Part of an effective company website is professional web hosting. But not just any service will suffice. You need a service that understands the ins and outs of the industry and is well-equipped to handle all your web-based needs.
When your website experiences lackluster hosting services, you might find that it’s frequently down. If you run an online business that relies on customer purchases, this isn’t good for business — and that’s putting it lightly. When your website is constantly out of commission, your clients will wind up on the competition’s site. You’ll also find that a website with constant performance issues is bad for search engine optimization (SEO).
The best web hosting service knows how to keep your site functioning at optimal performance. The only question is: how do you choose the best company to host your website? To understand what you need to look for, it’s important to understand a bit more about web hosting and why you need it.
What Is Web Hosting?
Any online platform or service that uses a server to host website files is considered web hosting. This service is essential because it allows visitors to easily navigate your website. Web hosting works to keep your website — and the information contained on it — secure. This includes but isn’t limited to pictures, text, videos, and coding.
Even better, if you require any type of tech support, a professional web hosting service offers this. You’ll have a trusted professional service working to keep your website running smoothly and efficiently, optimizing it for mobile use.
When visitors have a positive experience navigating your page, they’re more likely to return. For example, 57% of people who use the internet won’t recommend any businesses if they feel their mobile websites are poorly designed. However, a web hosting service can work to ensure your site works on all types of devices.
What Are the Best Hosting Services and Why Do You Need Them?
It’s important to understand why web hosting is valuable for you and your business and what this service entails. For starters, web hosting is when a professional agency offers hosting services dedicated to your website. If your company doesn’t have a dedicated server on its premises, you’ll need a third-party company to host your website.
Since hosting your website on your own can become an expensive endeavor, it’s often more cost-effective to have someone else host it for you. It’s essential to work with a company that offers a wide range of services for a seamless web hosting experience.
What to Look for in a Web Hosting
One of the best ways to select a web hosting company is by reading their reviews. This lets you know what others think of their web services, understanding a bit more about what they offer and what makes them stand out from the competition.
You also want a company that’s customer-centric. You can usually glean this type of information from reviews, learning about all the ways a web hosting service assists its clients from start to finish.
It’s also important to look for a company that considers web hosting to be more than a job — it needs to be a passion of theirs. Companies that value you and your business offer a custom approach to hosting your website, considering your business’s specific needs. These custom solutions ensure your website is well-maintained and that you’re receiving the individual attention you deserve.
Don’t Forget About Bandwidth
Even though most websites don’t use too much bandwidth, you want there to be plenty of room for your website to grow. The best way to do this is by choosing a web hosting service that doesn’t tether you to one specific internet speed without charging additional fees if your plan needs changes over time.
Hidden fees can affect your ability to budget, so look for companies with transparent pricing. You should also keep in mind the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” This means avoiding the temptation of using the cheapest web service out there. Low prices may easily equate to less than adequate customer service, slow servers, website downtime, and more.
The best way to understand what a web service offers is to read the fine print. Understand what you’re agreeing to and don’t be afraid to ask questions. A reputable web hosting company will have a list of FAQs for you to review and will be happy to thoroughly answer all your questions.
Consider Customer Support
When looking into website design and hosting companies, ask each contender about the best way to contact customer support — and put it to the test. Is the best way to contact them by email, phone, or chat features? Try contacting them through each method to gauge which means of communication works best for your company.
Part of customer service includes having a backup plan in place. Ask a prospective web hosting service if they have any type of failsafe or backup plan if your website is down or you need to recover some type of lost data. You should also ask about how they’d assist you with recovering lost content or code from a website, as this can be very expensive.
Consider how long it took to create your website — and how much it cost — and ask a web hosting service what their plans are should your website encounter issues. Do they rely on cloud storage? Find out before signing any contracts.
In addition to backup plans, ask a prospective web hosting service about the security features offered. Is there a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to protect any private information that comes through your website, including the private information of your customers?
If you want to facilitate any type of safe and secure transactions through your website — especially when collecting payments — then you need an SSL. This works to help website visitors trust that their information is protected.
Always ask these questions when looking into a web hosting service.
Benefits of a Web Hosting Company
When you have a WordPress agency hosting your website, you’re integrating affordable services that help your business in the long run. For starters, a web hosting company makes every effort to keep your website running smoothly and as quickly as possible. This helps anyone visiting your site, as fast load speeds assist your page’s overall performance.
Another huge benefit of web development hosting is the support teams. If at any point you run into snags or have questions, you can ask an expert to assist you, by emailing or calling them. This means not relying on online forums for information about your website when you need to troubleshoot, as you’ll have a dedicated professional available to help out.
