When creating a website, it is essential to subscribe to a web hosting service.
However, choosing a web host can be a real headache when you are just starting out on the Internet.
What are the main criteria to take into account? How to choose a host adapted to your needs? Here are the answers.
1) Types of website hosting
There are 3 types of web hosting:
- Shared hosting : you share a server with other sites ;
- Dedicated hosting: you are the only user of your server;
- Cloud: you have a virtual server that can be resized according to your needs.
The first one is the cheapest solution, but also the least efficient: it won’t necessarily be adapted to a high traffic site, for example, but will be perfectly suitable for a small personal blog.
The dedicated hosting, more expensive, allows you to take full advantage of your server for better performance.
The cloud, finally, is ideal for sites with a very large and variable traffic, since it is the most flexible solution, but also often the most expensive.
2) Integration possibilities
If you use a CMS (content management system) or an e-commerce platform, then it is desirable that your hosting is perfectly adapted to the chosen solution.
Most hosts allow simplified installation of sites using the most popular CMS (WordPress, Prestashop, Joomla …)
3) Available resources
Web hosting companies often propose different offers more or less adapted according to the level of performance required for the site.
For example, a small personal blog will not have the same needs as an e-commerce site referencing thousands of products.
When choosing a hosting offer, pay particular attention to the proposed disk space and the number of databases included.
4) Technical support
The support provided by your web host is at least as important as the web hosting itself, especially if your technical knowledge is limited.
In case of a problem with your site or server, the responsiveness and efficiency of your web host can make all the difference.
5) Email addresses
Most hosting companies also offer a service to create email addresses from the domain name of the site.
Be sure to choose a package that provides enough addresses, depending on the number of people who will need them.
7) Security
The web host also has an important responsibility in terms of security.
Ask about their reliability and ability to protect your data in case of hacking, outages, bad weather, etc.
8) Backup
Most hosting companies allow you to make a regular backup of your site in order to be able to go back to a previous version in case of a problem.
While there are other ways to back up your site (like WordPress plugins), make sure your web hosting service includes this feature.