Do you need to build a website, an e-commerce site or an application and don't know how to choose the hosting to run it at its best? Or, as we hope (as a software house specialising in this field, this is what we are here for), are you thinking of having someone build it for you?
Then you should read this article, because it will help you choose the best solution. Which, note, is never the hosting with the best performance, but the one that best fits your situation, both technically and financially.
We will talk about hosting and how to choose it objectively, without recommending any particular provider.
Unlike many other articles you'll find online on this topic, here you won't find the usual "buying advice" which, thanks to a referral link, often hides an interest. But let's start with the basics.
What is hosting? And why does it matter?
Hosting is the service that "physically" houses the files of your website or web application so that they can be accessed from outside. In other words, when you launch a web project you need a computer connected to the internet 24/7 that provides online space to store files and associated data. Hosting serves exactly this purpose.
We don't think we need to explain further how essential it is (you can't do without it!) and how important it is to choose it carefully.
Hosting is offered by "hosting companies", businesses that are authorised and technologically equipped to provide this type of computer (server), giving clients/users the ability to upload their data and carry out the necessary configuration. Often, but not always, these companies also offer registration of "second-level domain names" (such as www.website.com).
Important note! Since many beginners read us, we want to stress that domains are different from hosting. To put it simply, if a domain name is like your home address, hosting is like the house itself. Two things that seem the same but have a fundamental difference that must be understood. Not least because hosting and domains are very different technologies that work separately. And they can even be "bought" from different providers.
But let's go back to hosting.
The main types of hosting are generally:
- Shared hosting: servers on which several users share the same resources. It is usually the cheapest solution.
- VPS (Virtual Private Server): a virtual machine dedicated to the user, offering more control and flexibility than shared hosting.
- Cloud hosting: server resources are distributed over a network of interconnected servers, offering high scalability and flexibility.
- CMS hosting: hardware and software pre-installed and configured to host sites based on CMSs (content management systems) such as WordPress. This solution offers optimal performance for these platforms.
- Dedicated hosting: an entire server at the complete disposal of a single user, who can upload and manage one or more projects of their own. Dedicated hosting offers the most performance and control.
A distinction must also be made between technologies.
The big "divide" is always the same, between the Microsoft world and the Linux world, but in practice the biggest difference is in support for programming languages. The most widely used include PHP, Python, Ruby, Node.js and .NET. So, depending on the language you intend to develop the site with, you must choose hosting that supports it; otherwise it won't work.
But let's go back to the "idea of choice".
Choosing the most suitable hosting is often underestimated, leading to projects being published on inadequate hosting, often with negative effects on the user experience. A slow site, or one that even shows errors, is exactly what should be avoided.
When an individual, or a software house like ours or a web agency, has to choose the most suitable hosting for their own or a client's project, they face a vast range of options.
So let's try to understand together the key factors to consider. For us there are six in all, with cost certainly important but placed last, because we believe quality comes first.
1) Understand your specific needs
Before you start looking for a hosting service, you need to be clear about the specific needs of the project.
So it is essential to consider the type of site you are building and assess its technical aspects. Ask yourself whether it will contain static pages (such as classic .html pages, actually very rare today) or dynamic ones (pages that interact with the server and are generated automatically according to specific programming logic), how many and which databases it will need and, finally, how many and what kind of "calculations" (especially complex ones) the CPU will have to perform.
Gathering this information is essential to predict the likely "load on the server".
There are approaches and tools that help with this. For example, it can be crucial to carry out a historical analysis (for projects already running) or to monitor the load using the tools provided by the development platform in "production".
Add to this an estimate of traffic, including the expected number of users.
This also helps assess the resources the server will need, without forgetting any future scalability needs, usually resulting from traffic growth over time.
This kind of preliminary analysis will help you identify the most suitable type of hosting among those listed above.
For example, if the expected resources are moderate, shared hosting or a VPS may be fine, whereas if you already know the server will be heavily "stressed", it is better to go for a cloud solution or, even better, a dedicated server.
2) Server performance and speed
Choosing a type of hosting is not enough, because, as you can imagine, there are big differences within each type too.
In general, page loading speed is crucial for the user experience and for search engine rankings (Google considers it a ranking factor), and this should lead you to choose a hosting service that offers high performance, with well-optimised servers and fast response times.
To find out which hosting companies offer the best hardware and software, we suggest consulting review sites such as Trustpilot.
They are usually reliable, and reading reviews, including negative ones, will help you understand whether you are dealing with "congested hosting", where quality comes second, or well-managed hosting where customer satisfaction is taken very seriously.
3) Assistance and technical support
It is not enough to compare offers, package prices and their value for money which, needless to say, should be as high as possible. Even more important is to assess the quality of the hosting provider's technical support.
Check whether they provide 24/7/365 support, through which channels (chat, phone, tickets?) and, here too, read the reviews first to assess how effective it is.
Having problems, especially when launching an e-commerce site for example, is far from rare.
No hosting is immune, and this is where support makes the difference. In addition, email services usually come with hosting. And in this area, being able to count on attentive support that prevents important messages from being lost may be even more important.
4) Backup and security policy
Security is as essential as it is, unfortunately, often neglected. It is not unusual for the cheapest hosting companies to be insufficiently equipped, so that in the event of an "IT disaster" they have no way of recovering their clients' sites (in recent years at least a couple of cases, Aruba and OVH, involving the loss of thousands of users' data, caused a stir).
So make sure the hosting provides regular automatic backups, that is, systems that periodically make redundant copies of the site's data (not on the same machine but on different machines, preferably remote ones), allowing you to restore it easily in the event of data loss or technical problems.
Also check which security measures are in place, such as free SSL certificates (a website with SSL can be recognised by the "https://" prefix in the browser's address bar) and a firewall (useful to protect against malware; without one, it is not unusual to find your site "infected" with harmful files that send spam or cause even worse damage).
5) Ease of use and user interface
An intuitive user interface also makes managing a web project easier.
So check whether the hosting offers an easy-to-use control panel and whether it supports the tools and platforms you intend to use. For example, if you are using WordPress, make sure the hosting is optimised for WordPress and integrates easily.
6) Costs and payment plans
Finally we come to costs which, as we said, are important but should be considered secondary to other aspects.
Compare them, together with the payment plans offered by different providers, watching out for hidden costs and assessing whether the price reflects the value and resources provided.
Some providers may charge extra for advanced features or when certain limits are exceeded.
Can we give you a tip?
Avoid "all-inclusive" packages (nothing is really all-inclusive, or free, whether we are talking about bandwidth, server load or available space). Instead go for hosting that offers guaranteed features and resources: for example, a certain number of gigabytes of space, configurable databases, manageable mailboxes and gigabits of traffic (although in the latter case "unlimited bandwidth" is not necessarily a red flag).
Another small tip: to save money while still getting quality services, the key moment is certainly Black Friday and Cyber Monday at the end of November, when many hosting companies offer very attractive deals.
Although we recommend avoiding those that are too heavily discounted, which in our view may signal questionable quality.
In conclusion
As you have seen, choosing the ideal hosting requires a careful assessment of your website's needs and of the various providers' offers, which is not always possible to do on your own.
Take the time you need to explore the available options, compare features and make an informed assessment that supports your site's growth and performance in the long term. But if we can give you one last piece of advice, let your trusted software house guide you.
We are here and, of course, we hope to be that software house. If so, you can contact us with no obligation here.
Finally, remember: suitable hosting is, together with the quality of the software, the most solid foundation on which to build your online presence.
