There are several factors small business owners in South Africa should consider if they want the best web hosting for their business. One of the common questions to ask is: does the web host provide a SSL Certificate with the hosting plan?
You should also make sure that the web hosting company is registered on .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA), which is the statutory regulator and manager of the .ZA Domain namespace.
If you are still on the fence on whether to get a website for your business, here are some benefits to consider: it provides an expanded reach of customers, you can directly market to your customers online, and track and measure what works in real time and implement the best practices.
According to the article, top web hosting service for small businesses, you have two options regarding web hosting – if you opt for a website builder like Shopify, the relevant platform will host your website for you, however, if you opt for a self-hosted platform, you must secure hosting services from a hosting provider.
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Ask these questions to find the best web hosting in South Africa for your business website:
How will I pay for my web hosting service?
Many web hosting providers in South Africa offer month-to-month plans or subscriptions while others offer contracts. You must determine, based on your budget, what will work best for your business.
What features should I be looking out for and what are the costs?
It’s important that you do your research on the following standard features: storage space/ disk space, hosting options, web files backup and transfer capabilities, email hosting services, the uptime, bandwidth, and the security.
Web hosting companies may offer different plans based on how much storage space you need, the database size, and the number of email addresses you’ll get.
Is an SSL Certificate included in my plan?
Some may offer a free SSL Certificate within their plans, while others do not. It is best to get web hosting with an SSL Certificate as it ensure that your website is more secure with an encrypted connection.
How will my website be protected?
Many web hosting offers features such as web protection, network security, an anti-spam or anti-virus program, and/ or malware scanning.
Is website backup service an additional cost?
Find out from the web hosting service whether this option is included into the package or if it’s an add-on.
What plan can provide me with a faster web browser experience?
Some web hosting services are HTTP/2 enabled, this allows your web browser to load pages faster. You can also find out what uptime they offer – 99.9% uptime is best.
What type of customer support do you offer?
Ask the web hosting company if they offer multiple communication channels for customers such as email, phone calls, and mobile applications. The best web hosting companies offer 24/7 support services to attend to your queries quickly.
