Whether you are looking to build a website for your personal blog, marketing venture, or company, the web hosting service that you use is crucial to ensure that the service will effectively meet your needs and your site is accessible and secure at all times.

While there are many web hosting services available and they all advertise the ability to meet your requirements whatever they may be, their offerings can vary greatly. Below are 5 of the most important things to consider when choosing a web hosting service that will guarantee that your website is operating to the best of its ability.

1. Purpose

Before buying the services of a web hosting company you need to establish the purpose of your website. If you will be designing a personal blog, you may be able to get away with a basic package with a free hosting option. In this instance, make sure you can install WordPress which is the most popular blogging platform and the easiest to use.

If your website is based on sales and you will need numerous domains as opposed to just one, confirm that the web hosting service you are considering has a package that allows you to purchase the number of domains you require with the space you need. Bigger businesses would benefit from a paid hosting where a certain amount of space is given and charged monthly or annually. Paid hosting is free of advertising that often makes a website look cheap and unprofessional.

2. Customer service

In the off-chance your website goes offline or you need assistance, you want to be able to inquire to the web hosting service no matter what time of day. The service you choose should have 24-hour support in the form of live web chat or telephone. If no customer support exists, your website may remain down until you can figure it out yourself or you seek the services of a different web hosting service.

In either instance, your downtime could be lengthy. It may benefit you to confirm that the company is located in a country that speaks the same language you do so you can receive the immediate assistance you need free of any barriers.

3. Backup feature

There are many horror stories out there where people accidentally delete their whole website with no backup file at all, leaving them at square one. A good web hosting service provides a service where a website is automatically saved periodically throughout the day. A site that is accidentally deleted can often be restored right up to the point when it was deleted, meaning no content is missing at all.

Since no entity is perfect and safe from errors, it may be helpful to inquire about the web hosting’s procedure in saving your files and their ability to recover them to confirm that it is possible to restore a website that is accidentally deleted.

4. Uptimes

Imagine if someone surfing the internet attempted to access your website and it was down. If it is a personal blog you would be missing out on much-needed exposure and traffic. If the nature of your website is affiliate marketing or based on your company, you may miss out on sales opportunities and the ability to provide potential customers with information about your business. Because it is important for your website to be accessible, look for a web hosting service with a guarantee of at least 99 percent uptime.

Also look for a service with multiple servers. That way if one goes down, another one is available for immediate use. Research the company you are considering online and read testimonials from past and present customers. If most people are not satisfied with the service and support received, keep looking and find one that is highly recommended.