How to Choose a Good Web Host

When helping coaching clients establish their brands online, the first question they always have is how to choose a good web host for their website.

If you’ve been following this blog for some time, then you know I’m partial to Bluehost. I’ve been using them for years and have no complaints. However, I also know that this hasn’t always been the case for everyone.

The fact is, we all have different budgets and different needs. The only right answer here is to do your due diligence with research and establish your business needs upfront before making any commitments.

Below you’ll find some action steps you can take to decide which web host is best for you.

Compare Different Options

There are a lot of web hosts out there. Like a lot. From Bluehost to Hostgator, it can be difficult to navigate all of your options. I know that when I was first starting out building a blog I had some major information overload when it came to choosing a web host.

Here are some things you can do to compare different options:

1. Check out reputable independent review sites. There are several of these online which can help you compare web hosts side by side.
2. See what your favorite bloggers are using. Many bloggers, including myself, have written in-depth posts or have a resources page where they share the tools that they use.
3. Ask around. Before making any big business decision that requires me to drop some cash, I always ask around and see what my colleagues recommend.

Ease of Use

One thing that I always look for when it comes to online services or products is ease of use. I like to keep things simple because I understand that time is money.

For example, one of the reasons I ended up going with Bluehost all those years ago is because I wanted to use WordPress and Bluehost had an easy 1-click installation for my favorite content management system.

This depends entirely on what you need for your blog. Some people don’t even want to use WordPress at all so a 1-click installation may not make sense for them.

Budget

Look, if you’re at a stage where you’re just starting out there’s no need to spend hundreds on web hosting. I didn’t start dropping a nice chunk of change on a web host until a few years down the road when my regular website traffic kept crashing my site and I needed to upgrade my service agreement.

Sometimes I see beginning bloggers spending a lot of money on unnecessary things like hosting and web design. I’m of the belief that if you’re first starting out you should try to find the most cost effective option that requires the least amount of investment possible. That way, if a few months down the road you decide you don’t want to continue blogging, then at least you didn’t spend hundreds on a web host with all these bells and whistles you didn’t actually need.

Fortunately, when it comes to web hosting you can find some really cost effective options. Again, finding review sites or seeing what your favorite bloggers say is very helpful here.

Customer Service

Tech is tech. That means it doesn’t always work. Some people, myself included,  have some serious tech challenges and sometimes need a little additional help. That’s why I think that when it comes to web hosting making sure that you have excellent customer service is a great way to go.

This is where web hosts are definitely not created equal. Some have awesome customer service while others have some atrocious customer service. The only way to really determine which one is which is to ask around and read reviews from actual users. This could include blog posts they’ve written or reviews they’ve left on other sites.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a web host is easier than ever thanks to the internet. You can find reviews online, see what your favorite bloggers recommend and make side-by-side comparisons based on what you actually need.

The post was sponsored by Hosting Facts.