Web Hosting Requirements: Assess Your Needs

Web hosting is more or less the backbone of the digital world.

Since the first website in 1991, the number of websites has skyrocketed to over 1 billion, making them a huge part of our lives.

The web hosting industry has also expanded rapidly, growing from a $102 value in 2020 to an expected $320 billion by 2025.

This article covers everything you need to know about web hosting and its underlying requirements.

Web hosting is a service that provides a secure online space for websites. It gives website owners the tools to build and manage their site, storing its content on a secure server.

With just an internet connection, anyone can access and visit your website.

Every website serves a unique purpose for a business.

To choose the right web hosting, first, create a website strategy that aligns with your business goals, like expansion or launching new products.

Choose a hosting provider that meets these goals to prevent major updates later and keep your existing customers comfortable with your website.

Before selecting a provider, consider these specific requirements:

Your website’s purpose

This will clarify your web hosting needs.

By deciding your website's purpose, like an eCommerce store or a blog, you'll understand the features you need, making it easier to choose the right plan.

Management level/time investments

Before choosing a provider, you must decide between managed or unmanaged web hosting.

• If you prefer to manage and maintain your website and servers by yourself, choose unmanaged hosting. It requires technical skills or an IT team, offers full control over installations and hardware, more affordable, but demands a lot of work.

• If you lack the time or technical expertise for website and server management, opt for managed hosting. The provider handles all maintenance tasks, allowing you to focus on your business. It's more costly than unmanaged hosting but provides complete support.

Click here to read more on managed vs. unmanaged hosting.

Storage needs

Determining the right amount of storage for your website is essential for smooth operation. Here's a quick guide to help you estimate your needs:

• Use your cPanel or an online tool to calculate the total size of your website.
• Evaluate your content types, as it determines how much space you need.
• Always opt for a hosting plan with more storage than currently needed to accommodate traffic spikes, content updates, and future expansion.
• Ensuring you have ample storage from the start prevents issues related to site performance and accessibility as your website grows.

Traffic volume

Suppose your site has low traffic, unlimited bandwidth may not be necessary.

However, if you plan to grow your site and expect more traffic, or if your site already has thousands of visitors at once (usually over 5000), choosing a plan with unlimited bandwidth is advisable.

Bandwidth

• Bandwidth is vital for supporting many users on your website simultaneously.
• Limited bandwidth can lead to lost customers and profits if the site fails to load.
• Unlimited Bandwidth makes your site ideal for sites with videos, animations, and images.
• To ensure a seamless user experience and accommodate traffic spikes, opting for a plan with unlimited bandwidth is recommended.

Website Security

Most hosting providers offer basic security features like firewalls. Typically, these features work well for sites not handling payments or sensitive data.

However, for higher security needs, like SSL Certificates or malware protection, choose a provider that offers these in their plans. Some providers even include them for free.

Essential tools

Creating a list of the tools and features you need can help you understand what you're looking for in web hosting.

If you need advanced features like widgets, plugins, email addresses, and linked social media accounts, pick a provider that offers these in a user-friendly way.

If you don't need these features or have an IT expert to assist, your choice of provider doesn't have to include them.

Customer support

• Technical support from your provider is crucial for avoiding and quickly resolving issues such as cyberattacks and website downtime.
• Choose providers that offer multiple support options: live support, email, and web chat.
• Look for providers with extensive resources like knowledge bases and blogs.
• At Verpex, we provide technical 24/7 support.

Budget

Budget is crucial when selecting a hosting plan, as prices vary. Ensure your budget aligns with your business's long-term goals and allows for achieving them through your website.

Always compare prices of similar plans from different providers to avoid overpaying.

Server requirements

Choosing between shared, dedicated, or managed server hosting depends on your website's needs and growth plans. Here's how to decide:

• Shared Hosting: Best for simple websites with limited budgets. Affordable but may lack growth scalability.

• Dedicated Hosting: Ideal for websites planning significant growth, requiring more bandwidth and resources. You're responsible for server maintenance.

• Managed Hosting: Supports website growth with the provider handling all technical maintenance, offering a balance between performance and ease of management.

Domains

Domains are crucial as they serve as your website's internet address.

Choose a provider that includes a free domain in their plans. If you plan to switch hosts, pick a provider that allows free transfers.

Money-back guarantee

A money-back guarantee lets you test providers risk-free, ensuring you can get a refund if you're not satisfied with your choice.

The standard guarantee period is 30 days, but if you need more time to decide, look for a provider offering a longer trial, such as 60 days.

Backups

Backups are essential for protecting your website's content and data from any issues. Ensure your hosting provider offers daily backups to prevent data loss.

Control Panel

The Control Panel is crucial for managing your website, so choose a provider with an easy-to-use and intuitive panel, such as cPanel.

• Shared Hosting: Multiple websites share one server, making it the most affordable option with shared resources like CPU and bandwidth.

• Cloud Hosting: Offers on-demand resources (data storage, CPU) over the Internet on a network of connected servers, allowing for scalable resource usage.

• WordPress Hosting: Tailored and optimized for WordPress sites, providing specific tools and services to meet performance and security needs.

• Virtual Private Housing (VPS) Hosting: Uses Virtual Private Servers to offer users dedicated (private) resources on a server with multiple users. You don't share resources with other users.

• Reseller Hosting: Allows clients to become web hosts themselves, where they can host websites on behalf of their own customers using allocated bandwidth and disk space.

• Dedicated Hosting: A single website is hosted on its own server, offering full control over resources and hardware.

• E-commerce Hosting: Hosting optimized for e-commerce platforms, offering features like shopping cart software, and payment processing services

Boosting your website's performance is key to improving user satisfaction and search rankings.

The right web hosting and smart optimization can make your site faster and more efficient.

Here are some top tips for better hosting performance:

• Select Appropriate Hosting: Choose a hosting plan that fits your site's needs. Consider upgrading for better performance.

• Use CDN: Implement a Content Delivery Network to speed up content delivery by using servers closest to your users.

• Implement Caching: Enable server-side and browser caching to reduce server requests and speed up revisits.

• Optimize Media and Code: Compress images and minify CSS, JS, and HTML to decrease file sizes and improve load speed.

• Keep CMS Updated: Regularly update your Content Management System and plugins for enhanced performance and security.

• Install Caching Plugins: Use caching plugins on CMS platforms like WordPress to reduce page load times.

• Monitor Performance: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check and optimize site performance.

Transferring your website to a new host can seem daunting, but it's a process that can be broken down into manageable steps. Here's how you can do it smoothly and efficiently:

• Prepare for the Transfer: Back up all website files, databases, and email accounts, and choose a new host that fits your needs.

• Set Up at the New Host: Upload your website files, migrate your database, and set up email accounts with the new host.

• Test Your Site on the New Host: Use a temporary URL to ensure everything works correctly before going live.

• Update DNS Records: Change your domain's nameservers to point to the new host and wait for Domain Name System propagation.

• Final Checks and Going Live: After DNS updates, verify your site's functionality and performance on the new host.

A smart web hosting strategy helps align your website with your business goals. Your needs will vary over time based on your website's purpose.

Therefore, it's crucial to assess your hosting needs before choosing a plan and provider to avoid overspending or under-preparing, which could limit your growth and future plans.