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What to think about when picking a web host provider

Choosing a web host can be overwhelming, here are eight factors to consider when looking for a hosting plan for your WordPress site.

  1. Security – Do they scan for malware, keep their systems updates, implement firewall rules and monitor the network?
  2. Storage – The more media (like images, videos and PDFs) you upload, the more storage you’ll need.
  3. Bandwidth – This is the amount of traffic and number of page views your site can handle. Keep in mind that if you purchasing a shared hosting plan, unlimited bandwidth might not really mean unlimited.
  4. Reliability – Do they do maintenance a lot or do their servers go down a lot?
  5. Customer Service – Where is the company based, is it in a different timezone? Is it easy to get in touch with them and do they offer support?
  6. Features – Are add-ons like site transfers, backups and domain privacy included?
  7. Scalability – You may need to increase the resources available to you as your traffic increases. Do they offer scalable packages or can you easily move to a different plan?
  8. Price – Initial costs are normally reduced, so what is the reoccurring cost? You do get what you pay for with hosting as high-powered servers and managed plans are expensive.