Making A Buying Decision? 4 Questions To Ask About Web Hosting
If you're thinking of starting a business of any kind, online or offline, one item on your to-do list will be to build a website. Your website could be a collection of web pages to share with the public, an application to help you to run your online operations, or a software solution to manage the documents for your business. It could also, of course, serve all three purposes.
If you're a business owner familiar with the technology, it's not a daunting task, but it can be if you've never had a website and don't know much about different types of hosting. In that case, you could be setting yourself up for making an expensive mistake. You could lose business by buying too much or buying too little of the features you need. If you're getting more features than you need, then you may be paying too much, and if you're getting too few, your business could suffer from a lack of uptime and insufficient features to promote your business.
Here is a list of 4 questions to ask yourself when finding the best hosting solution for your website:
1.Should I get free or paid hosting?
Frankly, the only time you should get free hosting is if it's a hobby website for your personal satisfaction. If it's a business website, you should get paid hosting. Besides being free of irritating advertising, you'll get all the features you need to build your online business presence.
Prices for different hosting packages vary in price. It's not always a good idea to decide on hosting based on price alone. The cheaper the price, the fewer features you will have available. Yes, you can always work your way up, starting with an inexpensive package and then either change web-hosting packages or hosts, but migrating all your stuff is both time consuming and expensive. Try to forecast your needs as best you can.
Assuming you want to spend as little as possible for your website hosting because you can't afford too much, you need to get clear on the minimum features and services that you will need.
You should have the following basic features:
If you can afford a little more, then add these features:
There are 4 distinct types of hosting you should consider:
1.Shared hosting. This is the most affordable and easiest to start with, but you have no control over the server side or the performance. This is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
2.VPS hosting. This gives you root server access and a secured environment, but it is far more expensive than shared hosting. This is suitable if your business has more than 10,000 visitors a day. It is also a good choice if your website handles 10GB of files per day. Yours will be the only website on the server, which will give you more bandwidth and storage.
3.Dedicated hosting. This gives you maximum control and excellent server performance, but, it's expensive and you will need skilled IT staff. This is suitable if your website uses a lot of audio and video files, as these are resource intensive and take up far more space than text and graphics.
4.Cloud hosting. This gives you server scalability and cost efficiency, but you need to have advanced computer knowledge to get the most out of its benefits. This is a good choice if you need to be exact about your resources for maximum performance. Cloud hosting is suitable if you have one or more websites. You will be able to be exact about features like RAM, processor, bandwidth, traffic, and space.
In closing, when deciding on hosting, there is a lot to think about so don't use price alone as a criterion for selection. Read review websites, peruse testimonials, and comb through statistics to find the best, most reliable hosting solution for your website.
Source: Making A Buying Decision? 4 Questions To Ask About Web Hosting
5 Best Cheap WordPress Hosting of 2017 so far
Finding a good WordPress hosting is hard. When you are looking for a good, cheap WordPress hosting, you are making it more challenging. There are lots of cheap WordPress hosting that are not good, and the good hosting plans are not that cheap.
That means you have to strike a balance between these requirements. You need to find cheap WordPress hosting which is reliable, reputed and offers excellent customer support. With that in mind, here's our list of the cheap WordPress hosting providers.
The one-click installation enables you to install WordPress within a few minutes. You can control all of your installations from the intuitive control panel. There is an enhanced version of cPanel that allows you to manage all of your domains, websites, databases, FTP account, email accounts, and so on.
Hassle-free Scalability is another notable feature of Bluehost. You can get started with a smaller plan initially. As your website grows, you can gradually move your site to a VPS or dedicated server without any complication. What's more, there is a secure money-back guarantee that enables you to get a refund anytime you want.
Bluehost offers three WordPress hosting plans. All plans come with a free domain and unmetered bandwidth.
This hosting uses the latest version of cPanel with custom styling. As a result, you will have immediate access to all the necessary management options for your website. You can create the necessary MySQL databases with the built-in phpMyAdmin support.