You’ll also benefit from beefed-up security, as your host will have multiple measures of website security in place.
WordPress agencies should conduct monthly WordPress maintenance. This typically includes plugin and theme updates if needed, along with reviewing your website for any type of error.
It’s also common practice for these agencies to test your submissions and contact forms, to ensure they’re working properly. They’ll also test any special features on your website. If your WordPress management service finds any issues, they’ll make the appropriate corrections.
Is Web Hosting Worth the Investment?
Yes, web hosting is absolutely worth the investment. Just like businesses invest in everything from company cars to dedicated retail space (and everything in between), web hosting is simply another piece of the puzzle.
Consider the following: in 2023, 63% of people across the globe used the Internet. This means you need your website professionally hosted if you want it to stack up to the competition. But where do you begin?
When working with a professional web hosting company, they’re able to design websites engineered to last. This includes the use of clean code and unparalleled hosting that’s reliable. The results are fewer issues with your website which means fewer overhauls and/or repairs.
What Does Let’s B Media Offer?
Let’s B Media monitors email failures such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). This is crucial for your business because not all emails are delivered, leading to issues with clients. But SMTP codes explain why the message was undeliverable.
When looking to reach clients through a variety of email marketing campaigns, it’s important to have a clear understanding of why your emails are/aren’t being received. The same holds true for when you’re invoicing customers via email or trying to contact them for follow-up services. But Let’s B Media monitors these email failures, working to correct the issue.
Let’s B Media also offers a Content Delivery Network (CDN). This works to improve the load time of your website as it reduces the amount of distance data needs to travel. In addition to SMTP and a CDN, you’ll benefit from plugin updates and other core updates while Let’s B Media performs visual testing before any major updates to ensure everything is successfully installed.
Backup and Protect Your Website
It’s also imperative to have external backups for your website, something Let’s B Media takes seriously. When you utilize external backups, you’re ensuring easy access to your files regardless of your location.
You’ll also protect yourself — and your business — from data loss. This adds to your company’s overall reliability and, as a result, your business’s reputation. It also saves you money in the long run.
Something else that businesses need to take into consideration is website security. It’s estimated that 800,000 people encounter some type of ransomware or phishing attacks annually, along with breaches in data security.
But Let’s B Media has this covered, providing additional security to block IP addresses looking to upload any suspicious files or attempt fraudulent logins. Since websites are not something you can “set and forget,” you’ll require the assistance of a professional web hosting service like Let’s B Media, to ensure everything is in working order and is free from suspicious activity.
Benefits of Hosting and Maintenance With an Agency
You’ve probably heard of web hosting services such as WP Engine, Flywheel, GoDaddy, and Bluehost, to name a few. There are multiple drawbacks when using some of these services.
For example, you won’t have the tailored customer service that Let’s B Media offers. Some online forums discuss long wait times for contacting tech support at GoDaddy, along with lackluster customer support.
The larger the company, the more clients they assist — and the more issues they’re responsible for handling. If your website encounters a security breach or other issue that prevents you from doing business, you need a readily available customer service agent who can help get to the root of the problem. And large companies inundated with requests struggle to provide the immediate attention your website deserves.
You’ll also find that large web hosting companies offer slow and often unreliable services. This includes malware and data breaches. Companies like GoDaddy are targets for cybersecurity attacks, something your business can’t afford to encounter.
In addition to data breaches, large hosting companies are known for trying to constantly upsell you on new products and services. If you’re working on a tight budget and don’t want to be constantly bothered about beefing up your hosting services, it’s best to stick with a company that respects your price point.
Large hosting companies are also expensive and offer SEO tools that fall flat. In addition to being ineffective, these SEO tools are pricey. These large companies also fail to offer free SSL Certificates, which means you’re not benefiting from free encryption.
Benefits of Hosting and Maintenance With an Agency
There are plenty of reasons to invest in web hosting packages from a WordPress maintenance agency. For starters, you’ll benefit from improved website security, a branded email address, and tailored customer service you can rely on, to name a few specifics.
But hosting services for websites offers so much more. When you work with Let’s B Media for all your web hosting and maintenance services, you’re getting technical when you need it, access to dedicated servers, enhanced website performance, effective data management, and the convenience and security of working with a team that’s as reliable as it is professional.
In addition to the most secure web hosting around, Let’s B Media offers a variety of creative services, digital marketing, personalized marketing strategies for increased brand awareness, and so much more. Contact us today to learn more about the best way to make your business stand out among the competition.