If you have a website storefront, your website speed might be affecting your bottom line.<\/p>\n
When people access the internet, they expect to find things fast. We’ve been trained over the years to expect instant gratification in our online experiences.<\/p>\n
And we tend to wander away from anything that takes too long to access.<\/p>\n
The statistics back this up. In fact, over\u00a040% of users<\/a> will abandon a site that takes more than four seconds to load and 47% of user expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less.<\/p>\n Despite the fact we’ve forgotten what the early days of the internet were like, users expect speed. They expect reliability.<\/p>\n And the only place you’re going to get those things for your website is through the right web hosting business.<\/p>\n But how do you know what the right web hosting business is? We’re going to give you a few pointers and hope that by the end of this article you too can know.<\/p>\n Sometimes, choosing what looks good takes knowing what looks bad.<\/p>\n Here are a few things that the wrong web host will do for you.<\/p>\n We already talked about what happens with slow speeds. But downtime also affects your revenue in various ways.<\/p>\n If a site goes down and you try to access it, you get an error message of some sort.<\/p>\n This makes people go ack! And then it makes them go somewhere else.<\/p>\n If Google goes down, where do you turn to? Bing? Yahoo?<\/p>\n On average, small businesses lose $55,000<\/a> due to downtime every year.<\/p>\n And if you choose the wrong web hosting business, this number could be a lot worse for you.<\/p>\n The wrong web hosting business could get you in trouble by opening you up to data loss.<\/p>\n If your site is hacked<\/a> and the information irreparably corrupted or deleted or changed, then you need a backup from which to restore.<\/p>\n But if don’t have a good web hosting service behind you, they might not have a backup option.<\/p>\n You want someone who cares about your data security and you want someone who will be there for your 24\/7.<\/p>\n We spend a lot of time and money making sure our websites are at the top of the SERPs.<\/p>\n But what if your website suddenly becomes unreliable? Do you think\u00a0Google will notice?<\/p>\n They absolutely will. And your website will not go unpunished.<\/p>\n In fact, Google recently started tracking speed<\/a> as one of their ranking signals.<\/p>\n And, while it’s only a small percentage of the signals tracked, it can affect your rankings.<\/p>\n It might be a little overwhelming thinking of all the factors that go into website operation.<\/p>\n But there are only a few select things that you should look out for when it comes to choosing a web hosting service.<\/p>\n Here are the things you should consider:<\/p>\n You get what you pay for most of the time in this world.<\/p>\n You buy a McDonald’s dollar menu burger, you don’t get grass-fed, local beef. You get McDonald’s factory-farmed beef.<\/p>\n So, you probably don’t want to run to the cheapest option right away.<\/p>\n If you rely on your website to make money, you want the best value for your money.<\/p>\n And you really do want to check out reviews before you sign on for a web hosting business to help you out.<\/p>\n There are a few price comparison websites out there. HostMonk<\/a>\u00a0and WHReviews<\/a> are two reliable shopping guides.<\/p>\n Some web hosting businesses host very specific niches. And if the hosting site doesn’t do you niche, you should probably find out why.<\/p>\n Make sure you go with a company that is reputable in your field. Find out what your competitors are using. And if there is a majority that uses one service, find out why.<\/p>\n Becuase you don’t want downtime to happen, you need that sweet, sweet 24\/7 support service.<\/p>\n A good web hosting business will deliver on this one. And will offer multiple channels for contact.<\/p>\n Look at reviews and make sure their support centers deliver excellent service.<\/p>\n Are the call center staff knowledgeable? Are they clear and succinct in their instructions?<\/p>\n These are important things. You need to be able to rely on this company at 3 AM when your customers on the other side of the world are trying to purchase your product.<\/p>\n If you don’t understand server hardware, you’re going to have to do some digging and research.<\/p>\n If they run the best hardware, you won’t have to worry much about downtime and server issues.<\/p>\n But if they used spit and duct tape and a prayer to build their server facility, then you’re looking at some major downtime coming your way.<\/p>\n Also, if they won’t tell you about their servers, or their representatives say they don’t know, that’s a red flag.<\/p>\n Turn hide and run. That’s not a good web hosting business.<\/p>\n A good web hosting business will know their hardware inside and out.<\/p>\n Spam seems like a fact of life. But it’s also dangerous.<\/p>\n If you have a Spam problem, there might be a support group for that.<\/p>\n But if you have an e-mail spam problem, then it might be your web hosting company’s fault.<\/p>\n A good web hosting business has great spam solutions and a great email service.<\/p>\n We expect a lot in the tech world to be user-friendly now. And really, there is no excuse for a user interface not to be these days.<\/p>\n What kinds of control panel options do they offer?<\/p>\n How is their interface? Is it easy to use? Or would you have to call customer support just to learn how to use it?<\/p>\n A good web hosting service will have a control panel\/UI that’s usable right out of the box.<\/p>\n Whatever service you go with, make sure you use an API that keeps them accountable.<\/p>\nBad Things Happen If You Choose the Wrong Web Hosting Business<\/h2>\n
Make You Lose Revenue<\/h3>\n
Bad Security<\/h3>\n
SEO Impact<\/h3>\n
What Do I Consider When Selecting the Right Web Hosting Business?<\/h2>\n
Price<\/h3>\n
Area of Focus<\/h3>\n
Tech Support<\/h3>\n
Hardware<\/h3>\n
Email Features<\/h3>\n
UI\/Control Panel<\/h3>\n
Use a Great API on Your Current or Future Website<\/h2>\n