What to Look for in a Web Host

Hover doesn’t offer hosting, but we get asked all the time who we recommend as the best web host in the business. The answer to that is it really depends on what your preferences are and what you’re using your site for. To make it easier, we’ve compiled a list of some key features to look for when considering a web host.

Support

Hover knows the value of an accessible and reliable customer support team. We hear all the time from customers how much they appreciate getting a real live human being on the other end of the phone when they need answers. Look for a host that offers live support so you can get the answers right when you need them.

Community

An active and engaged online community is invaluable. Forums are a great way to seek help or advice from other customers. Do a quick search to see how active the web host is on social media as well. Facebook and Twitter are another great source of tips and helpful advice from the customer community and the company itself. If a hosting company is truly customer-focussed, they’ll have customer service reps on-hand to answer your questions on social media.

Ease of Use

We assume if you’re a Hover customer or if you made your way to the Hover blog that you value an easy to use interface that allows you to get what you need without all the extras. We think this concept should apply to hosting as well. A host with a great user interface with minimal clutter will prove valuable for getting things done quickly. You can generally tell by the homepage as soon as you arrive if the rest of the experience will be smooth as well.

Storage Capacity

Or in other words, how much space do you get for your site and files? For small to medium sized websites, 1 GB should be plenty. If you plan to host videos or other media, you’ll want to factor that in when determining how much space you need. Some hosts may offer an unlimited package. Make sure the host you choose has clearly outlined policies on storage and what “unlimited” data storage really means.

Bandwidth

How much data can your site pass along to customers over a period of time? Bandwidth is important. Some hosting companies will offer unlimited bandwidth while others will put a limit on how much traffic can come to your site over a certain time frame. In the latter scenario, your host may charge you or disable your website once those limits are hit. Bandwidth is hard to predict; a blog post you right may go viral, for example. If that happens, you’ll definitely want your site to be available to greet your new online connections!
Whatever the case, make sure you understand the host’s policies on bandwidth.

File Upload Limitations

First determine what kind of files you intend on uploading to your site. Some free hosts impose a size limit on each of the files you upload, while others restrict the file types you can upload to HTML and GIF/JPG files. Everyone’s needs are different, so first evaluate what type of files you’ll be uploading to your site and make sure your host clearly explains their policy on file upload limitations.