Economy, ecology, technologies and web accommodation society: how to choose your platform?
À la création de votre site web ou lors d’une refonte complète, la question de l’hébergement web est incontournable. Ce choix est en effet loin d’être anodin, car de lui dépendra l’efficacité de votre site web, notamment en ce qui concerne sa vitesse d’affichage et ses performances générales. Le choix d’un hébergement web peut cependant s’apparenter à un véritable parcourt du combattant, compte tenu de la multitude d’acteurs présents sur le marché. Pour arriver à bout de ce dilemme, il est essentiel de prendre en compte des critères objectifs et pertinents, afin de choisir un prestataire fiable.
Useful resources to choose a web host
There are several questions to ask to choose your web hosting platform, to determine the technical needs of your future website.If it can be quite tempting to direct you to suppliers who offer many features at reduced prices, it is however preferable to opt for a provider who offers services adapted to your needs.A developer, for example, has no more interest in opting for accommodation that focuses on the security component and which offers high bandwidth levels.Likewise, mail functionality can be an essential criterion for companies.
In general, it is important to determine in advance:
Storage is undoubtedly one of the simplest options to understand.Many providers offer unlimited storage, but this is not necessarily relevant if you just have a little blog.In terms of storage, the most important element to consider is the presence of an SSD disc.This storage technology is much faster and more reliable than conventional hard drives.
As for the bandwidth, it indicates the speed with which Internet users can have access to your website.This metric is particularly important since it determines the number of people who can connect simultaneously to your website.
In terms of integration, hosts usually include the possibility of installing a CMS (Content Management System).Depending on the content of the site you want to create (WordPress for a blog for example), this characteristic can be crucial.
The type of accommodation
One of the first things to do to select your host is to understand the different types of accommodation that exist.Depending on your website, some hosts will indeed be more suitable than others.There are mainly four types of web accommodation: shared accommodation, dedicated accommodation, VPS accommodation and cloud accommodation.
Shared accommodation
This type of accommodation is shared between several customers and websites.This can be practical if you enter the world of accommodation for the first time.You can then take advantage of a shared package and later decide to migrate to a more suitable VPS or solution.
In addition, shared accommodation allows costs to be lowered when your activity does not require substantial storage.This is for example the case if you have a showcase site or a blog.Performance can however be affected by the growth of your site, due to the distribution of resources.
VPS accommodation
Kind of just medium between shared accommodation and the dedicated server, VPS accommodation (virtual private server) provides you with a server divided into virtual machines.These act as real independent dedicated servers and offer less restrictive possibilities of evolution than in the case of a dedicated server.Likewise, they allow substantial savings on the cost of accommodation since the resources are shared.VPS hosts also include SSD storage and other software updates.They are well suited to companies that have experienced rapid growth.
Dedicated accommodation
This type of accommodation allows you to benefit from a server reserved for your business with its own operating system.You thus benefit from as many resources as possible with the bonus of better security of your sensitive data.Opt for this accommodation if your website is known to the national, regional or global level and therefore receives high traffic.
In addition, only a dedicated server can effectively meet your configuration and personalization needs.You will indeed have a total control over the architecture of your server.This level of performance, and the luxury features that accompany this high -end accommodation, however, have a cost that can be quite high.
Cloud accommodation
Cloud accommodation is, to a certain extent, the shared server.However, it does not depend on a single server, but many virtual servers.It has the advantage of adapting in real time to your needs by modulating the bandwidth that it allocates to you according to your traffic.
The availability and speed of servers
The availability and speed of servers are first -rate criteria to choose your web hosting solution on the market.These are indeed key elements to determine the performance of the hosts offered by a provider.These performances depend on the quality and reliability of the datacenter of the host.We can cite the sad example of the Datacenter OVH fire in the spring of 2021.
This fire has completely destroyed several servers.It has made millions of websites unavailable for several days, some who have had final data losses.In effect;Backups or backups were in the same datacenter.Fortunately such an accident that destroys the entirety of several server rooms is extremely rare!
Generally expressed as a percentage, the availability of servers is a guarantee of the reliability of the accommodation.It is often between 99 % and 100 %.This difference may seem low in absolute terms, but in practice, 1 % of unavailability per year already represents more than three days.This can be problematic depending on the type of website you have.In the case of an e-commerce site for example, this is simply not acceptable.Each second during which your site is inaccessible, you lack many sales opportunities, without forgetting the damage brought to the brand image.To do this, it is recommended to orient yourself towards providers whose network offers an availability of 99.9 % or more.
Likewise, do not hesitate to compare the connection speed of the servers of the different accommodation platforms available.This data is intimately linked to the display speed of your pages which is a key element in the performance of your website.She can even affect her web referencing.The loading speed of a page is indeed one of the flagship criteria of SEM for Google and for most other search engines.
Accommodation prices
Accommodation has a cost, and depending on your budget, it can make all the difference.If it is true that the accommodation solutions offered by many providers can be quite close to the price level, the disparities become more obvious when you move away from their basic offer.Compare the different offers more effectively and make sure you take the additional costs.Likewise, make sure you budget certain services such as recording the domain name.
Accommodation in itself does not exceed a few euros per month, without forgetting that most providers will offer you a discount if you subscribe a minimum subscription of a year.
The location and scalability of your accommodation
Companies are generally recommended to use hosts who have physical servers in the country of the website that will be hosted.And for good reason, this will allow this site to be better positioned in the Serps.This is a real SEO criterion, even if it is not the most important in your SEO strategy.In order to put all the odds on your side, opt for example for a web host in France if it is your target country.
Likewise, we recommend that you opt for platforms that can support you during the growth of your site.This is often the case with those that offer different types of accommodation, which offers you more flexibility.
The level of security offered by the web host
If there is one criterion on which you cannot ignore, this is the level of security offered by the accommodation platforms.It is estimated that in more than 40 % of cases, compromise websites are due to a vulnerability of the host.Do not hesitate to compare the tools and safety options offered by the latter.Trust suppliers who include SSL certificates, firewalls, IP blocking and double authentication which can be very useful in prevention of possible attacks on pirates.
Likewise, a platform whose installations are certified Tier III, ISO 9001: 2008, ISO50001: 2011, ISAE3402 or PCI-DSS is an excellent choice.The regularity of automatic backups is also an important option to protect your data in the event of accidents.
The availability of the technical support of the host
What is the quality of customer service from your web host?This is an important question to take into account before your decision.Preferably opt for an host who offers ultra fast customer service, available 24/7, on a diversity of channels: telephone, cat, SMS.This can make the difference in the event of technical problems which are most often unpredictable.Sending an answer by email within 24 hours is also a positive point for providers who offer it.
To convince you of the reliability of a customer service, do not only rely on the often overrated affirmations of sales arguments.Do not hesitate to test it yourself to get an idea of its quality.
Reviews on hosts left by customers
Has a particular service provider caught your attention after multiple technical comparisons?Before taking action, we strongly recommend that you consult the opinions and testimonies left by customers.All hosts have their drawbacks, but none will like it to mention them.This is the importance of authentic and impartial opinions of customers.They allow you to shoot the real from the false and take a step back before making your choice.