During the early 80s and 90s a business card was the mark of a reliable, professional and trustworthy company. Nowadays, the same thing can be said about websites, in the sense that a company cannot proclaim that they are trustworthy, reliable or professional if they do not have a website. However, even the most visually appealing website does no good, it if can’t be accessed by prospective customers and potential leads. This is the underlying reason why server “up-time” is extremely important. As such, companies need to ensure that they utilize a reliable web host who has a proven track record of providing reliable hosting services with a server up-time guarantee. Let’s take a look at the 5 criteria that should be considered when it comes to fining a reliable business web hosting provider.
1) Price
While it may not seem like it at first glance, price is a factor that you should look out for when it comes to finding a reliable host. Why ? Because of the good old saying that “you get what you pay for.” The reality of the fact is that hosting providers who charge $1.99 may not be an ideal solution for companies. This is due to the fact that quality hardware and non-outsourced support costs money, and a hosting provider that charges $3.99 per month, wont offer the features you need to ensure that whatever conflict that you encounter, can be remedied as soon as possible.
2) Tech Support
Another factor you should consider is the circumstances surrounding their tech support. Question that you need to inquire about, before you elect to utilize a host include:
- Can I call to get a real live person on the phone ?
- Can they evaluate the problems that the site is experiencing ?
- Can they fix the problem or at least, lead me in the right direction ?
- What are the options that I have when it comes to contacting you ?
- Is tech support available 24/7 ?
3) Technical Specs
Another thing you need to consider is the technical specifications of the hosting solutions that they have available. A typical blogger may need a minimum amount of resources to run their blog. However, a growing and thriving business will definitely need a hosting solution that packs a punch. For example web hosting companies that specialize in providing cheap hosting plans, probably won’t have the processing power, RAM and disk space that will serve the needs of a business website.
4) Up-time Guarantee
One of the most important factors you need to consider when it comes to finding a reliable web host is their up-time guarantee. A good web host that would be an ideal option for business owners, would be a host that has a proven track record of server up-time. Anything less than 99.9% will not suffice. This is because your site will not be seen, if it constantly struggles with server outages. Therefore you should look for an up-time guarantee of 99% and above.
5) Scalability
The last thing that you want to worry about is having to switch to a new business web hosting provider due to the limited amount options that your current hosting provider offers, as far as scalability goes. The business web hosting provider that you utilize should offer a certain degree of scalability in the sense that the service should contain different tiers of service, based on the amount of visitors your site is receiving as well as the bandwidth usage.
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