The company is also recommended for its going green efforts. They are investing more in wind energy to decrease server emission resulting from the use of other energy sources.
Hostgator currently offers three WordPress hosting plans. All plans feature unmetered disk space, bandwidth, unlimited number of sub-domains, FTP accounts, MySQL databases, and email accounts.
All the hosting plans are professionally optimized to get the best out of WordPress. Other than the SSD servers, these plans support PHP 7 and the popular caching plugins, resulting in faster loading speed for your posts.
If this is your first WordPress site, you will find the free themes and the built-in Drag-and-drop editor very useful. In the case of any problem, the expert support service is available 24/7 through email, live chat, or phone.
There are three Inmotion packages for hosting WordPress sites. All plans come with SSD server, free domain, unlimited disk space, and unlimited monthly transfer.
The professionally optimized SSD servers utilize a proprietary caching tool and support the latest versions of PHP and HTTP. All of these play critical roles in delivering a fast loading speed for your website.
There is a dedicated team of security experts who are always looking for vulnerabilities and security issues related to WordPress. In case of any such incidents, they will immediately notify the users. It is also possible to get timely support from the chat, phone, and ticketing system.
Siteground offers three hosting plans for WordPress. All plans include unmetered traffic, unlimited MySQL databases, multiple server locations, daily backup, free CDN, and WP-CLI support.
The company uses latest Dell servers with redundant power supply for a reliable uptime and performance. Multi-step security measures will ensure the highest possible level of security for your websites.
All hosting plans enjoy full access to cPanel for website management. The professional support team is available 24 hours a day. You can access support by using live chat or issuing a ticket.
Namecheap offers a few WordPress hosting plans. All plans include unlimited bandwidth, unlimited number of parked domains, and twice weekly backups.
Choosing a reliable hosting provider is one of the basic steps in creating a successful WordPress site. Due to the importance of this step, we decided to help you with our choice of the cheap WordPress hosting providers. Feel free to choose any of the hosting mentioned above and rest assured that your website will be placed in expert hands.
Source: 5 Best Cheap WordPress Hosting of 2017 so far
Want to Speed Up Your Website? Try These 5 Cloud Server Applications
If you're looking for a way to boost your website's page speed and stop losing potential conversions, you should consider a cloud server.
Cloud servers can help your site load faster by using high-performing servers, lightning-fast processors and high-quality solid-state drive (SSD) storage. By going with a cloud server application, you can boost your site's SEO and customer satisfaction while letting the servers do all the work for you.
Most cloud servers also give you access to customer service resources to solve even your worst mistakes. Using a cloud server allows your hosting to grow with your business and stay secure. Here are five of the best cloud server applications you can use for an improved website.
LCNIf you're looking for a cloud server application that can give you high-performance hosting options without the high cost, LCN is the best option for you. LCN even offers free pure SSD storage and unlimited traffic at no extra cost.
LCN is great if you're just looking to try something out. It lets you buy a cloud server risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee and no contract. But, with their scalable servers and standard firewall feature, you'll probably end up staying for longer.
Related: Habits of the World's Wealthiest People (Infographic)
Server ChoiceServer Choice offers its customers cloud hosting, colocation services and PCI compliance to keep your website running smoothly. SSD VPS hosting that's powered by the cloud.
If you're wondering what all that gibberish means, it's basically a server equipped with cloud-powered infrastructure and free server management that will speed up your site. It also comes with awesome features like free cPanel license, CentOS and LAMp stack. It even allows manual backups.
Related: Inspiring Quotes to Help You Get Through Your Work Day
BluehostWith Bluehost, you know you're going to be working with a company you can trust. It's been in the cloud hosting business since 2003, working with small business owners and individuals, and boasts a variety of packages with plenty of room to upgrade and expand.
Not only is Bluehost reliable, but it has a full set of security features as well. Bluehost also provides its users with a decent amount of flexibility and an unlimited amount of email addresses, MySQL databases, domains and subdomains you can create.
