Introduction
If you’re a small business owner, then you know that it’s essential to have a website. Not only do websites help you attract customers and generate revenue, but they also make it easy for potential clients to learn more about your company and products. However, creating a website is only the first step in the process of launching your business online; once it’s live on the web, there are still some things that need to be done before your site can truly take off. One of these things is finding a host that will ensure its uptime and speed (which both affect how well it performs in search engines). While there are plenty of options available at varying price points, if you’re looking for something affordable enough for even smaller budgets but still delivers reliable performance then cloud-based WordPress hosting is just what you need!
When it comes to hosting your site, it can be tempting to go with the cheapest option you find.
When it comes to hosting your site, it can be tempting to go with the cheapest option you find. After all, isn’t the purpose of a website simply to attract traffic and generate sales?
In some ways, yes—but if you’re serious about your online business and want to get the most out of your SEO strategy, then choosing a good host for your site is crucial. Not only does a quality host make sure that people will be able to find it easily in search engines like Google, but they also provide other benefits that are worth considering. For instance:
- A great hosting provider will help ensure that any content on your site loads quickly and without error (which could lead potential customers away).
- You’ll have more flexibility in terms of how often you update content or add new pages or features (without having worry about whether or not they’ll be available).
Search engines are looking for three keywords that are essential to SEO: speed, security, and reliability.
When your business has a website, it’s important to make sure that the search engines can find it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about getting the right keywords in front of potential customers so they can find you when they’re looking for something specific.
Search engine optimization is essential for any small business with a website. It’s not just about making sure that people know what keywords you sell or services you offer; it’s also about making sure that your website loads quickly and easily on all devices, including smart phones and tablets.[1]
If your site is down, you will lose search engine visibility and customers.
If your site is down, you will lose search engine visibility and customers.
If your web hosting company goes down and your website does not load for a period of time, then:
- Customers can’t visit your store or use any of the online services you offer.
- Search engines will be unable to access or index your pages. This means that any potential customers won’t be able to find you online unless they already know about you beforehand (e.g., from word-of-mouth).
Shared hosting is cheap, but not the best choice for a small business website.
If you’re working on a small business website, shared hosting is not the best choice for you. While it’s very inexpensive and many companies offer it as part of their service, there are several reasons why it may not be your best option:
- Shared hosting is resource-intensive. When you use shared hosting, your site shares resources with other sites hosted on the same server. This means that if another site decides to install an especially resource-heavy plugin or script on their page—like an analytics tool that queries every page load—then all of the websites on that server will be slowed down. If you’ve built a small business website from scratch with limited resources in mind, this can create problems for performance and lead times (and make customers unhappy).
- Shared hosting requires caution when installing new software or using extra features like SSL certificates and CDNs because they could affect other websites running on the same server as yours if they don’t function correctly (or at all).
Cloud-based WordPress hosting is perfect for small businesses because it provides an even more consistent level of service than virtual private servers (VPS).
Cloud-based WordPress hosting is the best option for small businesses because it provides an even more consistent level of service than virtual private servers (VPS).
While VPS provides more flexibility and control, cloud hosting offers a number of advantages over it:
- Cloud-based WordPress hosting is better for your customers. This type of hosting also makes it easier to use your site’s resources efficiently, which can help improve speed and performance for visitors.*
- Cloud-based WordPress hosting is better for SEO. A solid web host will ensure that your site has a fast loading speed, which improves user experience and increases search engine rankings.*
- Cloud-based WordPress hosting is better for security. Most web hosts provide automatic security updates as part of their service—something you won’t get with VPS unless you do some extra work yourself.*
Cloud-hosted WordPress solutions are the best choice for small businesses looking to capitalize on today’s internet landscape.
- Cloud-hosted WordPress solutions are the best choice for small businesses looking to capitalize on today’s internet landscape.
- Cloud-based solutions are more reliable than shared hosting, allowing you to focus on running your business rather than managing a server.
- Unlike VPS solutions, cloud servers offer the same level of flexibility and security as dedicated servers but at a much lower cost.
Finding a Host
When choosing a host, there are several factors to consider. The first is whether or not the host offers a money-back guarantee. If so, you want to make sure that it’s substantial enough to cover any potential issues that might arise with your website over time. Your web hosting provider should also have an uptime history that shows they’re able to maintain 99%+ uptime without fail (or at least as close as possible). You should also look into security features offered by your choice of web hosts and check their customer service and support options.
Finally, make sure the company offers email and web hosting—both are important for small businesses. Email is great for communicating with customers while your site is under construction or being redesigned; if you don’t offer email services through your hosting plan then consider using a third-party service like Gmail or Outlook instead. Web hosting is necessary because websites need somewhere safe where they can live online; if yours isn’t hosted then it won’t exist!
Looking at Keyword Data
Keyword data is information about the words people are using to search for your product or service. The more accurate you can get this data, the better you’ll be able to target potential customers and increase sales.
There are two types of keyword research: free and paid. Free keyword tools include Google Keyword Planner, WordStream and SEMrush—all of which provide basic information on how many searches a given word gets per month in each country where they’ve been used (the US, Canada, UK and Australia). Paid tools typically offer a wider range of functionality but require payment in order to make use of them.
Reading Reviews
Looking at reviews is an important part of choosing a web host. A lot of hosting providers have their own websites where you can read testimonials from people who have used their service and been happy with it.
Reviews are good because they’re usually written by people who’ve actually used the service, rather than someone just trying to sell you something or get more traffic on their blog.
You’ll want to look out for reviews that are written by people who have been using the hosting company for a long time; these tend to be more reliable than reviews from those who just joined recently and don’t know what they’re talking about yet (or may just be unfamiliar with how things work). Also, make sure that most people agree with one another before making up your mind!
Conclusion
We hope we’ve helped you understand the importance of hosting. It’s not just a matter of picking a service that offers great features; it’s also important to find one that has been around for awhile (and therefore has proven itself). If you want more information on how to choose a host, check out our blog post on how to pick one!
