A Five Point Checklist for Picking the Right Web Hosting Service

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a web host for your site. This can get overwhelming, and we don’t want you to fall into traps set for novices.

When choosing a web host for your site, one option worth considering is managed Drupal hosting. There are several factors to take into account before making a virtual server hosting purchase. First and foremost, familiarize yourself with the variety of options available. Shared web hosting is a cost-effective choice, while a virtual private server (VPS) offers greater freedom and management.

In this post, we will discuss some of the key considerations everyone should make before making a virtual server hosting purchase.

For those seeking extensive features and customization, dedicated web hosting may be the ideal but priciest option. Cloud hosting, on the other hand, provides the advantage of syncing the website with a server in the cloud, making it accessible from any internet-connected device.

With managed drupal hosting, the hosting provider takes care of the technical aspects of running a Drupal website, allowing website owners and administrators to focus on creating and managing their content without worrying about server management, performance optimization, and security.

While disk space and data transfer rates are important, it’s crucial not to overlook traffic when considering hosting options. As your website grows, traffic will increase, so selecting a plan that can handle higher volumes is essential. Additionally, look for key characteristics in a web host, such as a one-click installer for content management systems like Drupal, making it easier for those less tech-savvy to manage their web pages. Access to the .htaccess file and File Transfer Protocol (FTP)/SSH compatibility can also facilitate website management and data transfers.

Backup is another critical consideration, as no website is immune to crashes, failures, viruses, or hacks. Investing in reliable website protection is equally important, with features like DDoS protection, Let’s Encrypt SSL, RAID, and secure data centers being standard requirements. Prioritizing security ensures that both your website and your clients’ personal information remain safe from outside threats. By keeping these considerations in mind and opting for managed Drupal hosting, you can avoid making poor decisions and make the most of your web hosting investment.

1. Know Your Options

The first step is to familiarize yourself with the variety of options available. 

• Multiple web pages sharing a single server is known as “shared web hosting.” This is mostly preferred as the cost is minimal;
• When compared to shared web hosting, a virtual private server (VPS) provides greater freedom and management. You’ll be provided with your very own private virtual server hosting;
• The website will have access to a full range of features available on a dedicated web host. There may even be customizations available as per requirements, but it is the priciest option;
• Cloud hosting, sometimes known as “cloud web hosting,” is the practice of syncing the website with a server in the cloud. That way, the webpage will be accessible from any device with an internet connection.

2. Take Traffic into Account

When considering all the options, the majority of proprietors consider just two crucial factors: disk space and data transfer rates. They underestimate traffic. They fail to consider the fact that the new web pages will receive more visitors once the company grows. Therefore, our advice is to select a plan that can accommodate a decent volume of traffic.

3. Spot Key Characteristics

Even though most hosts provide the basics for a web page, always double-check to make sure they also provide services like a one-click installer, file manager, and DNS administration.

Installation with a Single Click

Easy program installation is at your fingertips with the help of a one-click installer for popular content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla!, and others. This is helpful if you aren’t proficient in the technical components of web page development.

Use of the .htaccess File

Modifying the .htaccess file will allow users to affect changes throughout the entire site. This is generally used for things like managing passwords and authentication, as well as a whole bunch of other tasks.

File Transfer Protocol/SSH Compatibility

The file managers provided by most companies are rudimentary at best. With secure file transfer protocol (FTP) and file transfer protocol (SFTP) access, you may manage and transfer massive volumes of data on the server with ease.

4. Backup Is Crucial

Backups are a must-not-miss. Irrespective of where the data is, online or offline, invest in backups. No matter how careful you are, at some point or another, the website will experience a crash, failure, virus, hack, or worse.

In the event of a malfunction, a solid backup plan will allow website managers to quickly and easily restore the site to its previous state.

Any serious losses can be avoided if the web server can restore all the web pages (or a sizable portion of them) with little to no downtime.

If backups are a genuine concern, and they should be, here are some questions to consider:

1. How often do they run a full backup?
2. Is there an option in the admin panel for manual backups?
3. Do you have the option of using a tool to generate automated backups?
4. Do you need the help of the support team to restore your backup files, or can you do it yourself?

5. Invest in Reliable Website Protection

Security tools like DDoS protection, Let’s Encrypt SSL, RAID, and safe data centers should all be standard. Never put safety last on your list of priorities when selecting a web host. If you use a hosting service that prioritizes security, you can be assured that neither your website nor your clients’ personal information will be compromised. 

Check out the security features and pricing tiers if you’re concerned about protecting your website from outside threats. Sometimes businesses may provide supplementary security options to help you keep hackers at bay on your website.

To entice customers, some sites include free SSL with all the other options. SSL certificates are typically mentioned when discussing secure web hosting. The use of an SSL certificate results in a secure and reliable connection. The “S” in HTTPS appears before the URL, and a padlock symbol is shown. By encrypting data in transit, SSL improves the safety of online transactions on your site. This is essential for online stores.

Conclusion

To sum up, the answer to ‘why do I need web hosting?’ or the next time you need to switch web hosting for your website or blog is established in the above guidelines. By keeping these considerations in mind, you will be better able to steer clear of making a poor decision. You wouldn’t want to throw away your hard-earned cash on something that wouldn’t benefit your company, after all.