how to choose the right web hosting for your web design needs
Penny Dower Hunt, 11th June 2023
how to choose the right web hosting
Web design is super exciting when you’re launching a new website. Even if you aren’t directly involved in it, you’ll have input on fun things like your logo, your site’s colors, and the layout you want. It’s a creative process, and it’s exciting to see how your brand will show up to the world.
Once it’s done, it’s tempting to just publish your site and go forward with your business. But you could be setting yourself back if you aren’t paying attention to this one small thing that often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of a website launch—your web hosting.
Here’s our input on how to choose the right web hosting for your website needs, not just your content needs. Get this right, and all your features, interactive elements, and eye-catching design factors will come alive.
what is web hosting?
Your web hosting provider is basically your digital landlord. You rent space on their server to house your website, and your site uses its resources to be accessible to people searching the internet.
You can host your website yourself if you have a server with enough resources and you’re also quite technically-minded. But if that doesn’t sound like something you can do, then you have no choice but to choose a web hosting company to house your site for you.
why is it important to choose the right web hosting?
Web hosts vary widely. If you want to build your website on the strongest foundation possible, it’s well worth taking some time to consider which one will really work for you and not against you.
All web hosts offer different features. Some are basic, others are much more detailed, and pretty much all of them offer a range of hosting plans so you can choose something you know will be right for your website.
Failing to choose the right web host can lead to slow page loading speeds, a worse user experience, lower SEO rankings, a higher chance of cyber attacks, and multiple other things that ultimately tarnish your reputation and limit your success.
how does web design impact web hosting?
Web hosting is much more closely linked to web design than you might realise. Choose poor hosting for your design, and nothing’s going to work as it should. But choose great hosting, and your site will wow visitors with its design.
Here’s how design impacts your web host and why it’s so important to base your web hosting choice on your web design.
image-heavy websites
Images can take up valuable storage space and bandwidth. They take significantly longer than text to load, which means you’re at risk of your website developing a slow page loading speed.
Considering more than half of visitors leave the page if it isn’t fully loaded within 3 seconds… This is a huge deal. If your website design is image-heavy, you might need to choose a web host with more resources (that aren’t shared) to accommodate it.
dynamic websites
Static websites display the same content to everyone who pops onto the site. Dynamic websites contain information that changes often, usually dependent on things like the time of day, the location or demographic of the viewer, and their language settings.
These kinds of sites use databases and scripts to bring up new content each time. But this is much more resource-heavy than a static site, so you’ll need a web host that can manage that with no problem.
e-commerce websites
Websites that sell products or services online often need more robust hosting. E-commerce websites usually have high traffic, so the last thing you want is for your site to crash because it’s overloaded with visitors trying to buy.
If customers are sharing private details like payment information, you also need a web host that can provide excellent security.
web design resource requirements
If your design includes animations, embedding videos or using interactive elements, it’s likely to need more processing power than a website that’s less interactive. Running low on bandwidth can cause these elements to slow down, lag, or stop working altogether, which ruins your beautiful design!
key factors to consider for web hosting
Ready to choose a web host for your business site? Here’s what you need to consider to make sure you select one that’s going to boost your business and not stagnate it.
consider your website's size and traffic
Your website’s size and the amount of traffic that comes through it will determine the number of resources you’ll need from your web host. Small sites with low traffic (local business sites, service websites, most personal blogs) would be able to get away with choosing a shared hosting plan.
Anything with moderate to high levels of traffic, however, will need something a bit more stable. You’ll have to spend a little more on a web host that offers a dedicated server and a decent amount of resources.
determine your budget
You’ll need to have a rough idea of your budget before choosing a web hosting provider. It’s important to know that shared hosting is the most cost-effective but the least reliable and stable.
If your site is going to be making you money, it’s in your best interest to budget for more reliable hosting. You might want to do some research upfront and figure out what sort of price range is appropriate for your needs and work it into your budget.
reliability and uptime guarantees
The gold standard for uptime is 99.9%. Don’t compromise on this - if your web host can’t provide it regularly, you’re going to be frustrated with downtime, which means your customers won’t be able to access your website at certain times.
It’s interesting to know that some web hosts offer money-back schemes, where they’ll pay you back some of your monthly fees if your website’s uptime doesn’t reflect what they promise.
scalability and flexibility for future growth
If you’re expecting your website to grow quickly, you’ll need a host that can scale easily with you. You may be able to upgrade to a new plan with just a click, but make sure the host you choose can grow with you.
technical support and customer service availability
Choose a web host that has 24/7 customer support. You never want to be in a position where your website has an issue and you can’t get it resolved in the time that you need. Most hosts these days offer phone, email, and live chat support.
server location
The closer the server is to your target audience, the faster your site will load. For example, if you live in Europe but you’re targeting USA businesses, it’s worthwhile to choose a host with a server in America.
security measures and data backup options
We can’t understate the importance of security and backup! Your website is an asset. Make sure it’s well-protected. Your chosen web host should offer a range of security features, including things like firewalls and data protection.
As well as cyber security, it’s essential that your host backs up your data regularly. You never know when something may cause your website to crash, and if you have no backups, it’s going to be a long and difficult process to restore it.
conclusion
It’s not hard to choose the right web hosting for your web design needs if you put some thought into it upfront. Not every web host is going to be good for your particular website, so don’t neglect this!
It may take a little time to research and compare web hosts. But ultimately, if you don’t put some thought into it, you’re likely to end up with a host that can’t quite support your site the way you need it to. Put in the time - you’ll thank yourself later!
About the Author
Paul Wheeler runs a web design agency that helps small businesses optimise their websites for business success. He aims to educate business owners on all things website-related on his website, Reviews for Website Hosting.