Top Features to Look for in an Email Hosting Provider

| Updated on March 27, 2024

From the initial age of the internet, Email has been a pioneer way of communication and collaboration. Despite advancement in technology, email is still able to uphold its essence intact and influence in the professional communication dimension.

A survey performed by Windows IT Pro also concluded that in the era of chat apps, mobile messaging, social media platforms, email is still the most popular way to establish a professional communication. 

It has also been estimated that by the year 2023, we will be sending over 347 billion messages a day!

So, it is evident that email is a core tool to build a professional collaboration and plays an imperative role for any business (irrespective of industry) in enhancement.

And, that’s where the role of email Hosting provider came into the play. An email hosting provider will simplify and streamline your work and offer a level of authorisation over your corporate email collaborations.

Albeit, considering an appropriate hosting company is not a cakewalk especially when there are dozens of options to choose from at different price points. Any wrong step might prove a perfect storm for you.

Fortunately, you don’t have to ponder about it much as in this article, we have briefed top features that you can acknowledge prior hiring a email hosting service provider.

So, without any further ado, let’s check out the features to look for in an email hosting provider.

Does it Offer 24/7 Customer Support? 

As of 2018, no email brands are offering this kind of service which means that if you need help with an issue or there is a problem with your account, then you will have to wait till the next day before anything can be resolved, which in my opinion, is not efficient.

Does It Have a Dedicated Hosting Provider?

A dedicated hosting provider should be a priority if you need a lot of space and want to avoid slow speeds. In general, dedicated hosting provides faster speeds. It also offers more storage space.

What Kind of Monthly Data Transfer Allowance Do They Offer? 

Most email hosting providers offer between 500MB-5GB per month, which is low; however, only some provide 50GB and more.

Are There Any Hidden Fees? 

Many email hosting providers offer free set-up, which is a great way to save money. However, sometimes free set-up comes at the price of paying for bandwidth overages or other features you might want.

Is It Easy to Manage Your Account? 

It should be easy to create an email address, forward and transfer emails and change your password online. If too many steps are involved in changing something on your account, you’ll probably get frustrated and give up. So make sure that the interface is intuitive and easy to use.

On a Scale of 1-5, How does It Rate in Terms of Reliability? 

It should be a priority for every business regardless of size or industry. You don’t want to have issues with your emails, and you don’t wish to slow speeds. Make sure that your email provider is reliable.

Does It Offer Recurring Billing? 

This is important because you can set it up so that you only pay for what you use instead of spending all the time. Think about the number of emails that you send and receive each month. If that number is less than what you’d pay for on a recurring billing plan, then go ahead and sign up.

Does It Offer Spam Protection? 

Every email provider should offer this feature, and most of the best providers do. However, some provide better features than others regarding spam protection.

What are the Provider’s ITU Ratings? 

An ITU rating is a benchmark that helps you compare server quality and uptime. So if you’re looking for a reliable email hosting company, you want to ensure they have good scores. This is especially important if your business relies on its emails or has an online ecommerce store.

Does it Offer SSL Encryption? 

This should also be standard. Any email hosting provider that doesn’t offer SSL encryption should be avoided at all costs. So if you want to protect your business and keep your customers safe, make sure that you choose one with this feature.

Does It have a Reliable Reputation? 

Check with the Better Business Bureau and other consumer watch groups that may apply to your industry. You want to ensure that you’re working with a reputable email hosting company rather than one with a history of complaints.

Does It Offer an Affiliate or Referral Program? 

This is crucial if you want to earn money from referring new customers to an email specialist company. For example, if you recommend a company offering 50% referral commissions, you’ll make half of the money paid by customers you referred to the company.

Does It Include an Email Marketing Feature? 

This will allow you to create and send professional-looking emails. It should also offer transition tools to move your marketing emails to your new email hosting provider. Consider looking for a different provider if it doesn’t provide these tools.

Does It Offer a Suite of Free Tools? 

These tools may include spell check, meeting scheduling, website tracking, work management, etc. The more features it provides, the better. You’ll need at least one or two of these features to run your business efficiently.

Can You Create Sub-users? 

This is important if you have employees that need access to your email hosting account. For example, suppose you provide customer support via email and have one employee that handles all of the customer issues. In that case, they’ll need their username and access to your email hosting company. So make sure that this feature is available with your email hosting provider.

Do You Have the Option to Get More Space or Features If You Need Them? 

If you increase your monthly data transfer allowance from 5GB to 50GB and then decide that you need even more space, many email hosting providers will allow you to upgrade.

Does It Offer an Affiliate Program? 

Most email hosting companies provide referral programs so that their customers can earn money for referring new customers. This is standard for almost every internet business, and most companies also offer generous commissions. For example, Web Hosting Hub provides up to $1000 per sale in referral commissions.

Does It Offer a Database Backup Feature? 

It should come standard with any email hosting company that you choose. Most companies provide offsite or network-based backups to keep your messages safe, even if your computer is stolen or destroyed.

Does It Provide a Robust Technical Support System? 

You want to ensure you’re getting answers quickly to all your questions. Many companies claim to offer excellent technical support, but if their customer service agents need to be more well-trained, then they can provide slow responses. So make sure that your email hosting provider has really good support staff.

Does It Offer Unlimited Email Forwarding? 

You should be able to send multiple emails using the same account. Most of the best email hosting providers allow you to use up to 20 email addresses simultaneously.

Does It Offer an Auto-responder? 

This is important if you’re sending lots of emails. Most of the best email hosting providers have this feature built in so that you can automatically notify people when they sign up for your mailing list or make a purchase on your website.

Does It Offer Group Email Support? 

Group support is useful for businesses that must send hundreds or thousands of emails daily.

Conclusion

You can use any email hosting provider, and it will work well. But to get the best results, you’ll need an established email provider with many useful features. The higher the number of features, the better it will be, so make sure you choose one that offers many of these features to make things easier for you.





Leena Ray

Digital Marketing Writer and Editor


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