Are you thinking of starting a new website, or do you already have one? Either way, you’ll need to find a good business website hosting provider. There are many elements to consider when selecting a hosting provider.
What is business website hosting?
Every website requires a hosting provider to be visible online. Website hosting involves your site being uploaded to a server. The server stores the website ready to deliver elements to users visiting the site.
The server stores every aspect of your site, including text, images and other content. Most hosting providers offer packages so that you only pay for the server space that your website requires.
Most small business websites are stored on a shared hosting server. This is typically an appropriate option for websites with steady traffic. However, a dedicated server may be a more suitable option for larger businesses with increased traffic. A dedicated server allows for more storage and can continue to work efficiently even with higher levels of traffic.
Different types of business website hosting
- Shared
- Dedicated
- VPS
- Cloud
What is a business website hosting backup?
A backup is essentially a copy of a website. A good hosting provider will complete regular backups of the site. These can be completed both automatically and manually if necessary.
Backups are vital and can be used if there is a problem with the current version of your website. For example, if an active plugin automatically updates and causes elements to alter on your website, you can use the most recent backup to restore the website while the problem is being fixed.
Why is business website hosting important?
Accessibility
For users to be able to access your business website, it has to be hosted. Without hosting, your website isn’t stored anywhere, so it cannot be accessed. So, you need a hosting provider, but you also need to ensure that they cover other aspects that you need, such as traffic capabilities.
Website protection
The aim of any good hosting provider is to keep downtime to a minimum. Too much website downtime can lead to users leaving your site and shopping elsewhere. Occasionally, your website may have a few minutes of downtime while updates are completed.
A good hosting provider will take all necessary precautions to protect your website from suspicious activity.
Users are often much more willing to use a website with security features. This is even more important if you have an eCommerce website that requires users to enter their personal details.
Updates
Some hosting providers may include updates within their hosting packages. Common updates can include updates to the content management system and plugin updates. Keeping your website and plugins up to date can help to protect your website further. These updates also allow your website to keep working how it’s intended to.
Website speed
You’ll know from experience that waiting around for website elements to load isn’t exactly how you want to spend your time, and your website users are no different! A slow-loading website is not appealing to any user. Having a good hosting provider who ensures updates are completed regularly can help to improve your website’s performance and speed.
Website support
There are various reasons why a website may go down from time to time. The important thing is how downtime is dealt with. A reliable hosting provider will likely be able to offer you website support when you need it.
Some hosting providers will check your site regularly to ensure that any bugs are identified quickly. The level of support you can expect to have access to should be outlined in your package details.
Choosing a hosting provider
Our managed hosting solutions offer many benefits. We carefully organise the websites we host to ensure that each website is working to its full potential at all times.
We offer a range of packages to suit the needs of your business. Additionally, we complete daily backups so that your website can be restored within minutes should a problem occur.
We can provide you with advice if you’re unsure of which package would be the most appropriate for your business website. Our developers will consider elements such as your typical website traffic levels, the type of website you have and more.
Contact us if you’re looking for secure, fast, reliable business website hosting. Our friendly team are always happy to offer advice.