How a Good Web Host Will Make the Most of Your Brand

Moving your business online is something that is essential to succeeding in today’s digital age. When creating a website for your brand, there are a number of things you need to put thought into. These include:

• Your domain name – how will customers, clients and readers find you on the web?
• Website design – how will you create a site that is easy to use, attractive and professional?
• Your marketing strategy – how will you spread the word about your site and brand?

These things are all vitally important, but there’s another essential missing off the list:

• Your web host – where will your site be hosted? How much control will you need to have? Which deal is best for you?

Choosing a web host can have more of an impact on your company and brand than you may think. Web hosting companies provide the server space for your site, as well as connectivity in some cases. They can also supply control panels and dashboards through which you can implement a number of things through your site, including email and coding changes. However, there are so many different web hosting companies around, and they all offer a variety of packages and types of hosting to choose from. Selecting the one that’s right for you can have a big impact on your business, so you need to make sure you’re choosing the one that’s right for you.

Free Web Hosting Options

People on a budget may consider choosing a free web hosting service. These web hosts will commonly provide you with a website on a sub-domain. Your URL would therefore look like this: ‘yourwebsitename.webhostingcompany.com’. These services are usually free because they make revenue from adverts. It’s a popular option with bloggers or people who utilize their website as a hobby, but for a professional touch for your brand, you should probably avoid this type of hosting.

Shared vs Dedicated Hosting

Shared website hosting means that your site will be hosted on the same server as many other websites. It’s a cheaper option for web hosting because it essentially means that all website owners are contributing to the cost of the server. It is also sufficient for brands who only need a relatively simple site, or who aren’t too tech-savvy, as the managers of the hosting are generally responsible for installing updates and controlling the security of the server. Dedicated hosting means the client has sole use of the server: you can choose either to have the server managed by the server owner, or you can choose an unmanaged option where you control the updates yourself. The latter is often the cheaper option, but requires an adequate level of technical know-how.

Generally, shared hosting is adequate if your brand’s website is going to be of small to medium size and receive a few thousand visitors a day. If it will be bigger than this however– i.e. if you anticipate tens of thousands of visitors, or plan to upload large files and pictures – then a dedicated hosting service could be more appropriate.

A good web hosting company should be able to help you decide what sort of package and hostage option will be most beneficial to your brand and company. Many domain name companies, such as Siteopia, offer web hosting along with domain registration, meaning that you can get both of these services from the same company.