DreamHostDreamHost boasts a simple and easy-to-use platform that even the most novice of designers won't be intimidated by. It's been in business since 1997 and has the ability to host everything from small personal blogs to entrepreneur sites.
Related: 5 Habits of the Wealthy That Helped Them Get Rich
GreenGeeksWhat makes GreenGeeks special is that it can make your website load incredibly fast while also helping out the environment. Its mission is to provide environmentally friendly cloud hosting services -- it's even a certified EPA Green Power partner.
It's a great choice for those concerned about secure cloud hosting as it offers excellent security features, too, and is available in 150 countries. It also has excellent, 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Cloud server applications are an excellent way to improve the speed of your business's website while getting a variety of other features. If you're looking for a hassle-free and budget-friendly cloud hosting service, try one of these five companies for a faster website.
Nathan ResnickNathan Resnick is a serial entrepreneur who currently serves as CEO of Sourcify, a marketplace of the world's top manufacturers. Having brought dozens of products to life, he knows the ins and outs of how to turn ideas into realities.&n...
Read moreSource: Want to Speed Up Your Website? Try These 5 Cloud Server Applications
5 Best Cheap WordPress Hosting Providers for 2017
Finding a good WordPress hosting is hard. When you are looking for a good, cheap WordPress hosting, you are making it more challenging. There are lots of cheap WordPress hosting that are not good, and the good hosting plans are not that cheap.
That means you have to strike a balance between these requirements. You need to find cheap WordPress hosting which is reliable, reputed and offers excellent customer support. With that in mind, here's our list of the cheap WordPress hosting providers.
The one-click installation enables you to install WordPress within a few minutes. You can control all of your installations from the intuitive control panel. There is an enhanced version of cPanel that allows you to manage all of your domains, websites, databases, FTP account, email accounts, and so on.
Hassle-free Scalability is another notable feature of Bluehost. You can get started with a smaller plan initially. As your website grows, you can gradually move your site to a VPS or dedicated server without any complication. What's more, there is a secure money-back guarantee that enables you to get a refund anytime you want.
Bluehost offers three WordPress hosting plans. All plans come with a free domain and unmetered bandwidth.
This hosting uses the latest version of cPanel with custom styling. As a result, you will have immediate access to all the necessary management options for your website. You can create the necessary MySQL databases with the built-in phpMyAdmin support.
The company is also recommended for its going green efforts. They are investing more in wind energy to decrease server emission resulting from the use of other energy sources.
Hostgator currently offers three WordPress hosting plans. All plans feature unmetered disk space, bandwidth, unlimited number of sub-domains, FTP accounts, MySQL databases, and email accounts.
All the hosting plans are professionally optimized to get the best out of WordPress. Other than the SSD servers, these plans support PHP 7 and the popular caching plugins, resulting in faster loading speed for your posts.
If this is your first WordPress site, you will find the free themes and the built-in Drag-and-drop editor very useful. In the case of any problem, the expert support service is available 24/7 through email, live chat, or phone.
There are three Inmotion packages for hosting WordPress sites. All plans come with SSD server, free domain, unlimited disk space, and unlimited monthly transfer.
The professionally optimized SSD servers utilize a proprietary caching tool and support the latest versions of PHP and HTTP. All of these play critical roles in delivering a fast loading speed for your website.
There is a dedicated team of security experts who are always looking for vulnerabilities and security issues related to WordPress. In case of any such incidents, they will immediately notify the users. It is also possible to get timely support from the chat, phone, and ticketing system.
Siteground offers three hosting plans for WordPress. All plans include unmetered traffic, unlimited MySQL databases, multiple server locations, daily backup, free CDN, and WP-CLI support.
The company uses latest Dell servers with redundant power supply for a reliable uptime and performance. Multi-step security measures will ensure the highest possible level of security for your websites.
All hosting plans enjoy full access to cPanel for website management. The professional support team is available 24 hours a day. You can access support by using live chat or issuing a ticket.
