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A well designed, usable website is the cornerstone of any modern business. It is increasingly becoming the first port of call for many consumers and it could be argued that a company’s website is all that counts in the 21st century business world.

However, the backend system that supports the website is equally important – after all, there’s no point having a pretty interface with all the bells and whistles if it crashes at the slightest increase in traffic. The most striking, user-friendly website in the world will be of no use if it performs even just a little bit sluggishly or if it spends significant periods of time offline.

Indeed, poor backend server technology can cost businesses dear, which is why identifying the best value web host is one of the most important things to get right when setting up operations online. Knowing what to look for in a web hosting company isn’t easy for first-timers, which is why it will pay dividends to ask the right questions and carry out more than a little background research on the different web hosting packages available: this will save a great deal of hassle and expense further down the line.

One of the most important attributes of any web hosting package is uptime: more specifically, how much ‘uptime’ they can guarantee. This information normally comes in the form of a pledge from the hosting company that states how often they think they will be forced to go offline, either due to upgrades, server maintenance or any other related technical reason.

Whilst many web hosting companies will guarantee 100% uptime, not many will be able to deliver on this as it will undoubtedly be necessary to ‘down tools’ at some point throughout the year. Furthermore, even if a company can fulfil its guarantee, there’s not guarantee of their quality in other respects, so it’s best to look for a company that can offer as close to 100% as possible, whilst ticking all the other boxes too – such as no inherent limits!

Unlimited web hosting should be a major thinking point for any business. A website may be well equipped to handle incoming traffic in the early days, but a sudden upsurge in visitors can not only have an effect on the performance of the website, but the cost too. For this reason, it’s best to seek a web hosting package that offers unlimited web traffic as standard.

If the web hosting company also offers unlimited web space, then that is fantastic too. As a company grows, it will need to develop and build its website, which otherwise could cost a lot of money to host. Similarly, a company may also want to take on lots more staff as it grows – so unlimited email addresses is a great bonus.

So it’s essential to secure the best web hosting package for a company’s needs. It can work out to be counterproductive trying to cut corners to save a few bucks in the short term, only to discover the website isn’t fit for purpose due to its sluggish performance or long periods of downtime.

By asking the right questions in advance, this will go some way towards ensuring that operations are streamlined for maximum profitability. A web host without limits can only be good for business!

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.