In order to get a website online, the files that make up your site must be stored or “hosted” somewhere. That somewhere is a called a server. Web hosts provide servers for websites to reside upon, ensuring that your business’ online web presence is constantly available to your customers.
Since you probably don’t want the cost and hassle of owning & managing your very own web server, you’re going to need to purchase reliable hosting from a reputable company.
A reliable web host is extremely important for your business website. If their servers go down, so does your site, causing you a loss of traffic, communication with customers, and credibility.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of hosting providers to choose from, but not all are created equal. They will vary in service, features, and price.
Although we have experience working with many of the largest and most popular hosting providers on the market, there is one who we keep going back to for small business clients. That company is SiteGround. They consistently provide the best customer service (24 hours a day, 7 days a week!), are a fantastic value, and their backend cpanel software is top of the line and easy to work with.
There are many types of hosting accounts, from shared hosting (the least expensive), virtual private servers (VPS) hosting, dedicated servers (the most expensive), cloud-based hosting, and managed hosting. The type of hosting you’ll need will depend on the size of your website, the amount of traffic it receives, and the amount of bandwidth consumed.
If you’re just starting out shared hosting is probably fine. But if you’ve got a site with lots of traffic or are consuming lots of bandwidth, you may need one of the more robust options.
For websites built on WordPress, and for those business owners looking for the best in performance and reliability, a managed WordPress hosting service such as Pagely or Synthesis is recommended.
So, if you’re looking to get your first website online, check out SiteGround. To get you started, use the discount code “spearsmarketing” for 25% off your service. If your site is running WordPress and you’re looking to switch from your current provider, or just need a performance upgrade, check out Synthesis, that’s who we use!
