Not all website hosts are created equal – you may have heard a few website hosting brands mentioned: Crazy Domains, VentraIP, Bluehost, SiteGround and GoDaddy to name some of the most popular ones…
I have some stories to tell about that last one, maybe ask me about them some time!
Not only can the cost of hosting vary significantly between the different hosting companies, (I can’t believe what some of them charge!), but the quality of the hosting service also greatly varies. Some of the super cheap shared hosting can bring a bad reputation to your website just because you are hosting on a shared server that has already been flagged for inappropriate behaviour or spam. Some hosting companies are slow to rectify these issues and this will penalise you with email deliverability to certain mail hosts, and may even cause lower SEO rankings.
There are many benefits to using an Australian based host if you are in Australia, such as avoiding frequent downtimes, better protection and security, better support if something does go wrong (and the support is in a similar time zone), faster server speeds, and better search results on Google.
When you are choosing a hosting provider, it is best to look for the following;
- cPanel hosting makes access to your hosting account more user-friendly, plus most web designers & web developers are familiar with the cPanel interface, which means if you need assistance, they can quickly jump in and sort it out.
- SSL certificate is INCLUDED in your hosting plan, unless you have a complicated website that is taking a lot of personal information or need a specific SSL certificate, then you shouldn’t be paying for a SSL certificate.
- Great customer service – check reviews on the hosting company.
- Country based hosting servers are a plus.
- Web-based email hosting included if needed.
We use and recommend VentraIP for your hosting needs. They are an Australian-based company with amazing support. I have needed to use their support on many occasions for various different things, and I must say that I have been impressed with the knowledge and assistance they have given me on every occasion.
Here at Little Biz, we even take this a step further and offer our clients the choice of hosting on our own hosting (through Synergy Wholesale, who VentraIP use), or we can assist our clients with setting up their own hosting on VentraIP.
If you are looking to set up a new website on new hosting, or have a website to move over to new hosting, we can help! Contact us Today.