Infographic: Web Hosting Warning Signs To Watch Out For in 2021

If there is one thing that the current pandemic has taught businesses worldwide, it is the need for having a digital presence for their brand. Creating a website or an online store has become easy today, thanks to the many CMS platforms that are available; the top being WordPress. Once you choose the right platform to build your website, you need to select the best web hosting for your site. However, selecting a web hosting can be a challenge as there are numerous options available. Thus, here are a few web hosting warning signs that you need to look for if you are purchasing new hosting or want to shift from one hosting provider to another.

Uptime: All reliable web hosting providers offer an uptime guarantee of 99.9%. Anything less than this will affect your site’s performance and impact your site’s credibility and ranking. Thus, check the uptime offered by the web hosting provider and read customer reviews to make an informed choice.

Security Features: With more businesses joining the online bandwagon, there has also been a rise in cyber-threats. If the web hosting company doesn’t offer the latest security features such as DDoS protection, antivirus and anti-malware software, spam filters, and firewall protection, then it is best to look for other options.

Customer Support: Without quality support, you would have a hard time dealing with any unexpected glitches on your site, which could affect your revenue. Most web hosting companies claim to offer uninterrupted 24/7 support. However, some may not live up to this claim. Hence, here too, customer reviews can help you. So, read them before you sign up with a hosting service provider.

Like these, there are other web hosting warning signs that you need to watch out for which are listed down in the below infographic. Check it out!

Infographic: 21 Warnings That Indicate It’s Time to Switch Your Web Hosting Right Away! Too Much Downtime: Too much downtime affects your site's traffic, credibility and ranking, which impacts your site's sales & conversion rate. Hence, if your website is experiencing more than 1% downtime, then it's a clear sign that you need to switch your host and find a reliable web hosting provider that guarantees you an uptime of 99.9%. Limited Bandwidth Allocation: While almost all hosting companies offer Unlimited Bandwidth, they do have some sort of fair usage policy that could limit your use. Thus, it is important that you read the hosting company's policy carefully to know your bandwidth limit because low bandwidth allocation can lead to your site going down affecting your SEO and Paid Social campaigns. Slow Loading Time: Slow site speed can be a result of increased website traffic, unoptimized site or too many clients on one server. Now, if the problem is due to increased traffic or an unoptimized site, then you need to upgrade your hosting plan and use effective optimization tips respectively. However, having too many websites on a single server is a clear indication of a bad web host and if this is the case, then you need to look for an alternative hosting service provider. Non-User-Friendly Control Panel: Having an intuitive Web Host Panel will help you to not only manage your site effectively, but it will also ensure that you are not left at the mercy of the host providers technical support staff to make even basic changes on your site. High Renewal Price: While it is a common marketing ploy to offer a low introductory price for new customers and charge a high rate on account renewals, if you feel that the renewal cost is way too much for the service you are using, then it may be time for a new web host. Insufficient Storage Space: The amount of storage space that you need greatly depends on the type of website you are running. However, if for some reason your hosting provider is unable to meet your storage needs, then you need to search for a new company if you don't want to hamper the productivity of your website. Exorbitant Fees to Upgrade: A good web host will always accommodate its customers and aid them in expanding their business. However, if your hosting provider is charging you an exorbitant price to upgrade for the same services and features, albeit with a bit more space and bandwidth, then it's best to look out for another web host. Unavailability of New Software: The best web hosting company will always be able to provide its customers with the latest update on software to help them effectively run their business. Hence, if your hosting provider is unable to provide you with new software that you need to run your website, then it's time you look elsewhere. Poor Security Features: Apart from making your site vulnerable to virus, spam and malware, poor site security can also get you penalized by Google affecting your site's ranking. Thus, if your hosting provider doesn't offer you first-class security features such as SiteLock, etc., then moving to another host is imperative, if you don't want to risk losing important data, getting hacked or hurting your site's credibility. Inexperienced Technical Support: If you have to explain every small issue to the technical staff & even then they don't understand the reason why your site is experiencing a problem or don't know how to fix it, then it is a clear indication of a unknowledgeable technical team and it's time to look for something better. Terrible Customer Support: A good web hosting company provides 24/7/365 phone and chat support. Since there is no telling when there may be an outage or when you might need immediate tech support to fix up glitches, having a great customer support is important. However, if you have been let down by poor customer support, then it's time you move on and find another web host. Inexplicable Charges: Charging you additional fees without any prior notice is a sign of a bad web host. Also, if the company is unable to provide you with a valid reason as to what these extra charges are for, then it makes sense to discontinue their service, as this might happen over and over again. Inadequate Backup Features: Backups are important in the event your site crashes or gets hacked. If your web host doesn't offer regular site backups or even weekly backups, then you need to search for a new web host company, as incidents happen and without proper backup, your business might suffer a huge loss. Lack of SSL Support: SSL certificate helps prevent hackers from spying on sensitive data, such as credit card details, user information, etc. Moreover, moving from HTTP to HTTPS is also good for SEO, as it signals to Google that you are a secure site, which helps boost your site's ranking. Therefore, if your hosting provider doesn't offer this essential feature, then it's best to move your site to another host. Limited MySQL Databases: Restriction on MySQL database limits your ability to integrate new technology on your website and prevents you from testing the same, thereby hampering the growth of your business. Thus, if you are facing this issue then it's best to consider another web host, one that offers you a sufficient number of MySQL databases.
Lack of Essential Features: Access to new features on Shared Hosting will largely depend on the type of package you have purchased. However, if you are paying top money and still have limited access to important features such as email, PHP scripts, etc., then you need to seek out a new company, one that suits your business needs and requirements.
Ineffective Email Spam Filters: If your hosting provider doesn't provide adequate anti-spam tools such as SpamAssassin or uses an effective technology that prevents hackers from phishing or embedding malicious software in your system, then it may be time for a change. Lack of Server Maintenance & Monitoring: Lack of regular server maintenance and monitoring can turn a simple server failure into a server disaster. Thus, if your web host doesn't provide regular server maintenance, then it's a red flag to move on. Add-on Domains Not Supported: If you have two domains example.com and example1.com, then the Add-on domains feature will allow you to operate them under a single control panel, without having to pay additional monthly fees for hosting. Hence, if your hosting provider doesn't provide you with the option to add multiple domains to your account, then it's wise to discontinue their service. If your hosting provider is unable to provide you with the updated version of tools that you want to use or doesn't allow you to integrate third party apps, then move out and look for a quality web host that offers you technology that suits your need.

Author Bio: Sudhir Bhushan is a Tech & Social enthusiast. He is also a Web Entrepreneur by Profession and loves to write about the latest trends in Social Media & SEO.