How does a small business succeed in the 21st Century? While this is a loaded question, with hundreds of answers, topping this list is a functional, high-performing and stable website. While there are many elements that go into cultivating a successful small business WordPress website, none are as important as your hosting provider.
To remain competitive in the current marketplace, and to grow into a profitable business, the foundation of your online presence must be stable, secure and on the cutting-edge of technology. So, before you signup with just any hosting provider, take a moment to review the six tips for
WordPress small business hosting success.
Tip #1 – Hosting Service Performance
Topping this list of essential tips for small business WordPress hosting services boils down to the technical performance of the server. When reviewing a potential service provider, it’s important to make sure that their technical specifications meet and exceed your current and future requirements. Make sure to review not only their uptime guarantee, but also their average uptime. Confirm these statements by browsing online forums and reading the real opinions of other customers.
Tip #2 – Small Business Service Specialties
Before making a decision, ask yourself if the hosting company understands the various requirements and unique technical specifications that pertain to small businesses. It’s important to choose a WordPress hosting provider who understands the unique variables of operating a small business website. Otherwise, you may find yourself out of luck when it comes to solving specific issues. The truth is that selecting the best web hosting for a small business is no easy task, and the more you can evaluate your options, the better off you’ll be. Web Hosting Buddy has an absolutely excellent guide on this that helps you understand not only where your needs may lie, but also how to save money on web hosting too.
Tip #3 – Average Server Speed
Along with server performance, it’s important to verify the average server speed. Not only is this important for your visitors, who demand almost lightning-fast response times, but also for search engine ranking. For small business websites, it’s important that the average page load response time be no longer than two seconds. Yes, it’s really that fast.
Tip #4 – Customer Service Quality and Value
Unlike personal WordPress sites, small business enterprises have many unique moving parts. It’s imperative that these moving parts work, but what happens when they don’t? This is when the quality of their customer service comes into play. Make sure that the company not only understands and supports the unique demands of a small business website, but also offers the customer service support needed to answer your questions and provide swift solutions.
Tip #5 – Competitive Pricing for Level of Service
This is the most important element. While small business WordPress hosting services are often more expensive than traditional, or standard, hosting levels, they shouldn’t be outrageous. Make sure you compare hosting providers options against each other to ensure you get the most out of every dollar.
Tip #6 – Managed WordPress Hosting Options
Running a small business takes a lot of work. Unfortunately, so does running and operating a WordPress website. If you’re not well-versed in WordPress, or if you’re just busy running your business, then you should consider a managed WordPress hosting option for small businesses. This unique level of service completely takes over the technical side of refining and safeguarding your WordPress site so you have more time to focus on what’s important: crafting a successful and profitable online business.