Choosing a web hosting plan for your website could be a daunting task, which is why I will be going over some of the most important aspects you should be looking for before purchasing a hosting plan.
Evaluating your websites future plans
Running a hobby website compared to a full-blown e-commerce site are two different types of websites which in turn require two different types of hosting accounts. Evaluating which direction you would like to take your website in the near future is essential for choosing the right cheap hosting plan.
Key aspects to look for when deciding:
- Website traffic or future traffic plans
- How big is the site? Does it require large storage space?
- Does the site run a lot of CPU intensive scripts?
- Does the site require multiple databases?
We usually recommend hobby websites and websites that do not drive as much web traffic to always use lower tier hosting plans. If you are using our web hosting plans you can always upgrade at a later stage if needed – which is an instant process and does not put your site or account offline at any stage.
Running an e-commerce or similar website is completely different, especially if you already have a site up and running that receives traffic. As e-commerce websites require the least possible amount of bottleneck, we always recommend users go for the highest tier plans possible. Ideally, you would only like to use 20-40% of your hosting accounts resource limits, giving plenty of space for spikes in traffic in between. Our “Unlimited Plus Plan” is usually the best choice.
Explanation of hosting plan features and their importance
Storage Space
Usually the most important feature of any hosting plan, always make sure the hosting plan you choose has enough space to host your website. With Asura Hosting, we offer unlimited-based storage plans so you are never limited.
Storage space is usually measured in Gigabytes (GB), 1 Gigabyte is the same equivalent of 1000 Megabytes (MB). The average website uses about 8GB of space, but it’s always recommended to try only use 50% of your hosting accounts allocated storage space.
It is also important to make sure the hosting plan you choose has Solid State Drives (SSD) as it has up to 300% more performance than regular hard disks. This is especially important if you run a CMS or database driven site, as your website will need to query the database frequently, having a fast SSD does make those queries a lot faster.
Bandwidth
The amount of network traffic your website can receive. We have this set on unlimited for all our hosting plans, as we never want a situation where we limit a website for doing well.
Usually, websites that host images, videos or similar need the most bandwidth.
CPU Allocation
Another important feature but usually only important if your website runs intensive scripts or similar. Otherwise you shouldn’t worry too much about it.
Number of Databases
The amount of databases you can create for your website. Most websites only require up to 3 databases, but if you plan on hosting multiple websites it can be beneficial to choose a plan with a high number of databases.
Softaculous
Sometimes called a “1-click” installer, having Softaculous installed with your hosting account gives you the ability to install up to 400+ applications with a single click. An important feature for beginners or users that don’t want to deal with the hassle of installing applications manually.
Specialized solutions
Web hosting plans can also be specialized for certain software, such as WordPress or Joomla. These hosting plans are typically optimized directly for all the recommended settings set by the software developer team, giving you the best possible settings straight out of the box.
Why is it important?
It’s important because you never want to strain your hosting accounts resource limits, try to always leave a good margin of space for growth and spikes in web traffic. You can always upgrade or downgrade at a later stage, but if you’re unsure its always better to overshoot than undershoot, no one likes a slow website! 🙂
Need help deciding?
Undecided? Contact our support and we can always help you out with choosing the best possible plan for your website.
Need to transfer your domain name?
