Most people when starting a business, ask what is hosting and do I really need it.

Here is the Candid answer – Yes you do.

Hosting is one of the most important building blocks for your online presence.

First what is it? Think of it as the home of your website. Without a website, your business won’t be online. Hosting allows for online stores and websites to be open and ready to trade 24/7.
Let’s look at the key points most people look when starting out.

Price

As with all things, remember you get what you pay for.

While it is important, more often then not the cheapest option isn’t always the best. Look at what you will need and compare hosting solutions. If you go with the cheapest option over time you will end up spending more money on add ons, getting frustrated and wasting a lot of your own time.

The Technical side of things

Not all hosting solutions are equal. With more and more content being added online everyday finding a hosting provider with the hardware to support their claims is important.

Look for providers with high RAM, processing power and lots of disk storage. Look for reliability and server up time, it is important that your website is live and showing when customers visit.

Support

This is a big deal. Make sure your host provides great customer service. See what contact options are available when you need help (i.e. toll-free phone number, email, chat, etc.)

If your site ever experiences problems you can’t fix, the fastest way to get things up and running is usually to speak with a real person who knows what they’re doing.

Interface (Control Panel)

Make sure to try look at reviews and do some training or view the interface of your hosting provider. It needs to be simple and easy to use. If you can’t figure out what you’re working with, it’ll make building a website much more confusing then it needs to be.

Some hosting providers let you play with a demo hosting account, so take advantage of the opportunity to test their platform before you sign up.

Features

Consider what makes your top hosting choices standout? Are their tools up to date and easy to use? Do they offer upgrades and add-ons in-house to make it easy to expand your hosting account when you need to?

As you outline your website, you’ll start to understand more about what should matter most to you.

We hope you find these tips useful.