You already know that a website can be a superb asset for your business, allowing your clients to engage with your brand any time. To give those visitors a great experience that builds brand loyalty, however, there are some important factors to consider when you’re building your site.
Security Comes First
Security is absolutely crucial. As cyber-criminals become ever more sophisticated, your website needs to be rigorously protected. SSL certification is a smart decision, with options to suit different requirements. SSL is even factored into SEO rankings, helping you tailor marketing strategies through detailed traffic analysis. It’s also more secure to avoid having your site hosted on a shared server, as whilst this may seem a good-value option, there can be pitfalls if anything goes wrong. If another website sharing the server is lax with security and is breached, your site may be left vulnerable to attack too. Furthermore, it can lead to poor website performance and even cause your website to be taken down.
Why page speed affects your bounce rate
Speed is vital too. The faster your site loads, the lower its bounce rate. Using managed services such as those from https://www.names.co.uk/web-hosting gives you optimal speeds, as you have your own dedicated server and use of the most up-to-date technology.
This leads to reliability. Make sure your host can give you uptime of at least 99.5%. Hosts should also provide all the software updates needed to keep your site running smoothly. A reliable service means that scalability is taken care of, and any fluctuations in traffic don’t disrupt your service.
Making sure your site’s software is supported
Functionality is very important. Your site’s software must be supported if you want to offer certain features or look as good as possible. Managed hosts generally offer a range of apps, many of them free as part of your package, allowing you to realise your vision for your website.
The value of expert technical support
Finally, don’t overlook the value of expert technical support. Having specialists available in case of problems saves you the expense of hiring specialist staff and ensures that if the worst happens your site will be back in action with minimum delay.
A Smart Choice
A good option therefore is a managed web host. This takes away the responsibility for maintaining security, licensing or updates but still allows you to monitor your site closely. You can pick apps and choose your operating system in order to truly optimise your web presence.
Summary
This article sets out five hosting factors for building a website: strong security including SSL certification and avoiding shared servers, fast page load times to reduce bounce rate, reliable uptime of at least 99.5% with regular software updates, software and app support for the features you want, and access to expert technical support, recommending a managed web host that handles security and updates.
Questions this article raises
- How much does a managed dedicated server typically cost compared with shared hosting?
- What uptime guarantee should a business realistically expect from its host?
- How do you check in advance which apps a managed host actually supports?
