As more and more businesses migrate to an online-focused operation, the importance of having a reliable web hosting service is even more apparent.

This is because the success of digital marketing campaigns is linked directly to the architecture of any online store. No matter how much investment is paid on the best marketing campaigns with complex automation capabilities, if the website is subpar, all that investment will never be translated into revenue.

The Basics

One of the first steps when you first launch an online retail store is deciding which web hosting service to choose. Fortunately, this is one of the easier steps since there are now more options for hosting services. It is much more difficult to design and promote your website after launch.

Essentially, a web host is where all the elements of your website are stored – usually in a physical server somewhere. Maintaining a dedicated server isn’t practical for most site owners since they are big, expensive, and need a lot of power to run which is why they turn to web hosts. Such businesses own numerous servers that can provide consistent and reliable service for thousands, if not millions, of websites. They cater to different types of businesses from a dropshipping site to a Social Media Advertising Agency.

Added Value

Every website needs a host if they wish to be published online. Besides allowing people to access your site, hosting companies also add a lot of value to your website. Some offer security to make it less likely for your website to get hacked. They also have full-time experts on staff to make sure everything runs smoothly. Web hosts also play a part in making sure that the pages on your site load fast.

What Makes A Good Web Host?

To get all the benefits, it’s important to choose the right web host for your site. With so many services available, it can be confusing especially for a newbie to differentiate one web host service from another. Below are some tips to help you choose the right web hosting services.

• A strong reputation

Being able to provide customers with reliable and consistent services for many years is a strong mark of a good host. Check to see that the host also received a few accolades and awards from other websites and reputable organizations.

• At least 99% uptime.

Uptime means the time that your website is accessible online. The last thing you want is to have visitors wanting to visit your website only to see a 404 error displayed. Every time this happens is a potential loss of revenue for your business.

• Offers a variety of plans.

A lot of web hosts offer different plans that help businesses grow. You’ll want to choose plans that make it possible for you to upgrade to cloud hosting, for example.

• Round the clock customer service.

Interruptions can happen all hours of the day. When you’re working on a new product launch in the middle of the night and face problems, you’ll want to get help immediately.

The right price. Web hosting is one necessary cost for you to be able to run your business. However, that doesn’t mean always choosing the expensive route. There are hosts that are cheaper and offer better service.

• Intuitive interface.

Most e-commerce owners are not computer programmers. It is therefore very important to have a web host account dashboard that’s intuitive. You don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to learn basic stuff when you could be doing important work that helps grow your business.

• Supports migration.

If you already have an existing site and you want to move to a different web hosting service, migration should be easy and quick. The fast you’re able to move your files, the less downtime your site has and more chances of gaining more visitors.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the success of your online business, it’s imperative that you have all the right tools to ensure a smooth operation. Web hosting is one of those necessary tools and choosing the right one could mean the difference between success and failure.