6 things to consider when choosing a VPS Hosting Company
When searching for a new VPS hosting company, it’s easy to be wooed by free or low-cost systems. This is especially true for anyone who may be new to hosting. However, many find that you truly get what you pay for when choosing so-called “cheap” hosting companies. It can be difficult for a beginner to know what to search for before committing to a service. It can be overwhelming, especially when considering longer contracts of a year or more. Below we cover just exactly what you should be looking for as you choose your next VPS hosting partner, and how to avoid commonly made mistakes:
Cost
Whether you are creating a website or a blog, you may be familiar with web hosts who allow you to set up shop for free. These platforms can handle a few visitors and are functional to an extent. Free hosting platforms claim to be free, but anyone with an account typically manages sites that are inundated with ads and spam. While you may not be paying financially for the limited services you receive, you pay in other ways such as slow sites, bad SEO, and limited traffic.
VPS is a lot less expensive than dedicated web hosting despite the fact that it offers similar services. When you are choosing a VPS plan, it’s important to consider the assets you need to serve your website. Be realistic about your needs and go through each plan offered by your provider before making your choice. You need to hit the right balance between resources and what you’re willing to pay.
Managed and Unmanaged
Another important factor to consider is whether you would prefer managed, or unmanaged VPS Hosting. With Managed VPS Hosting, your web hosting provider takes care of all the server-related issues. This can greatly decrease your workload, as the web hosting provider takes care of the server resources and monitors the server while they make regular updates and necessary upgrades when required. This is perfect if you’re a non-technical customer who doesn’t have the skills to set up and configure the server, or for those who are too busy to handle their VPS.
Unmanaged VPS Hosting leaves the responsibility of the VPS on the customer’s shoulders. Setting up, configuring, and monitoring the VPS is in your hands. You need to be highly skilled and tech-savvy; however, it does grant you a degree of freedom to do as you please on the server. This is not recommended for beginners.
Furthermore, for beginners or businesses that are busy, the worry is setting up your server. Make sure that the VPS company offers free setup and VPS servers that are designed to be provisioned quickly.
Server speed of VPS company
Speed is the name of the game in the VPS hosting world. When shopping for a new hosting provider, settle on a service with high ratings for web server speed. In other words, you want to make sure your web hosting server responds to queries at lightning-fast speed.
Why? Let’s say you’re gaming, for example. The VPS server you’re using needs enough power to keep track of your actions (as the host) and every other gamer’s action in your game and respond instantaneously. If your server speed moves like a turtle, it results in lags in your game. And everyone knows playing a game with lags is a total snooze fest. Do yourself a favor and opt for a VPS hosting plan with unmatched server speeds.
Security System
Increase data loss and malware attacks make it necessary for your provider to have reliable security for the server. Several security systems are there to choose from. Look out for the following security features when deciding on the server to use:
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate – they assure you that the servers are secure.
DDoS protection – it automatically notifies you when there is a network attack.
Firewall – and offers first defense mitigation before further fortification.
Malware scanning – it should scan any website, page, or document and advice if it is safe to open.
Choosing the operating system
Another crucial aspect that you must consider is the server’s operating system. Among the most common names in a server, providers are Windows and Linux. Both of these systems have pros and cons. It all depends on the user’s specifications and needs. However, some servers are best supported by a specific system, and therefore comparing the prices of these servers alone is not enough. In addition, there are many VPS companies that also provide MacOS, but it is not popular.
It is important to make a comprehensive analysis of different operating systems so as to be able to pick the best which will be compatible with your business operations.
Support of VPS company
Here’s the deal. There are approximately 1.8 billion websites on the internet. But I’d venture to guess that out of all those website owners, not everyone is versed in handling the intricacies of a web hosting platform.
When you pay for web hosting, you’re not only paying for server space. You’re also paying for the computer nerds behind the scene who are available 24/7 to answer your account questions and guide you through the technical stuff. The customer support team of a VPS company should factor heavily into your VPS hosting plan decision.
While it may seem to be a lot to check off your list, the best VPS hosting company will fulfill all of the criteria above. Check out our VPS Hosting Plans, created for different budgets and different requirements.