Featured image by Igor Miske on Unsplash
Having a website is critical to being found as a business. That’s because more and more consumers are doing their product and service company research (and their shopping) online. However, you can’t just throw up any type of website and expect positive results. Therefore, you need the best web hosting site you can find.
Recent statistics tell us that 57 percent of consumers won’t recommend a business that offers a poor online experience when accessed via a mobile device. Therefore, if your site falls short in this area, you’re likely to lose current customers—the people who already love your products and services. What’s more, you’ll also be losing their potential referrals, hurting your business down the line.
So, how do you create an online experience that keeps your customers coming back for more? It begins with choosing the best web hosting site for your business. This is an action you can take in three simple steps.
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Step One: Identify Your Needs
Choosing a web hosting site is like selecting your next kitchen gadget. In order to pick the best one for you, you have to first know what it is you want and/or need it to do. After all, you can get the best slicer in the world, but if you need it to dice instead, it’s not going to do you much good.
How do you know what you’ll need from a web hosting site? That depends on:
- The type of design and applications you’ll need
- Whether special software is required
- The functions you need the site to perform
- The amount of traffic you expect to receive
The more a web hosting site meets your individual business’s needs, the happier you will be with the results. So, make a list of these types of things before even beginning your web host search.
Step Two: Know Your Budget
The next step involves considering the amount of money you have to spend on web hosting. This is a recurring cost. Therefore, your budget must be able to support this expense month after month and year after year. What amount should you consider spending on this one item?
One study found that the size of your IT budget is directly related to the size of your company. Specifically, it discovered that small businesses (those grossing under $50 million) spend roughly 6.9 percent of their revenue on IT-related items. Big businesses (those bringing in more than $2 billion) spend less than half that, or 3.2 percent.
Step Three: Read User Reviews
Before buying electronic devices or making other major purchases, do you skim through customer reviews to see what others have to say before deciding whether to proceed? If so, then you already know the power of user reviews.
Reading other people’s comments about how a particular web hosting service works, its pros and cons, can help you make a more informed decision. You’ll have a better idea as to whether that host is right for your business. Choosing user-reviewed hosting services also increases the likelihood that you’ll be more satisfied with your selection. That’s because you’ll have a better idea of what you are getting up front (as well as what you’re not).
Picking the right web hosting site can help you set up a website that your customers will want to visit over and over again. If they really enjoy their experience, they might also refer their family and friends to your site.
So know what type of site you need, set up a budget that can cover this expense over time, and read other users’ reviews before making the buy. In this way, you’ll be well on your way to selecting the web hosting service that makes the most sense for your business.
