Introduction
Establishing a strong digital presence is necessary no matter the shape, size, and scale of your business. According to leading experts, it does not matter whether you own and operate a B2C business or a B2B.
One of the most important steps in this direction is having a business website. You need a website that establishes the presence of your business on search engines. With the pandemic influencing consumer behavior, having an online presence can help in-
- Building brand awareness and recognition
- Connect with target audiences
- Foster lead generation and sales
- Create brand loyalty and credibility
- Increase revenues and profitability
In this resource article, we discuss an area of concern that most businesses that are new to digital are unaware of. We speak and discuss problems related to web hosting and how it can have a detrimental impact on your business’s online presence.
What is Web Hosting and Why is It Important for Your Business?
Every website needs to be hosted on a server, which stores its data and information. Whenever you click on a website’s link, it is the server that calls all the information and shows it on your computer, mobile or tablet screen.
You need to think of web hosting as a storage space for your business website. All websites need to be stored for access on special hosting platforms called servers. Big businesses have the money and luxury of creating their own servers.
SMEs and MSMEs choose to work with companies that offer web hosting services. There are different forms and types of web hosting services. Shared hosting, Dedicated hosting, VPS hosting, and Managed Hosting are some major types.
Choosing a good Web Hosting Provider can help in improving the performance of your website. In simple words, it can help achieve the guidelines and benchmarks that search engines like Google have laid out to website owners for maximum performance.
List of 5 Major Web Hosting Problems You Need to Avoid to Increase Performance
1. Going with Expensive Web Hosting Providers-
There are tons of options out there when it comes to web hosting providers. Some even offer free hosting, while others charge a very huge amount of money.
When it comes to web hosting, the prices you pay are more often than not related to the quality of service you can expect. Free options might not give you the speed, security, and bandwidth that guarantee performance.
While going after the most expensive ones is not a good idea, you need to do research and find out a web hosting solution that guarantees both affordability and performance.
2. Suffering from Poor Speeds and Navigation Troubles-
If there is one thing Google prioritizes in determining performance, it is the speed of the loading pages of a website. The faster your website loads, the better will be its performance.
You need a fast hosting solution. Additionally, you also want a solution that is quick to respond to the navigation actions taken by users.
For example, if the users want to go from one page to another on the website, they should be able to do that within milliseconds. All this helps in building a positive user experience.
3. Compromising on the Security of the Website-
Business owners need to be mindful of the fact that cybersecurity risks have increased exponentially during the pandemic. This is something that search engines like Google take seriously.
Make sure that you find out how secure the web hosting plan you are choosing is. Having a credible SSL Certificate (HTTPS) on the website is essential to generate trust from customers who are accessing your website.
If you have an eCommerce site that stores customer financial details, you cannot compromise on security. All it takes is one successful cyberattack to destroy your business and credibility.
4. Not Taking Into Account Customer and Tech Support of Web Hosting Provider-
There are several problems that you can encounter when it comes to web hosting. In the absence of great customer support, you will not be able to address the problems.
Poor web hosting providers are notorious for offering solutions that result in increased downtime. Every time your website is down or returns a 404 error, Google takes that as a sign of poor performance and slips you down the rankings.
The best web hosting providers offer support through chat, emails, phone calls, and even WhatsApp. Make sure you choose one accordingly.
5. Poor understanding of the Limitations of the Web Hosting Plan-
Businesses scale their online presence when they grow in traffic, sales, and other parameters. Originally you might have gone for a bandwidth that was good for handling a low level of traffic.
However, as your business has grown, you might be experiencing higher traffic volumes. It is the duty and responsibility of your web hosting provider to suggest that maybe it is a good time to upgrade to a higher plan to handle all the increased load.
This will help in sustaining the added pressure and not result in your website crashing. This is why understanding the limits of your present web hosting plan is essential.
The Final Word
Choosing a good and credible web hosting provider is integral to your digital success and performance. Paying attention to the above problems can help you make an informed decision as far as your web hosting needs are concerned. If you have any other questions, you would like us to address on web hosting, feel free to ask them in the comments below.