Every website needs a web hosting provider, but how do you choose the best one for your business? Whether you’re running a business website, eCommerce site, or even a simple blog, choosing a web host isn’t as simple as picking the first one you come across and there are several different things you need to keep in mind.

With so many options available out there, finding the best web host for your business can seem a little overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be and there’s no reason to overthink things. To help make it easier to choose the best web host for your needs, we’ve listed four crucial factors to look for when choosing a web hosting provider.  

Storage Space

Depending on what kind of website you intend on running, you’ll need a little to consider your storage needs. Simple websites like blogs or websites with only a few pages don’t need that much space and can usually get by on the bare minimum — typically 5GB. If you have a large website, eCommerce store, or complex website, however, you’ll want to be sure that your chosen web hosting provider and package offers enough space to store all your website’s files. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to go with a host and package that offers at least 10GB of storage space for business or eCommerce websites to ensure you don’t run out of space.

Traffic Allowances

How much monthly traffic do you expect your site to receive? Be realistic here. While it may seem like an insignificant afterthought, many web hosting providers limit the number of visits you can receive a month. If you hit that limit, at best, you’ll simply be charged extra per visitor for that month. At worst, your website will be suspended until the traffic allowance resets — costing potential business and damaging your reputation. Thankfully, many professional web hosting providers have business and eCommerce plans that offer generous monthly traffic allowances, and some even offer unlimited visits. Despite the latter usually being the more expensive option, it’s generally worth paying that little bit extra every month for peace of mind.

Building and Bundling Packages

If you haven’t yet built your website, it’s worth checking out what kind of building options or bundles your prospective web hosting providers might offer. Some web hosts, like Begin with B, offer both web hosting and web design services. These types of web hosts will often bundle the two services together and offer you a better price if you purchase both separately. If you’ve already decided on how you want to build your website or already have it built, it’s worth looking into other bundling options offered by web hosts. For instance, many web hosts offer bundles such as hosting & maintenance, hosting & managed email, and hosting & security. Moreover, you’re going to want to compare both monthly and yearly hosting plans, as, in most cases, the latter usually works out to be more cost-effective.

Maintenance & Customer Support

Last but not least, it’s important to look for a web hosting provider that provides maintenance and 24/7 customer support services. Maintenance services typically consist of services like CMS upgrades, backups, security patches, and hack fixes and generally come at an additional monthly fee. However, paying that little bit extra for monthly maintenance service gives you the peace of mind that your website is safe no matter what, and can usually pay itself back in a single incident. Support is equally as important, as you’ll naturally want any hosting problems you encounter fixed as soon as possible.

Calgary Web Hosting by Begin with B

From cost-effective Cloud & on-premises hosting plans to website security & maintenance, Begin with B offers customized solutions tailored to any website and budget. Take a look at our Calgary website hosting services and fill in our online form to schedule a call for a free quote and consultation on any of our services.