Where to Start When Looking for The Best Web Hosting for NZ

Before we jump into the topic of how we can find the best web hosting in NZ, let’s take a step back and look at the different types that are out there first.

So, we know that web hosting is a service, that is provided by a business, that allows another business or organization (or individual) to upload a website or webpage into the internet i.e. to publish it so it’s live for the world to see it.

Without getting too technical, this service is mandatory for a website, if you want it to be viewed by an online audience. The websites I question, are stored or ‘hosted’ on a server, so when people are doing a search for something like an Italian ice-cream store and they do the search on a search engine like Google or Yahoo, your website would come upon the results. How this happens is by the individual computer making a connection to the server to which your website is delivered to their browser.

In New Zealand, there are some major players when it comes to choosing the best web hosting NZ for your individual needs. Operators such as SiteGround, Hostinger, A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks come in the top 5 of all the competitors. In the end, the difference between them is the quality and price of each one. What one offers that is better than the other plays an important part when it comes to web hosting. You do not want to be left with a website that has an ‘HTTP Error’ message on it every time someone clicks on your company name in the search engine results. It’s always best to do a comparison to see what each one offers and perhaps speak to clients who have been holding their pages on one of these services to see what they say about it. sometimes online reviews aren’t always the best decision-makers.

The initial step in the set up of gaining a web company is to first acquire your domain name or website name. if your store is called Joey’s Italian Ice Cream Collection… and you want someone to know who you are, the best thing to do is to get a website by the same name. This is where the domain name comes in to which the hosting company requires, to complete your request.

You will then purchase a domain name such as ‘JoeysItalianIceCreamCollection.com’ or ‘. co.nz’ for example, and this is what will be hosted online.

What Can A Hosting Provider Help Me With?

Now that we’ve got our basis covered in the hopes the explanations above were not too technical. We can look at the three things that a host provider can assist you with.

1. WordPress Support: The popular online creation tool known as WordPress has gained popularity over the past few decades and then some. People are finding it the best option when it comes to building and hosting their personal or business websites as a site-building software and the one-third of the world’s population that already uses it successfully, can’t be wrong. It has numerous benefits as a website management tool. Find out more about these online.
2. Email Account: As mentioned above you are required to have your own personal or business domain. In the example of ‘JoeysItalianIceCreamCollection.co.nz’ it is a beneficial option to have your own email address too, something that matches your domain or something pretty clear to people where their email will go to for instance ‘reception@joeysitalian.co.nz’ or ‘info@…’ something relatable. It completes the package, and this is something the service provider can set up for you.
3. Last but not least it is, of course, most important to have the option of FTP Access: Having this option allows you to upload files from the computer to the server and vice versa. FTP or also known as File Transfer Protocol, is a standard requirement when setting up with a hosting provider to accomplish and of the three modes of data transfer i.e. Compressed mode, Block mode or Stream mode https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Transfer_Protocol

Now I Need to Choose One

Some sources would argue that the best supplier should have three things, Security, support and speed. Although they are not wrong. There is a little more to consider when choosing the best one for you and were talking about picking the cheapest one, we all know there is no guarantee for cheap products or services. Below is a list of seven key factors to look into before you place your finger on one:

1. Protection – first and foremost, you need to make sure your hosting choice can make your website as secure as possible, not just from virus and malware but also from DDoS (denial of service) and hackers’ intrusions.
2. File Back Up- As part of the service, they should conduct a regular file back-up, once every couple months for safety and security reasons.
3. Consistency – they should be able to make your website stay online and live 24/7. This is the whole point of putting up a website but sometimes you will find the structure lasts a few months and then the website is down.
4. Volume – Their total file capacity should be quite big, otherwise it will place a huge weight on your website which will result in it being inaccessible. A lot of the commercial online packages have restrictions in size similar to this and ask for an additional charge if you need more space for files.
5. Agreement – Another very important thing is to check the fine print in any agreement you make. Some of them have complicated terms when you need to extend the contract while others have hidden-costs. Make sure you read through everything and ask all the questions you need for clarification.
6. Performance – a well-built, fully-functioning site is what everybody wants, but with the wrong provider, it’s not what everyone can get. Make sure the site has all the specifications you want on it.
7. Service and Provision – If you’re a one-man-band, running a start-up or a small company, it is crucial to host with an organisation that has 24 hours of technical and customer support. You do not want to be left hanging amid a website black-out, waiting for them to get back online in the morning. You could risk losing a lot of business otherwise.