Web hosting is an integral part of any online business. Whether you’re running a blog or whether you’re running an e-commerce website, you always need proper secure hosting in order to run your business seamlessly.
With the help of a secure hosting, you will not have to deal with things like hacking or phishing. Moreover, a secure hosting will actually have redundant systems in order to thwart such hacking attempts as well.
When you’re looking to choose a secure host, it is important to compare the different hosting providers on a few factors. The top 10 hosting companies control almost 24% of the whole web hosting market, but still, it’s a large and well-developed market.
We will today share with you 5 things which you should check before you pick a secure hosting company for your blog or e-commerce website.
1. Accessibility
Secure web hosting should not only provide you with various security features but they should also provide you with authorization to activate or deactivate those features based on your requirement.
Some of these features which should be provided by such a web hosting company include:
- Firewall: A firewall allows you to block traffic based on a certain set of parameters. It also helps you in sorting the most common web attacks.
- DDoS protection: The DDoS protection ensures that you are able to avoid your website from getting overwhelmed by bot visitors from all over the world. This helps you in creating an obstacle before the bot visitors are able to access your website. Thus, the resources of your website are not too preoccupied as these bot visitors try to access it. This prevents the website from going down.
- Security monitoring: No matter the kind of security features which are provided, security monitoring is always a necessity. Your web hosting provider should offer you security monitoring features in order to detect any ongoing attacks.
- Spam filtering: Email spam filtering is another useful feature which should be provided by your secure web hosting company. Moreover, the output email port should incorporate a bottleneck in order to avoid email spam attacks through your domain.
- SSL security certificate: Last but not the least, SSL security certificate should be provided by your web hosting provider. This will encrypt all the user data as well as your website data.
When such security features are provided to you by your web hosting provider, you will have complete control over the security and integrity of the data and your website.
2. Backups and Restore Options
One of the main problems which you can face in any hacking attempt is the loss of data. An easier solution to this problem is to opt for secure hosting providers who offer you backup and restore options. Various studies show that 68% of small businesses don’t have a disaster recovery plan.
When periodic backups are taken of your blog or e-commerce website, you can be sure that in case of any hacking attempt as well, you will be able to restore the latest backup easily. This will, in turn, help you minimize the loss of data as well as the disruption of your website.
3. DDoS Protection
DDoS stands for distributed denial of service attacks. In these types of attacks, an army of bots tries to access your website consistently. The number of bots trying to access your website simultaneously is so high that the resources of your hosting are tied up by them. As a result, your website goes down as the hosting resources are over.
You have to typically choose the web hosting providers which provide you with DDoS protection. DDoS protected hosting does not allow these bots to directly access your website. They have filters to insulate these bots from your actual hosting resources.
As a result, when an attack is detected, the bots will no longer be able to access your website. This will ensure that the actual hosting resources are free for real visitors. That is why you should always check whether the secure web hosting provider which you are choosing provides DDoS protection or not.
4. Software Updates
The web hosting provider is responsible for providing you access to software like c-Panel, WordPress as well as email management software like Horde. Most of these software suites get updated frequently.
Ideally, you should choose a web hosting provider which allows you the option to automatically update the software. This will save you a lot of time as well as hassle.
When your web hosting provider is providing you with one click update, it becomes easier for you to access the latest features offered by the software which you are using.
According to Sucuri research, 56% of hacked WordPress sites are using outdated CMS applications. That is why you have to inquire about it from your prospective web hosting provider in advance.
5. Trustworthiness
Last but not least, you have to check the credibility as well as the trustworthiness of your web hosting provider. There are numerous ways to do so. We will highlight some of these ways below.
- Checking the reviews: You have to check the reviews of the web hosting provider on sites like WebHostingTalk. This will provide you with a clear idea as to whether the web hosting provider is trustworthy or not.
- Checking the social media channels: If the web hosting provider does not have good after-sales support, most of the customers will vent their anger on social media websites. That is why; you have to check their social media channels to find out if they are trustworthy.
- Whois check: A whois check of the web hosting providers domain will let you know more about the company providing web hosting services. Ideally, they should have their business address and business phone numbers listed in the Whois records. If their Whois records are hidden, you have to avoid that web hosting provider.
- Reverse phone lookup: You have to always check the phone numbers of the web hosting provider through services like Spokeo. A reverse phone lookup will help you understand whether it is a real web hosting business or just a fly by night operator.
You can utilize all of these methods in order to check the trustworthiness of the web hosting provider before choosing one.
Conclusion
So, the next time around you’re looking for a secure web hosting provider for your blog or e-commerce website, just follow these 5 steps and you will be able to find the best web hosting providers.
As Forbes article shows, 30,000 sites are being hacked every day, so it’s really important to have cybersecurity knowledge on your guard. With the help of these 5 factors, you will be able to choose the web hosting providers which are credible, robust as well as trustworthy.