Five must know tips about buying a web hosting service

Buying a web hosting service is unlikely to be a high priority when setting up a new business or personal venture, but it’s a vitally important decision. While decisions about site design and page structure will often dominate people’s thoughts, it’s crucial not to simply sign up with the first hosting company you come across. Buying a web hosting service can affect the profitability of your new site – and even its viability, depending on what you’ll be using it for.

There are various factors to consider when buying a web hosting service, and we’ve listed five of the most significant ones below. If you’d like further information over and above these tips, we’ll be happy to offer more in‐depth advice…

1. Look for hosts offering global reach

Even the most modest entrepreneurial venture could become a multinational success story if it’s correctly marketed. However, if a hosting provider only has a presence in your home country, their servers will be sluggish at delivering webpage content to overseas audiences. This will result in lower SEO rankings, and lead to higher page abandonment. Conversely, Westhost is part of a global hosting brand with over 30 data centers strategically positioned across five continents.

2. Investigate included extras

Although you’re free to purchase domain names, email hosting and site security certificates from third parties, it’s far more convenient and efficient to bundle these together when buying a web hosting service. Every Westhost web hosting package includes a database, 50GB of disk space, a website and 1TB of bandwidth – the latter ensuring data reaches audiences quickly and effectively, every time.

3. Prioritize simple site editing

Your work isn’t completed when a website launches. Search engines will improve the rankings of sites which are regularly updated with new products, blog posts or user guides. This requires a simple and intuitive user interface, and our Control Panel is simplicity itself to use. You can add SSL certificates, renew domains, add plugins and increase the site’s content. And being able to do so with a single click minimizes the time invested in keeping content topical and relevant.

4. Every website needs an SSL certificate

Search engines and web browsers are now designed to approach traditional HTTP websites cautiously. Even a non‐ecommerce website should be secured with an SSL certificate, identifiable by an HTTPS prefix and a green padlock in some browser address bars. Every Westhost hosting client receives a free SSL certificate, encrypting data as it’s sent from our servers to your customers’ devices. This minimizes fraud, boosts consumer trust and impresses Google and Bing.

5. Research existing customer opinions

Any web hosting company can trumpet the services it offers, while downplaying the ones it doesn’t. But only the best web hosting companies will receive consistently strong reviews on independent review sites like Trustpilot. As of February 2021, Westhost score 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with 68 per cent of our customers giving us the highest five‐star rating. We’d encourage you to explore these overwhelmingly positive reviews for yourself.