a hosting plan that can meet your immediate requirements right now. In any case, you have lofty goals for your brand new website. You anticipate a rise in the number of people who frequent your website over the next few years. Perhaps you plan to update your site regularly with fresh material.
In either case, you’ll want some breathing space. Most new sites can get by with a cheap shared web hosting plan, but as they expand, you’ll need to look into more powerful options like cloud hosting, virtual private server hosting, or even dedicated server hosting. If possible, starting with the same company will make the eventual switch much less disruptive. Comparatively, upgrading is easier than switching to a new provider.
Think about your long-term needs before settling on a hosting plan, and make sure your provider offers upgrades that will accommodate them.
- 24/7 customer service.
You shouldn’t have to wait until the next morning to get an answer from customer support when you run into an issue while working late at night on those fixes to your website that you’ve finally gotten around to.
If there is an issue with your website, you want it fixed as soon as possible. In addition, you shouldn’t be restricted in your website maintenance efforts due to the business hours of your web host’s support staff. Make sure your web host provides round-the-clock access to excellent customer service. Bonus points if they provide multiple contact options, such as phone, email, and live chat, so you can choose the most convenient method for you.
- It’s a fair price.
In order to launch a website, web hosting is an inevitable expense, but it need not be prohibitively so. Pricing for basic shared web hosting plans begins at less than $3 monthly. Web hosting isn’t an upfront investment, so factor that in when deciding which plan is best for your site. Billing for web hosting services typically occurs on a recurring basis via a subscription plan.
Before moving forward, make sure the price is something you can afford and that it seems fair given the value of the plan. Some new websites will greatly benefit from the extra features and larger bandwidth available in paid hosting plans, while others will be perfectly content with the cheapest plan. Spending a little more money is sometimes worthwhile, but only if you get something worthwhile in return.
- Easy account interface.
Web hosting companies do more than just keep your site online and accessible; they also give you access to tools that help you manage your site, such as:
- Taking Care of Your SSL
- Administration of Domain Names
- Implementing new databases and applications
- Changing URL structures
- Hosting plan renewal or upgrade
- Taking Charge of Your Domain’s Email
- Settling on a backup strategy
You don’t want to invest a lot of time in learning the fundamentals, but these tasks are crucial to the smooth operation of your website. Consider using a web host that has a user-friendly interface and straightforward procedures.
- They provide plenty of startup resources.
If you have any questions at all, even if the layout is simple, it’s probably because you’re not sure how to use a particular feature. Find out what kinds of tutorials, guides, and other materials your potential web host offers before signing up with them. Resources like guides and tutorials should be readily available.
The availability of a helpful community of users to whom you can turn for answers to your questions is an added bonus of a good web host. Check out the company’s forum, as well as their other help options and customer service team, to see if they are helpful and responsive.
- Site migration is supported.
The best case scenario is picking the right web host from the get-go, but reality is rarely perfect. Looking for a new web host because you’re unhappy with your current one? Make sure they offer migration assistance. Learn as much as you can about the migration procedure. You might want to inquire with a service representative there to get more information before signing up.
Hopefully they can make the transition easy enough that you can quickly make the necessary changes and get back to the business of managing your website.
- They manage domains.
In addition to a domain name, web hosting is a fundamental requirement for any online presence. Finding and registering your domain is a crucial first step in setting up a website. Likewise, you should renew your domain name registration for as long as you plan to keep your website online.
Though you can certainly register your domain with a service other than the one you ultimately choose to host your website, it’s much simpler to keep track of domain management if you do it all with the same company. Verify that your preferred web host lets you register and renew domains from the same control panel you use to manage your hosting account.
- Good security options.
Unfortunately, hackers and security breaches are now a normal part of the internet. Security should be a top concern for every website owner. Even though there are many things you can do to improve the security of your websites, one of the most important things is to find a web host that makes security a top priority.
If you’re looking for a web hosting provider Bend Oregon that cares about the safety of your website, look for one that provides strong firewalls, SSL certificates, and reasonably priced security software and add-ons. Make sure you’re in safe hands by looking into the company’s track record with security.
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