The 7-step checklist to finding the best web hosting company for your small / medium sized business

Not all web hosting companies are the same.
Choosing a web hosting company is an important decision for your business and we think there are 7 main factors you need to consider.

Evaluate potential web hosting companies (including ours!) against this web hosting checklist and we are sure you will make the right choice.

Web Hosting Checklist

Reliability
Your business web site is a critical part of your business – it provides information to potential customers, it allows customers to contact you and you may sell goods and services directly from your website. No matter how big or small your business, you cannot afford for your website to be off-line and unavailable.
Make sure your web hosting company has a track record of reliable web hosting – their web servers do not go off-line and they have spare capacity to handle extra busy times.
Security
Every day there is a news story about another company losing important information to hackers. You need to know your company information is protected at all times.
Make sure your web host provider has the latest anti-virus, anti-malware and firewall software installed to keep your data safe.
Data Backup
If you lose or accidently delete website data, you need to know your website hosting company is backing up your information.
If disaster strikes and your website is off-line because of the loss of data, your hosting company should be able to quickly retsore your information.
Disaster avoided.
Technology
Your web hosting company should constantly be investing in proven, reliable servers and network equipment.
A web host company must evolve as quickly as the Internet and ensure their technology can meet your business needs.
Performance
As a business user, you want visitors to your website to have the best possible experience.
One of the most important factors is speed – how quickly do your web pages load on screen? If it takes a long time to load a web page, you may lose customers and orders.
Check your web host company has fast servers and a fast connection to the Internet. Your business depends on it.
Ease of Use
As a business user, you don’t have time to spend hours managing your website.
Your web hosting company should give you easy access to your own website with a simple, easy to use interface.
Expertise
As a business owner, you need to know your web hosting company are experts at what they do – web hosting for small and medium sized businesses.
A web host company that only supports personal blog sites or one that only works with large corporations is not going to fully understand the needs of small or medium sized businesses.