In 2017 it is nearly impossible to imagine a successful business, without a strong online presence. Some business host an e-store for their products, others simply promote their merchandise this way, but they all have one thing in common- they rely on their website to function properly at all times. This means that whenever there is a glitch in the system and your website goes down, or even starts seriously lagging, you are losing both money and clients. One of the main causes behind this is having a bad web host and here are five tips on how to protect your business from this.
1. Think about Security
The main reason why people go with low-end web hosts is because they usually charge less. Seeing how they mostly don’t invest that much into security, it is easier for them to lower their prices as much as they need. Unfortunately, this leaves you as a blogger/business owner at a disadvantage. It also means that you need to think about the safety of your website, which starts with creating a strong password. Keep in mind to include various kinds of characters, as well as to use both upper- and lower-case. Furthermore, you also need to limit the number of people with access to the website, simply because you can never know who to trust.
2. Avoid Credit Card Payment
Paying with credit card can be extremely convenient, since it means your host won’t bother you every month, but only subtract the fee when the time is due. Unfortunately, this also means that if you forget to unsubscribe once you no longer need their services, you are about to waste quite a bit of money. Another problem with credit cards is that they usually give way too many sensitive information. (unless your bank takes additional safety measures). This is why, it is much simpler (not to mention safer) to stick to PayPal.
3. Do Regular Backups
A lot of businesses fear losing money or clients, but in reality, losing data can be the worst of them all. Why? Well, because it returns you back to square one and obliterates all the work you have done on your website so far. In order to avert this major problem, you need to do backups on a regular basis. According to experts from WebDel WordPress Developer Sydney, backups need to take place at least once a week. In this way, you are only at risk from losing few days’ worth of work, which although not insignificant usually isn’t that big of a problem.
4. Look at the Trial Period
This tip could roughly be translated into- look for those who have nothing to hide. It goes beyond obvious to say that a company that offers 30-90 days of trial period feels much more comfortable about their ability to win you over. As a comparison, you also have those who offer as little as 7 days. Now, while this is not a definitive indicator of a foul play, it is something you may want to keep an eye out for.
5. Compare, Compare, Compare
Seeing how things like uptime, lag and IT support may as well determine the future of your business, choosing the right host is not something you should be hasty about. Before you make up your mind, check out as many options as you possibly can. Look at the price, the services they offer and services that others mention and they don’t. After a while, you will become so skilled at finding these subtle differences that you will be able to write these reviews yourself.
Conclusion
Finding the right web host is not an easy choice to make. Then again, as a business owner, it is in your job description to make tough choices day in and out. Your only allies here should be a proper research and rational thinking.
Author bio: Steven Clarke is web entrepreneur/business consultant. In his spare time, he likes to write about his ideas and share them with the world. Steven is a regular contributor to several websites.
