There are several mistakes to avoid when choosing the best web hosting company especially if you have a new blog. We are going to provide in-depth information on things to avoid when arriving at the best web hosting company.
In 2014,I was new in blogging. One of my friends suggested I host my blog locally. Since I trust him, I decided to acquire a domain and pay for hosting in a local web hosting company. What happened after one year is still fresh in my mind; I got frustrated until I resolved to migrate all my websites to a new webhosting company. The experience I got from my first web hosting company taught me a lesson that I won’t forget.I therefore don’t want any blogger to go that route, which is why I will write,to the best of my knowledge, what you should avoid when deciding on a web hosting company.
Before you decide to host your websites in a particular company, here are mistakes to avoid.
- Not conducting research about the web hosting company
Before you pay for hosting services, do a thorough research to know the pros and cons of hosting your site with a particular company. Several people would advise you to get recommendations from your close associates but that is not enough, try to get different opinions from different individuals, then make a sound decision.
- Don’t go for small/little known hosting companies
One mistake that most bloggers make is to go for small and little known hosting companies. They do so because those companies are cheap, thus attracting those with little knowledge and experience about web hosting.
Always ensure you host your website in a company that thousands, if not millions of bloggers have hosted theirs. In web hosting environment, some of the dominant companies include Bluehost,Liquidweb,Kinsta,iPage,Pagely,GoDaddy,Hodtgator and Amazon but I always recommend the following:
Kinsta-for viral websites
Liquidweb-for WordPress websites that receive moderate traffic
Bluehost-for small websites
One disadvantage of picking on a small web hosting company is that the company can collapse anytime or be forced to review their prices upwards so as to continue surviving.
- Not considering your blog security
Blog security is very important. While some web hosting companies help to remove malware and viruses, most companies don’t go that mile. When your website is infected by malware, you are forced to contact malware removal company, which will charge you for the service.
In the list I have provided above, Kinsta is one of the companies that remove malware free of charge as long as your website is hosted there. My websites were at one time infected by malware and when I contacted Kinsta,those guys removed the malware free of charge within minutes.Bluehost on the other hand has SiteLock services, which ensure your website is not infected by malware.
- Not having a long term plan
It’s normal that when you are starting a blog, you will prefer hosting in a cheap company. But when your blog grows, you will be forced to migrate it to accompany with more powerful servers. For your information, when migrating an old site to another hosting company, you are likely to pay for migration services. Some Companies, like Kinsta,will migrate your site for free but others will charge you.
If you are a serious blogger, make sure you select a web hosting company that can host your site for several years without migrating it.