Bharat SainiLast Updated on August 15, 2020 by Bharat Saini
Blogging has come a long way in recent years. Nowadays, just about anyone who wants to bring their thoughts and creations to a wider audience has a platform upon which to do so. However, if you want to take blogging to the next level, then you absolutely need to invest in web hosting.
Put simply, web hosting is all about storing the files and elements that make up your website in a physical location, known as a server. Servers are owned and maintained by web hosting companies and therefore finding the right web hosting provider for your blog is crucial if your website is to become successful.
So, while every different type of blog out there will have unique needs and requirements, there are a number of achievements that web hosting can help your blog to accomplish. So, let us discover 3 tips to keep in mind when choosing the best web host for your blog.
Uptime Is Everything
Whenever a website is unavailable this usually means one of two things. Firstly, it could be the case that the website is experiencing more traffic than its web hosting plan can handle. Alternatively, it might be that the hosting platform server for the website is currently undergoing maintenance. Sometimes, other unforeseen issues can take a website offline temporarily too. However, in either case, if your blog is unavailable, this means that people are unable to find your blog posts and cannot read them. In a worst-case scenario these visitors might even leave your website and never return. Researching different canada web hosting companies is therefore recommended before committing to any hosting decisions.
Essentially, uptime refers to the amount of time that your website is active for people to view and visit it, whereas downtime makes up the amount of time that your website is inaccessible due to issues with the server that it is hosted on. Although it is not really possible for hosting providers to offer accessibility 100% of the time, there are plenty of web hosts that claim to provide 99.9% uptime for bloggers. You can even test out these claims thanks to online data sources and third-party monitors. For these reasons, web hosts with poor uptime performance should be avoided by aspiring bloggers.
Do Not Compromise on Loading Speeds
When running a blog, it is vital that your website loads quickly. Visitors to your blog are unlikely to wait for very long if your blog lags or if your pages are slow to appear. This is perhaps even more important with regards to mobile devices. More people are spending time looking through online content including blogs on their phone than ever before and so you need to know that your website is fast to navigate and that your pages are quick to load.
Your web hosting provider plays a significant role in your website speed. A combination of the right web hosting provider and package for your needs can ensure that your blog performs consistently at the speed that your visitors have come to expect. Consequently, always choose a platform that offers speedy loading times. Also, do not be afraid to test your blog frequently so you can identify whether traffic levels are slowing down progress. If so, you might want to upgrade to a quicker or more suitable plan.
Take a Security First Approach to Hosting
Hackers can cause a whole variety of problems for bloggers. If your blog has been monetized, then securing your website should be a priority. Without adequate security measures, hackers can take over your blog and turn it into something that promotes their own scams and they can even use your website to blackmail you into sending them money. Hackers can also steal visitor information such as names and email addresses that are submitted through forms on your blog.
That being said, you need to choose a host that has experience dealing with online threats. If your blog fall victims to a hack, you need to know that you will have a hosting provider on your side that can help to undo any damage. Some common measures that web hosts can put in place to prevent attacks on blogs include firewalls, 24/7 monitoring and scanning, and malware detection and removal services. In short, when looking for web hosting providers, do not be afraid to ask about SSL certification and seek out blog hosts that work with reputable security software like SiteLock.
Ultimately, no matter what your blog is about, if you want your website to stand out from the crowd, then you absolutely need web hosting. Remember to choose your web host provider by considering your needs and preferences and be sure to do as much research as possible. Above all, making the right choices now ensures that your website can attract the success that it deserves so that your blogging career can flourish for many more years to come.
Alongside working with a web hosting provider that can grow with your blog, there are plenty of other steps that you can take to boost your website. To learn more, check out this article that explains how to expand your website using guest post blogging strategies.
