Step 1: List down your web host requirements
- Analyze your website’s needs in the following factors:
- The type of website you’re building (e.g., blog, e-commerce, portfolio)
- Expected traffic volume
- Storage and bandwidth needs
- Email hosting
- Domain registration and management
- Technical support preferences
- This will help you determine the type of hosting plan you need (shared, VPS, dedicated, or cloud).
Step 2: Do your research on the web hosting provider
- Browse through various hosting providers’ websites to check their features, pricing, and server locations.
- Some popular hosting providers in Malaysia include:
- Exabytes (Affiliate Link)
- ServerFreak (Affiliate Link)
- BigDomain
- Shinjuru
- Read customer reviews and testimonials to gain insights into their reliability and performance.
Step 3: Compare web hosting plans
- Once you have shortlisted a few hosting providers, compare their plans based on your requirements.
- Pay attention to disk space, bandwidth, server uptime guarantee, and the number of domains you can host.
- Some hosting provider have specially optimized plan for WordPress.
Step 4: Check for additional features
- Look for extra features that can benefit your website, such as:
- Free SSL certificates
- Support CDN integration
- Free automated backups
- Malware protection
- 24/7 customer support
- Recommend hosting that support LiteSpeed Cache, is on SSD storage, and also support PHP v8.0 and above should be considered.
Step 5: Evaluate pricing and scalability
- Compare the pricing of different hosting plans and ensure they fit within your budget.
- Also, consider the scalability of the plans as your website grows in the future.
- This is because some hosting provider allow upgrade of the hosting package, and some don’t.
- Preferable those that do allow, and those that also provide migration services on this.
Step 6: Test customer support
- Reach out to the hosting providers’ customer support teams with queries and gauge their responsiveness and helpfulness.
- This will give you an idea of the level of assistance you can expect after signing up.
- Especially if the hosting provider have live chat, then can start evaluating them by asking some questions of about features and scalability.
Step 7: Review the refund policy & service level agreement
- Check the hosting provider’s refund policy in case you decide to cancel their services.
- Some providers offer a money-back guarantee or pro-rated refunds, while others may not.
- Also do check if they have policies of charging extra activation fees if your hosting being suspended due to late payment.
- Most hosting provider have grace period, but some will have a fee to reactivate your suspended account.
- Also take note of the service level agreement, and what is their guaranteed uptime.
Do read more to understand why we recommend taking note of the SLA and Guaranteed Uptime this case study: How We Solved Our Client’s Website Hosting Stability Issues Using Website Monitoring Tool
Step 8: Make your decision
- After considering all the factors mentioned above, choose a hosting provider that offers the best value for money and meets your website’s needs.
Step 9: Monitor performance
- Once you’ve signed up with a hosting provider, keep an eye on your website’s performance and uptime to ensure they deliver as promised.
- If you encounter any issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to their support team for assistance.
By following these steps, you can find a reliable hosting provider that ensures optimal performance, security, and support for your website.
Need further help? Feel free to contact us for assistance in evaluating, managing, or liaising with your chosen hosting provider. Or check out our Ultimate SEO Checklist for 2023 to boost your website ranking.