For some people, it might be very easy to buy hosting and a domain name. Might be they are very aware of everything and or well experienced. But for beginners, it might be challenging.
Buying hosting and a domain name are not enough. However, buying the best hosting and the best domain name should be the priority.
Having hosting and a domain name are the basic and important parts of your website and you should make the decision very carefully.
I want to clear you one thing hosting and domain name are two different things and you can buy them from the same company that is available and from two separate companies as well.
For example, if you are buying a hosting service from Bluehost, you get a free domain for 1 year.
Why do You Need to Buy Hosting for Your Website?
When you want to create a self-hosted website or blog, you need a hosting service. You put a lot of content on your site like text, images, videos other databases, etc. And you need a space on the server to host your site.
So that your website is live on the internet and people can see the content available on your website.
Analyze Your Need Before You Buy Hosting
I would suggest that you should do an analysis. Here is an example of a few questions which you should understand. So that you can make a cost-effective decision. Questions are like:
- What kind of website you are going to start?
- The number of websites?
- How much content you will put on your site?
- What will be the traffic level on your site on an immediate basis?
- is it a very small site or a large site?
Might you are thinking that why am I saying to analyze all the above? But, I let you know the above are important.
There are multiple hosting plans are available. And all are having different features and limitations. The most important thing is the cost of the hosting. The pricing of hosting will depend on what kind of plan you choose.
And of course, it will also depend on the company from where you purchase it. But ultimately, I wanted to say that you know your need so that you can make a good and cost-effective decision.
You Should Check Before Buy Hosting Service
Before you do the final hit on purchase, be sure that you are buying the best one. Because hosting is like the backbone of your website and you should not compromise on it. Here are some points which you should go through.
- Know about the hosting company: Have some basic research about the hosting company and its reputation. Know its history, background, etc also.
- Check customer reviews and feedback: Check its reviews and feedback. What customers are saying about the particular hosting? It will give you some idea about it.
- What are the expert views about the hosting company and services: In my opinion, you should also go through it. You should read some expert views also. What is their opinion about it? If they are real users of it they know better and give a proper opinion.
- Plan and Features: There are multiple plans and features available. It will depend on what is the plan and the company’s. So, you need to check it properly and should choose as per your need.
- Security features: The security of your site is very important and it should be your top priority. You must be assured that you are buying secured hosting. However, on the internet, nothing is 100% secured. But, you must take all the necessary steps which you can take for the security of your site.
- A number of websites: How many websites you can host in your plan? There are plans which offer you only one website to host. And some plans offer you two, or unlimited websites to host. You can choose it according to your need.
- Storage Space: You need to check how much space you get in your hosting plan. Because storage is very important for your website.
- Customer Support: Customer support is one of the major elements of your hosting. What if you get stuck somewhere or have some problem during your hosting service? There should be someone who can resolve your problem. And that’s why customer support is a very important factor for you.
- Professional Emails: You need to check that you are also getting the option to create business emails also. However, you can also take this service from a separate company also.
- Monthly Visitors: Hosting plans have some limitations for the number of monthly visitors. Different plans have different limits. So, you need to know how many visitors you are expecting on your site in the coming days or months. So that you can buy hosting plans as per your need. However, you might have the option to upgrade your plan later also.
- Renewal Pricing: When you buy a hosting plan, you should check the current purchase price and renewal price as well. Normally, the renewal price of hosting is higher than your current price. You might have noticed that there is a huge discount on the current price. That’s why it is important you know what would be the pricing on the renewal. And if have a good budget, you should purchase a long-term plan.
- Data Centres: I guess you know about the geography of your audience. They are from India or US or from any other country, it should be in your knowledge. Normally, companies like Kinsta, SitGround, Bluehost, etc have multiple server locations. You should know where are the server location options in your case.
- Speed and Performance: Without having good speed and performance of your website, you can’t compete in this world. Your users will not be satisfied if the speed and performance of your site are not up to the mark. You have to be the best. So, select the hosting plan which gives the best speed and performance. However, speed and performance will also depend on how you optimize your website.
The above are some points that I have discussed with you. But you need to look at some other features also like SSL Certificate, PHP Version, Back up of your site, CDN, Staging Environment, etc.
Explore the maximum because I would not suggest that you change your hosting company frequently. Buy reliable and the best hosting on the first attempt and run your site smoothly. Here are a few other posts also which can give you some more ideas also.
11 Tips to Select Best WordPress Hosting Plan
What is Shared Hosting and How does it Work?
List of Few Famous Hosting Providers
If you will search for a list of the best hosting companies, you would get so many articles on it. There are so many companies that are providing hosting services and some are really good also.
Here I am sharing a list of a few hosting companies. I have experience with SiteGround and Bluehost for my two different websites. And I found both of them good enough for me. I am not saying you should also choose SiteGround or Bluehost only.
However, You should go through your need analysis and some top hosting companies. And you should buy according to your level of need and satisfaction. You should also check your budget for it and you should go accordingly.
However, I would say one thing that you should not compromise on your server. Let’s have a look at the list.
1. BlueHost
Bluehost was founded in 2003. This is owned by Endurance International Group. Bluehost is one of the largest and most famous hosting companies in the world. It collectively hosts more than 2 million domains.
Products of Bluehost:
- Shared Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
- Reseller Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- Managed Hosting
- Woocommerce Hosting
2. Kinsta
Kinsta started in the year of 2013. To my knowledge, Kinsta is one of the best hosting companies. Personally, I have not used this hosting company.
But I wish one day I will host at least one of my websites on Kinsta. Because whatever I have read and listened to, I found Kinsta as a good hosting company. Kinsta has the following hosting plans:
- Starter
- Pro
- Business 1
- Business 2
- Business 3
- Business 4
- Enterprise 1
- Enterprise 2
- Enterprise 3
- Enterprise 4
And other higher plans.
3. SiteGround
SiteGround was founded in 2004. It provides hosting for more than 2 Million domains. Currently, I am also using the hosting of this company. This is one of the best hosting companies and customer service is also very good.
It provides:
- Web Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- Woocommerce hosting
And other types of hostings and domain registration services.
4. A2Hosting
A2 Hosting was started by Bryan Muthig in 2001. Currently, it is one of the established and popular companies.
It provides:
- Shared Web Hosting
- Managed WordPress Hosting
- Managed VPS Hosting
- Managed Dedicated Hosting
- Reseller Hosting
- Domains
A2 Hosting offers 24/7/365 customer support. And it has data centers in multiple locations.
How to Choose your domain name?
If I say in a simple language then a domain name is your website address. It is like your home address. And you would like that person to easily reach the address and remember it. A domain name is a very important factor in your website and you should choose it wisely.
Here are some of the important points you should consider while buying your domain name.
- Choose a domain name that is easy to remember
- Short and Simple
- Avoid hyphens or other symbols
- Use top-level domain
- Easy to listen to and easy to speak as well
- Domain should be Easy to Type
For more details, you can go through the following post.
How to Choose the Best Domain Name for Your Website?
Generally, the cost of a domain name is not very high and you can buy it easily. However, you should consider your niche and other factors before final purchasing.
How to Buy a Domain Name from GoDaddy?
Here is a list of a few domain registrars:
Conclusion
When I started my first website, it was very tough for me to choose the best hosting and domain name. But luckily I purchased the best and I am highly satisfied with my hosting and domain name as well.
Most beginners face this challenge. However, people like you are smart enough and take good decisions. I guess this blog post will also be helpful for you.
Read More Articles:
Why Should You Write Short Paragraphs in Your Blog Post?
