For business owners, a website is the core lifeline of an online business.

The reliability of a web host will either support or damage that lifeline.

How Much Risk Are You Willing to Take?

Web hosts that fall short can affect your site's SEO and that's something you can't afford to suffer through - not if you own a business where your reputation and sales are a prime priority.

Cheap hosts can turn into a nightmare if they fall short. Think of a web host as an apartment you're renting. The less you pay will most often translate to fewer perks such as no parking, no doorman for security, faulty appliances and heating, peeling paint, bugs in the kitchen, etc, etc. You soon realize you made a mistake, lured in by the low cost - you end up just wanting to move.

Elements to Look for When Choosing a Web Host

Speed

• Google includes site load time in their ranking criteria.
• Slow loading sites lead to a negative user experience, which leads to negative metrics.
• Negative metrics lead to high bounce rates, and minimal time spent on the site.
• All of the above - leads to lowering a site’s rankability.

The faster your website loads, the better position it will be in to rank higher in search engines.

Check your website load time here. 

Uptime
There’s not one web host who can guarantee 100% uptime. Unexpected disasters happen. Reliable hosts will offer a 99% uptime guarantee.

Storage Space
Look for web hosts offering an array of plans. Select an initial plan with storage space appropriate for your site type - whether it be content, or ecommerce - then upgrade to a higher plan as your site needs change.

Customer Support
Prime web hosting companies provide personal customer service. You don’t want to wade through a recorded message to reach a live person, or be on hold forever. During crucial moments, you want the help you need – when you need it.

Backups
Look for a host offering regularly scheduled backups, with assistance in restoring your website if it should crash or is hacked.

SSL Certificates
Google has acknowledged they consider SSL as a ranking factor. SSL (https) translates to “this site can be trusted”. You want a web host that offers SSL certificates, and will install on your site. 

Cost
Remember the saying "you get what you pay for"?
When it comes to web hosting this holds true.

If plans are very low-cost, this can translate to poor customer support, below-standard security, non-guaranteed uptime levels, low data storage, site speed issues, and you’re paying separately for components that should already be included in the hosting plan. Many cheap hosts get you to signup for a discounted plan, then raise the price rate when it’s time to renew.

Money-Back Guarantee
Go with a host that offers a money-back guarantee, so if you’re not satisfied with their service, you’ll be refunded. 

Hosting Connecticut has offered trusted and reliable hosting plans since 2003. 

If you’re unhappy with your current web host, or looking for Starter, Ecommerce, WordPress hosting, or Cloud VPS hosting – compare all the plans and choose the one that best fits your needs today.

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