Managed Hosting Myths: Debunked

When your company is starting to grow,  you reach a point where you realize you need a solid online presence. So you look into managed hosting.

After researching web hosting and learning the basics, you now know that your website needs a place where all its data can be safely stored and accessed by visitors. You now know that that location is called a server and web host. Hosts offer their web hosting services, provide servers where companies and individuals keep and manage their websites.

But maybe you have a few doubts and have stumbled across a few misleading headlines about hosting that you need clearing up. No worries, we’re here to clear everything up. Here are five myths you might believe about web hosting.

It’s pricey 

One of the biggest myths about web hosting is that it’s super expensive and out of your price range. This simply isn’t true, there are many different types of web hosting plans with wildly different price points to suit everyone. 

Hosting companies know that different companies have different needs so they scale their offerings accordingly. 

Here is a brief overview of the different options

Shared Hosting  – Shared hosting is ideal for brochure sites, blog sites, test sites, and for companies who are just looking for an entry-level web presence.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) – Virtual Private Servers are a great option for businesses that have outgrown shared hosting and want to have dedicated resources at an affordable cost.

Dedicated Server/Managed Hosting – Colocation allows you to move your servers into the safe environment of a securely managed data centre whilst still retaining complete control over your servers.

Cloud Hosting – Businesses will often move over to a cloud hosting platform when they have been having hardware failures and frustrations that are impacting their business.

To find out more about the different types of hosting, read our simple guide to choosing the right hosting.

When choosing your server, the important thing is to know your website’s needs. Once you do, you can begin comparing prices and features that meet them. We always recommend talking to a hosting specialist who can help you pick the right plan for your needs.

You need a professional web developer

Many sites recommend getting a professional web designer to build your website first. Web designers are a great resource as they code beautiful websites from scratch but they are not in everyone’s budget. 

Don’t worry, not having a web developer won’t stop you from building your website. 

Content Management System (CMS) applications such as WordPress make web building easy, even if you know nothing about coding. They allow you to create sites using pre-built themes.

When it comes to sorting out your hosting, hosting companies can help you with the technical side, from their in-house experts, to easy to use systems and producing informative articles to guide you.

You can’t switch hosts

Another false belief some have is that once you’ve chosen a host, subscribed to the right package and bought and registered your domain name through this host, you are stuck with them forever. Which just isn’t true. You can change hosting providers whenever you want. You just need to know-how.

Moving a website is just a matter of backing up all the data from the first host, uploading it to the second, and then transferring the registration of your domain name. 

Changing hosts will involve:

Signing up with a new host: It’s important to do this and make all the transfers before cancelling your subscription with the host you’re leaving.

Downloading/Exporting all files and databases: Remember you’re moving all the contents of your website to a new server, so you will need to back up your website and all those files and databases to be moved. Be aware that some web building platforms do not allow you to download or export your existing site files. Uploading/Importing all files and databases: Everything backed up from the previous host should now get added to the new host.

Running tests on the new website: To ensure that everything is functioning as it should.

Changing your DNS records: Your DNS records need to be switched so that they point to the new host server and when your visitors enter your web address it will take them to the site on the new host.

Migration – Some hosting providers , like CWCS, offer free migration taking care of all your migration needs. Before looking to migrate any data, always consult with the web hosting provider first as they may be able to help you with this. 

Hosts are responsible for all the security needs for your website

Security is one of the biggest concerns for companies and many of them wrongly assume that their hosting company is solely responsible for the safety of their site. 

While all web hosting companies offer some form of protection for their servers and the websites on them, often there are some security measures that individuals must take for their protection. These include:

SSL certificates

Installing a Secure Sockets Layers (SSL) certificate on a website is a must, especially for ecommerce. It encrypts data transmitted between your site and its visitors. 

Back-ups

Backing up all the data from your website to another server and/or local drive protects against losing data. Also, if there’s a problem causing downtime, as a quick solution you can switch to a previously backed-up version of the site that doesn’t have that issue. Most good hosting providers will do this for you, but definitely worth checking for peace of mind.

Limiting admin access

Limit the number of persons with admin access to your site. Often you can also have different levels of access, giving some persons more restricted access to work on your site.

Password best practices

Use secure passwords that can’t be easily guessed and consider changing passwords at regular intervals.

Avoiding unsafe plugins, themes and apps

Some plugins and applications may come with vulnerabilities that affect your site or be outright harmful or malicious. Use only trusted applications on your website and keep them updated.

Regular Updates

Updating your CMS and all other applications used in your website’s development is good practice. Updates don’t just improve on function and features, but they also improve security and vulnerabilities.

Needless to say, be proactive when it comes to the security of your website. Any small act of carelessness can bring even a secure website crashing down.

All Web Hosting Providers Are Same

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is assuming that all web hosting providers are the same. Your provider plays a crucial role in the success of your site, so you need to have a good relationship with them.

Here are a few things you should talk to any potential web hosters about. 

• Reliability of Servers: You might have noticed that every web hosting provider does offer a lucrative uptime guarantee. Being a website owner, you must understand what implications downtime can have on your business. So you need a web hosting provider that guarantees maximum uptime.
• Website Speed: If your website shows slow response time, then your customers will migrate onto another site. Also, slow websites have adverse effects even on search engine rankings. So, choose a hosting provider that ensures your website is hosted with enough resources for keeping your site fast and secure always.
• Cost: You should always be vigilant and make sure that you are not overcharged with web hosting packages. Always have a cost-based comparison with other providers having similar web hosting packages.
• Post-Sale Services: After-sales service is the most crucial factor when considering a web hosting provider. A good web hosting provider makes sure that you get support when you need it. 
• Managed hosting: Do they offer any managed hosting services?

To find out more about CWCS offer as a managed hosting provider get in touch