Choosing the web hosting service should be your utmost priority when starting a blog. Did you know that a hacker can erase thousands of sites by attacking the hosting provider itself? Imagine waking up to your blog, which you’ve worked so hard for, gone.
This is only one of the reasons why the blog hosting service provider is important. Everything that happens to it will affect you, too.
If you want to learn the other reasons why, keep on reading. Learn what you should look for in a good hosting provider as well.
Why It’s Important to Choose a Good Hosting Service
A good hosting service will cost you money, but let us tell you now – it’s money well-spent.
The hosting service is where you’ll build your blog. In other words, it’s the foundation, so it must be solid, stable, and able to support your blogging needs. If the foundation of a building gives out, you bet the whole building goes down, too.
It must provide your basic needs to keep attracting new and loyal readers. It must be fast so that even the most impatient ones will stay to read your new entry.
It must have the features you want and need as well. It shouldn’t limit your creativity and your capability to go after your goals.
What to Look for in a Blog Hosting Service
For the reasons stated above, you have to be careful in selecting the blog hosting company to commit to. Here are a few important factors for choosing a hosting provider.
#1. Scalability
When starting a blog, it’s a given that you’re going to start small. However, everyone who goes into it has a goal to get bigger.
As you and your blog grow, your needs will grow as well. This is why choosing the right hosting provider from the get-go is important. It has to cater to your current needs, but it must be able to grow with you, too.
Many bloggers have had to migrate because they made the wrong choice. The features of their first choice of a platform were limiting them.
This is difficult to do later on. You must choose a flexible site in the first place so you can focus on the growth of your blog instead.
#2. Space
Each blog host provider has different packages of server space, often including an unlimited option. However, blogs shouldn’t take too much space. You won’t need a bigger package, especially from the start.
Find one that has an offering that suits your needs and budget. Remember, you can always upgrade later if you ask. For now, you can make do with a smaller plan.
Aside from space, though, you should also consider the other aspects of the plan. If you find you’ll need a feature that’s only available in the more expensive plan, go for it even if you don’t that much space.
#3. Cost
Your budget is the next important thing to consider. How much are you willing to shell out every month?
When you start a blog, remember that you won’t be earning too much money at first. You might not even break even until after the first few months.
That’s why you must choose an affordable one in the beginning. You won’t want to disappear while you’re growing your online presence because of poor budgeting.
Consider the tools you need with care, and then find the most affordable hosting with these tools. Of course, the cost should also not deter you from choosing the best choice for you.
#4. Security
Security may be the most important factor in choosing the best hosting provider. The good thing is that all hosting providers should offer a basic level of security for all its users.
This is especially important if you’re going to need a higher level. For example, if you plan on accepting payments through your blog or collecting personal details, you’re going to need to protect your customers’ information.
Some sites offer a free SSL certificate, which is essential if you want an HTTPS address. This is the secure version of HTTP, keeping the information safe from hackers.
This is also important for Google and SEO. If you want to adhere to the best SEO practices, you must make sure your website is secure.
#5. Backups
In line with security, you should also make sure your own data is secure. Some companies have free daily backups that they store in their cloud. You can request a copy in some emergency cases.
On some hosting sites, you’re responsible for backing up your website’s data. Either way, you should opt for extra backup measures. Your host might experience a problem with your backup data, which means it’s possible for you to lose all your data.
You can ask the host if they have additional backup options or you may choose another service for it. There are companies specializing in this kind of service, and they support several blogging platforms, too.
#6. Reliability
Another important thing to consider is the reliability of the hosting provider. You don’t want too many downtimes. This can happen if the hosting company doesn’t maintain the server the proper way.
When you’re starting out, you want your few readers to access your site whenever they want. Otherwise, you might lose them and it might make it harder for you to gain more. You won’t be able to build a consistent readership this way.
If you’re on a shared hosting plan, you’ll be encountering problems left and right with an unreliable provider. Because you’re sharing the server space with other websites, the chances of your host’s server exceeding its capacity are higher, resulting in slower pages. Find blogs to read the reviews of a company before committing to a plan.
#7. Support
The host should support its servers well, but it should also support its customers well, too. It’s inevitable that you’ll have problems or simple blogger questions as you’re starting out. That’s why it’s important that the hosting company is always ready to take your questions.
Make sure the hosting service you choose has impeccable customer service that you can reach via multiple ways. Most would be reachable by phone, email, or even live chat. Some even have 24-hour support services, which you might need if an issue arises in the middle of the night.
You can test out their level of commitment to customers by asking a question about their service. How they handle this inquiry will tell a lot about the quality of their customer service.
#8. Other Features
The above are the basic features of a hosting site you should look for, but there’s no harm in looking for other features you might need. For example, you might want to get an email domain that’s the same as your URL. Some sites offer this feature, making you look more professional when you ask your readers to shoot you an email.
There are also those that offer add-ons when you’re signing up, but you may have to pay for these. You should be able to get these add-ons later when you find the need and the budget for them. At first, we recommend you to get a basic plan that covers your starting needs.
What Type of Hosting Service Do You Need?
When you determine the right choice for you, you now have to see which type of hosting service you want. This would further help you in making a decision based on which site offers the best type.
You’re most likely on a budget when you’re starting out. If so, shared hosting may be the better choice.
Shared hosting means you’re sharing the server with hundreds (or even thousands) of other websites. Because of that, it’s more affordable than other hosting options. Think of it like renting an apartment with hundreds of other roommates.
However, this can lead to problems as a surge in traffic can slow down your website. There are some security issues to take into account as well.
#2. Dedicated Hosting
With dedicated hosting, you have an entire server for yourself. This means you won’t have to worry about site speed and security.
As you would expect, though, it’s quite expensive. This option is great for those who have greater needs of their own server, so it’s not the best option for beginners.
#3. VPS Hosting
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a mix between shared and dedicated hosting. The host divides one server into small virtual servers. Each website then gets a total privacy with their own mini servers.
You still share the server with other websites. However, you get a small server dedicated to your website needs.
If the other sites experience surges in traffic or viruses, you’re not affected. Think of it as having your own bathroom in a shared apartment.
Start Your Blog with a Reliable Hosting Service
The reasons above should show you that blog hosting should be the first consideration when you’re starting a blog. Yes, there are a lot of elements to consider but hopefully this guide helped organize everything for you. Now you can get things done quickly and launch your blog site soon!
If you want to learn more about starting a blog, you can check out our guide here.
