Change Web Hosting Providers in 2020 and Use These 8 Principles to Find a Better One
There are 1.7 billion websites online right now.
The way that those billions of websites sit on the internet is that they’re all hosted on physical servers that are hard-wired into the World Wide Web.
If you’re reading this article, you probably knew that already. After all, assuming you’re a website owner, you’ve probably had to go through the stress of picking a web hosting provider to get your site up and running.
While we get that you probably don’t want to go through that stress again, we really think that you should change web hosting providers (or at least consider it) next year to cash in on price and performance upgrades.
In this article, we offer some tips on how to find the perfect host to switch to.
1. Do a Reputation Scan
There are a lot of web hosts offering their services online. While many of them are good and dedicated to providing the best possible customer experience, other hosts aren’t.
Of course, no bad web host is going to advertise on their website that they’re bad. They’re going to promise you the moon and the stars and the moment that your credit card gets charged, they’re going to burn you.
To avoid getting bamboozled on your hosting experience, do reputation research on any hosting provider that you’re considering before signing on the dotted line. People’s online reviews should be telling as to what you can expect.
2. Look at Pricing
One of the top reasons why people change web hosting providers is that they want to cash in on better pricing. If you feel like you’re paying way too much to have your website hosted, you’re going to want to make savings a top priority in your plan to switch.
Web host pricing isn’t too hard to find. Just go on a host’s website and they should have their rates promoted on their front page.
As a matter of fact, any hosting provider that’s being coy about letting you know how much they charge is A) A scam company or B) A company that’s targeted at enterprise customers.
3. Watch Out for Promotions
One of the absolute worst parts about getting a web host is the bait-and-switch pricing schemes that they use. You know what we’re talking about.
A host flashes a great price in front of you and then 12-months later when your account auto-renews, your price magically goes up by 400%.
To make sure that you’re not caught off guard by promotional rates, understand how much your web host will cost when you to renew and shop based on that price rather than their low initial promotional rates.
Some hosts have price-lock programs that promise to keep rates the same. If you can find a host like that, jump on their offer.
4. Consider Upgrade Options
Different websites have different hosting needs. As your website grows, you may very well have to upgrade from one kind of hosting package to another.
Consequently, picking a web host that offers hosting plans that you can easily grow into is a big plus.
In general, a good host will offer shared, virtual private and private web hosting packages.
If your host only offers shared hosting, you might want to think twice about doing business with them since you may run into problems if a server migration becomes necessary.
5. Think About Customer Service
A lot can go wrong with your website. Your web host’s customer service team can either make solving those issues a breeze or a nightmare.
Read reviews regarding a web host’s customer service team. If you’re seeing that their group seems to be made up of unhelpful people that pass around problems and aren’t domestically based, you’d do well to avoid all of that.
Sometimes, you have to pay a premium for a web host that offers exceptional customer support. In our opinion, that premium is well worth it.
6. Get The Full Story on Unlimited
Just about every web host offers unlimited bandwidth, storage, sub-domains, etc. What they don’t tell you though is that they reserve the right to mess with your site if they feel you’re taking up more than your fair share of resources.
Ask what your prospective web host’s policy is on taking full advantage of their unlimited services. If they tell you that they will slow your site down or take your site offline if you scale too quickly, move on.
7. Always Go With a Trial
When you change web hosting, try to switch over to a host that ticks the boxes we’ve discussed thus far and offers a trial. Any web host that’s not willing to stand by their services by offering a trial or money-back guarantee is likely trying to take your cash and run out the door.
8. Ask Yourself if Migrating is Worth It
This post is meant to entice you to see what your alternative hosting options are. If you’re finding that new deals aren’t that much better than what you’re getting with your current hosting package, stay where you’re at.
There’s no point in undergoing the stress of a server migration if you’re not going to get something great out of your efforts.
Wrapping Up What to Look for When You Change Web Hosting
Most people that change web hosting providers enjoy better service for a lower price. If you stand to reap those benefits by making a switch, we recommend doing so!
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