What to look for in a web host

Choosing a web host can often be a tricky situation. You have finally prepared a website yourself or hired someone to do so for you, but now you need somewhere to place it, but where do you begin?

It will be inevitable that you will see the big names in hosting through their advertising campaigns, but how suited are the packages and more importantly how does their overall service fit into your criteria?

There are many factors for consideration. This is a basic summary of items to look for when choosing a host in general or for a smaller, non-commercial plan, therefore not an exhaustive list. If you are considering a host for a larger project(while the fundamentals of customer service and support still apply) you may find that a dedicated server is a better match.

 

Bandwidth

Always look for some clarity when a web host specifies their bandwidth limitations. Complete unlimited bandwidth without some form of transparency can only lead to future fees if you are to exceed your current plan.

One of the many benefits of operating a 10 Gigabit structure with such a vast supply of servers means that we can share disk space and bandwidth resources across our clients without imposing limitations or restrictions. Of course it is equally important to choose the right package for you. If you are unsure of which plan is most suited to you, please do not hesitate in giving us a call on 0844 3583525. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected] for additional information.

Disk Space

Depending on the content you wish you serve, disk space does not need to necessarily be that large. However, even the most simplest of blogs can accumulate with large HD video files, audio or even PDF downloads you provide for your readership.

Our smaller plans range from 400GB RAID protected disk space and can increase to our larger unlimited packages should you require it. As previously mentioned about unlimited bandwidth, this is feasible as CPU and Memory usage take centre stage for most shared hosting. You can read our Acceptable Use Policy for further information.

 

Software

If you intend to install a CMS (Content Management System) on your domain, you need to ensure your hosting plan has accessibility to the correct programming languages. Popular CMS’ such as WordPress require PHP and MySQL databases. With each plan, these languages are included, as well as Perl, CGI, HTML, HTML5, CSS and CSS3.

Due to the popularity and functionality of WordPress, we have an exclusive WordPress package that comprises of 400 GB of disk space, 5,000 GB bandwidth, unlimited email and FTP accounts in addition to discounted themes via Theme Fuseand free transfer/migration from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. All of this can be done with our easy to use 1-click install and managed with cPanel. More importantly, uptime is an efficient 99.9%.

 

Ease of Use

It is important that you know how to effectively manage your own site and we provide just the right tools with cPanel. cPanel gives you control of your files, data and applications though the click of a button.

From this control panel you can setup additional email accounts and forwarders, manage files outside of your FTP client, monitor logs and access security and other advanced settings. cPanel comes as standard with all our hosting plans allowing you to configure your site without learning any impossible tools.

Support

Support plays an important factor. How can you contact your webhost? When are they available? Customer Support at WebHostingBuzz is genuinely 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That means that staff are on call on public holidays as well as throughout the Christmas period. No waiting on a 72 hour period during a busy bank holiday weekend.

We provide all the relevant documentation to get you started, however, you can raise a support ticket at any time as well as speak with staff via our chat window. Alternatively an active forum can sometimes answer your query and ours is no exception for advice and support.

 

Location

Following on from customer support, sometimes having a hosting company that operates in your location is a benefit. Some web hosting companies operate from multiple locales other than your own with their call centres redirected, at times, to a country other than your own. While it is not necessarily a game changer to have your server physically located in a different country, it helps when discussing with a customer service representative when they know details of your locale, the local rules and legislation and how that may apply to your business. Our own server locations and lines of support are distributed amongst the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.

 

Terminology

Not everybody appreciates the technical technology used in documentation or understands the everyday usage of specifications of setting up their site with a hosting company. We take pride in our customer service and take every step towards ensuring your satisfaction at all times. Whether it is troubleshooting an issue you have or detailing the benefits of a particular service, we are here to help and to explain in accessible terms without needing to consult a manual of any sorts.

 

Testimonials and General Feedback

It goes without saying to research your chosen hosts’ reputation by reading reviews from existing customers. Determining which reviews are useful to you are dependent of the actual reviewer - how long have they had an account? Are they biased in any way to the company?

We are pleased to say our customers are happy customers. We take pride in the glowing testimonials we receive - especially when we receive5 out of 5 for overall satisfaction from actual clients on external sites.

In view of this, weigh up your requirements when choosing. Take into consideration the above plus any other fundamentals you may need clarified - price, operating system - even whether you require SSL if you intend to be taking payments via your site. These aspects can be taken into account and you will find that there is a suitable host and package tailored to your needs.