What you can use to determine which is the right host for your website.
The criteria for your selection are typically the following:
- Price
- Type of the hosting tool
- Support
- Up-to-dateness of the infrastructure
- Accessibility of your site (also called uptime)
- Data security / data location
- Environmental compatibility / sustainability
The decisionis based on how you personally rate these points.
And depending on your rating, you will find other hosts.
You probably won't discover a host that excels in all aspects, but there are definitely providers that are very well positioned.
A few thoughts on the above:
Price
The point that probably first came to your mind as a criterion. It is a very important point in most cases. Neither the small blogger (like me), nor professionals or companies want to pay more than necessary.
Of course, it's perfectly fine if you look at the price. I do too. However, what I think can be problematic (and in most cases will be at some point) is if you only go by the cheapest price. The problems associated with this can be many-sided and are reflected in deficiencies in the following points.
Type of the hosting tool
You should get an overview of what kind of tool is available when choosing your provider.
If you would like to build your site with a particular CMS (Content Management System), or perhaps you have already had it built, the future hosting provider as well as the hosting plan you are aiming for should support this tool.
It is best to clarify the following points with support so that you don't look stupid later:
- Does your hosting plan / hosting subscription support CMS XYZ (WordPress, Joomla, Typo3, etc.)?
- If yes: is it a managed hosting? (this means that certain things, such as server updates, etc.) are done by the provider.
- If not: Do you have a hosting plan / hosting subscription on which the said CMS could be installed?
If you don't need and maybe don't want a specific CMS, since those often require some know-how, it could also be that you are looking for a provider with an easy-to-use building kit tool. In this case, you should check whether the provider has such a tool in its product portfolio.
Some providers also offer solutions for CMS as well as website building kits.
If you are not sure which of the two variants would be the better choice for you, you can find an article here explaining this topic thoroughly.
Support
This probably only really comes into play when something doesn't run smoothly. Your site is suddenly offline and you do not know why, there were problems with your work on the site and a backup must be restored, etc..
Poor support is not necessarily the case with low-cost providers, but in most cases it is, unfortunately. Sometimes it is the lack of quality of the support, in other cases the accessibility. It is also an advantage not to be underestimated to have a host that offers support in your native language or a language you speak well.
Up-to-dateness of the infrastructure
Here it depends on what kind of site you want to host. If it's a simple, low-complexity site, I don't think you always need the latest PHP version or don't need to be on a brand new server. In this case you could allow yourself a some (!) tolerance here. However, it should all be within reason. If the Google tool says your website suffers from the outdated server, certain applications and plugins of your site are not compatible with the server, or in the worst case security gaps arise for your site, then it is of course a problem. If you run a website on which your daily business depends (e.g. if you run an online store), the whole thing looks different again and in my opinion you should give this point much more weight, just like the following points.
- Accessibility of your site (also called uptime)
It is always a pity when your website, which you have put a lot of effort into and which is supposed to earn money for you, is offline regularly and possibly for a longer period of time, because of problems with the provider. Most hosting providers now guarantee a certain level of availability and that is a good sign. If there is no guarantee here, it might be worth looking at the reviews of their customers. this should give you a rough idea of what you can expect.
Data security / data location
This point is especially (but not only) important for companies. You should give some thought to whether your and your visitors' data should or even are allowed to run on servers abroad. Depending on which industry is represented, sometimes very strict regulations apply here (for example, in medicine), which should not be violated. So in most cases it makes sense to choose a host that has a good reputation and that has its data location in a country that is compliant with the applicable regulations. Four countries have particularly strict laws to ensure data privacy: Switzerland, Holland, Norway and Iceland.
- Environmental compatibility / sustainability
Fortunately, this point is getting more and more attention, both in the private and commercial sectors. Having a hosting provider that relies entirely on renewable energy, doesn't wear out its hardware too quickly and recycles correctly at the end of its life cycle, as well as offsets its CO2 emissions, is a huge plus for you and the planet. The image of your website or company can benefit enormously if your provider is strong on this subject and therefore you can indicate your sustainable hosting setup. If commitment to environmental protection is part of a company's corporate identity, this point is even indispensable to fulfill the company's statement.
So, that was the quick run-through and you should now be able to make a relatively informed decision that fits your priorities.
My hosting provider, for example, is extremely environmentally conscious, takes privacy / data protection very seriously, has good support and offers a decent infrastructure. Oh, and the uptime is also guaranteed in the terms and conditions.
As you're probably already thinking, it's unlikely that all the previously mentioned points apply and the price is super low. And you're right: it's not a low-cost provider, but still the prices are fair and definitely affordable.
Feel free to check their prices yourself:
Infomaniak Infomaniak is a Swiss hosting provider with headquarters in Geneva. The company itself has been around forever and is therefore a very experienced host. As mentioned, environmental protection is a major focus (for example, CO2 is compensated 200% and privacy and data protection are also in focus. The data location is in Switzerland and therefore offers much more trust for me than, for example, a provider with servers overseas.
Infomaniak has also been awarded the "Swiss Hosting" quality seal.
If you are looking for a provider: I can definitely recommend this provider.
If you still don't want to or can't create a website, you should at least enter your business in a business listing on Google. You will find here an article about it.
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