Namecheap offers a few WordPress hosting plans. All plans include unlimited bandwidth, unlimited number of parked domains, and twice weekly backups.
Choosing a reliable hosting provider is one of the basic steps in creating a successful WordPress site. Due to the importance of this step, we decided to help you with our choice of the cheap WordPress hosting providers. Feel free to choose any of the hosting mentioned above and rest assured that your website will be placed in expert hands.
Source: 5 Best Cheap WordPress Hosting Providers for 2017
Tips For Migrating a WordPress Website To a New And Better Host
Since its launch in 2003, WordPress constantly grew and it evolved from a simple blogging platform into a powerful and yet accessible content management system. Nowadays, most entrepreneurs, artists, lifestyle bloggers, you name it, most of them start with WordPress. If you have time and a bit of knowledge, WordPress is the best way to start a blog. Of course, there are other popular platforms like Squarespace for those who want something more straight forward. The platform's success comes however from the almost unlimited plugin database, plugins that are able to cover all the requirements and needs of a user, whether they want to blog, sell products, develop a business portal or create an online community. As a consequence, there are many companies that migrated their web pages to WordPress, contributing at the same time to the development of the platform and its continuing popularity growth. With plugins, however, comes higher load times and sometimes a decrease in traffic. T herefore, some websites owner will have to migrate their websites to other, better, more WordPress friendly hosting providers. Before we start talking about some of the best WordPress hosting providers out there, we need to clarify some basic things about this popular CMS.
Why is WordPress so popular?Although WordPress started as a simple blogging platform, it soon evolved into a real content management system that became probably the most popular in the world. It is one of the most reliable and user friendly CMS' that exists in present days. There's no wonder why and how words like wordpresser, wordpressing or wordpressographer have been taken into common language by people worldwide.
The beauty of WordPress stands not only in its easiness of installation and tweaking capabilities but in its diverse community that has gathered around a simple and yet powerful concept. It's a community that consumes and produces at the same time, giving us thousands and thousands of themes, plugins and other useful tweaks. We cannot talk about WordPress without its plugins which contributed mostly to the evolution from a blogging platform to a real and powerful content management system.
Plugins make the best of WordPressBasically, plugins are modules that extend the functionalities of the platform. And although they are not a part of the WordPress system, without them the platform would have been nothing more than a blogging platform easy to use but with little usability as a website. If we were to compare WordPress with the human body, we would say that the content management system is the brain while the plugins represent the heart which keeps pumping blood to the head. It is said though, that too many plugins slow down the site and lower performances, but in reality, it is not the number of plugins that has to be taken into account, but the quality of the coding and their compatibility with the WordPress version in use.
Steps to take before migrating a WordPress site to another hosting serviceApart from the plugins used, there is a number of reasons why to migrate to a new hosting provider. The load time is important but at the same time, it is important to have a good uptime, 24/7 technical support and a consistent bandwidth.
Before starting the migration, you need to make backups. If you're on a CPanel supporting hosting, this task is quite simple, as CPanel has a built-in app that can create a full files and databases backup to be saved on the main ftp account. Of course, if you are not skilled in these types of tasks, there are always some plugins available to help you backup and migrate as easy as it gets.
Plugins that are useful for WordPress migrationWe've already talked about the power of WordPress plugins and their importance in developing the community and making this blogging platform a viable CMS suitable for any kind of business. There are of course several plugins that can help you migrate to a new hosting provider and these are the three most accessible and easy to use of them:
Choosing the best web hosting for WordPress depends solely on your needs. There are a few WordPress provider out there and you can find the biggest ones below.
Conclusion
Migrating your WordPress website shouldn't be very difficult if you have a tiny bit of WordPress knowledge. And when it comes to hosting, you will just have to choose the one that works for you the best.Have something to add to this article? Let us know in the comments below.
Bonus: Check out this article about the best Business WordPress Themes.
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