Right now, your digital storefront is the face of your business. When customers are going to make a purchase, whether online or in person, the first thing they are checking is your online presence. If they want to make a purchase at your physical store, they are checking for things like updated hours and procedures, whether particular items are in stock before they leave the house, and more.
It has never been more important to have an up-to-date and well-functioning website and social media pages, and it may be time to go back to the beginning to ensure the foundation of your web presence is in order.
When building a website, there are a lot of factors to consider. Will you have a custom design or use a pre-made content management system like WordPress? Will you manage your website yourself or bring in a professional? Is a website going to be something you can keep up with yourself or do you need to have professionals on staff to manage the day-to-day issues and operations for your website? Do you have the technical knowledge to deal with any mishaps, DDoS attacks, or even optimal SEO for a website?
For most small business owners, there are a lot of options. You can choose to handle your website yourself, only calling in professionals when there is an issue beyond your capabilities. You can hire a company or individual to help you build and run your website. But before you even get started you need to consider where your website will be hosted.
There are many different types of website hosting and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages:
- Shared Hosting – multiple sites hosted on the same server
- Virtual Private Server – websites are compartmentalized into their own spaces
- Dedicated Server Hosting – each site is on its own server
- Cloud Hosting – different parts of the website are stored on different servers
- Managed WordPress Hosting – all the technical aspects of hosting are managed by the hosting company
Depending on your business and what kind of applications you are using a website for, starting with the basics and going from there ensures smooth operation when you really need it, and that time is now. Doing a checkup right now to ensure your website is operating at optimal performance can help keep your business humming along even in the most difficult of times. Learn more about the different choices in website hosting from the infographic below.
Trending Articles
