Aspects to Consider Before you Buy Cloud Hosting
Running and managing a website entails a series of critical decisions. The design of the website, its structure, content, and the hosting plan contribute to the performance of the site and the subsequent success of your business. The online community tends to correlate the site experience with the experience they can expect from the products and services of the brand. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your website functions at its optimum levels at all times.
In recent years, Cloud Hosting has evolved as a preferred hosting service by many site owners. While this is due to the wide range of benefits offered by these services, as a site owner choosing the right Cloud Host and hosting plan is important to derive the most out of the technology. Today, we will share some important aspects that you must keep in mind before buying a Cloud Hosting plan.
What is the uptime assurance offered?
There was a time when online users were accommodative about websites going down for maintenance or other issues – not anymore. Today, people expect sites to be available 24x7x365. They know that technologies like the cloud have made it possible for sites to have negligible downtimes. Hence, if you are opting for a Cloud Hosting service, then you must talk to the Cloud Host and ensure that he uses state-of-the-art infrastructure and leverages automatic failover and data mirroring to ensure 99.9%+ uptime.
Can you scale the resources instantly?
Traffic spikes have become more of a norm than an exception as social media platforms and search engines have evolved as the primary traffic drivers online. Today, if one post catches the attention of the online community, your site can experience traffic spikes beyond the management of the allocated resources. Hence, you need a host that offers instant scalability of resources to manage such spikes efficiently.
What are the security measures taken by the host?
Regardless of the speed of the site and the uniqueness of the content, if your website has security issues, then people will abandon it and never return. Also, search engines will not look at it favourably. Look for a host who understands the importance of site security and deploys the latest security tools and measures to keep your website safe. Check reviews regarding security to assess it better.
Which control panel does the host offer?
There are various control panels available that help site owners manage their hosting services efficiently. Ensure that the Cloud Host offers a control panel that is easy to use and has functionalities to help you manage your site easily. Two trustworthy names in control panels are cPanel and Plesk.
Does the host offer migration assistance?
If your site is already live with another host, then you need to ensure that the host that you plan to shift to offers migration assistance. Some hosts charge for data migration and some others offer minimal or no support during the migration process. Look for a host that offers free migration with a team to help you through the process. Site migration is complex, and any assistance from the host can help make it simpler. However, if this is your first website, then you can skip this point.
Do you have a 24×7 Technical Support?
Web hosting is technical, and not everyone understands the technicalities associated with hosting. If you hit a technical glitch, then you need a team of experts who can help and/or guide you through troubleshooting the issue. Ensure that you have access to a dedicated support team 24×7.
Is the hosting plan cost-efficient?
Avoid all urges to buy the cheapest Cloud Hosting plan without comparing the features. Most cheap or free plans tend to be counterproductive in the long-run. Instead, look for a plan that offers the maximum bang for your buck – cost-efficiency.
Summing Up
We understand that with numerous hosting options, finding the right plan can be an overwhelming process. Hence, follow the points mentioned above and create a checklist of features that you want in your hosting plan before you start looking. Good Luck!