5 Things To Check Before Purchasing Web Hosting

Creating a website is a very easy process. All you have to install a CMS such as WordPress, Drupal, or something on your host and you are good to go.

However, choosing the right web hosting is not easy as it looks, especially for beginners. Because not all web hosts are the same or offer the same features.

For instance, if you are a beginner and want to create a website, you should look for shared hosting. Shared hosting is cheaper than other hosting solutions, and also beginner-friendly.

Similarly, if you have a large business website, you should look for a VPS or Dedicated host, because it offers better performance, security features, and support as well.

It’s also necessary to check whether your web host offers all the useful features, such as a free domain, free SSL certificate, free backup, etc.

Here’s the checklist of 7 things to check before purchasing web hosting.

Pricing

Before purchasing any web host, you first need to check the price for both first time purchase and renewal price.

Most of the shared hosts like Bluehost offer a huge discount on a long-term plan for first time purchase. However, the renewal price goes up to double. That’s why it’s a great idea to purchase a web host for at least two years to get the maximum benefit. 

If your website is small or just getting started, a shared host would be the perfect option. For bigger websites, choose VPS hosting, or better.

Support

The next thing you need to check if the hosting company offers 24x7 customer support. 

It’s a common thing that you may face any type of hosting or website issues, and your host is responsible for the further process. Maybe your website is hacked or broken, and you need instant support.

By default, most of the hosting companies offer 24x7 support ticket support - which may seem good for some cases. But you also need to check if they provide live chat or phone call support for quicker response. 

Hosts like Bluehost, HostGator offers live chat, phone call, and ticket support. Here are some of the best web hosts that are great for customer support.

Domain

To create a website, you need to purchase a domain and hosting separately. A top-level domain costs around $15-$20 for a year and web hosts costs $5-$15 per month - which is too much for beginners.

Fortunately, there are a few hosts that offer free domain name registration, and their hosting prices also low. 

Another aspect you need to see how many domains you are allowed to host on higher plans. 

Hosting control panel

Control panel is basically an admin panel of your host. From this place, you can add, modify, or remove anything.

This is a basic requirement for managing your website. It’s also important to see if such a control panel comes at an additional cost because most of the hosting companies offer a cPanel control panel for free.

Refund policy

Last but not least you need to see if a host offers a money-back policy.

It’s very important because you may not satisfied with your host or didn’t perform well as you expected. Thus, you can request a refund within that time.

Most of the hosts offer a 30 days money back policy. But some of them offer up to 60 days money back policy.

Conclusion

As a beginner, you should be careful before choosing a web host. It requires a lot of money, so you shouldn’t do hurry. Take your time and choose the right web host that is suitable according to your requirements and budget.