Australian WordPress Hosting: Choosing the Right Option for Your Site
WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world, and for good reason. Although there are many different hosting solutions available, not all of them are made equal. Just like with any other product or service, there are a few popular Australian hosting companies that go above and beyond the basic hosting service to provide an incredible experience for their customers. In this article, we will discuss the various features that you need to check out before making a decision about which Australian hosting company to pick for your site.
Features You Need To Consider
You don’t want to pick a web host that doesn’t have thefeatures you need, so before you make your decision, it might be a good idea to ask yourself some questions about what you want out of a web host.
These questions will help you determine what features are most important to you and whether or not the hosting company you are looking at has the ability to provide these features. Here are some of the most important things to consider before making a decision:
Accounts Payable And Receivable
One of the most fundamental differences between shared hosting and premium hosting is how accounts are handled. With shared hosting, all of the accounts are put on the same payment schedule. This means that every month you will be billed the same amount regardless of how much traffic your site receives. As a result, you might find that at the end of the month you have a large amount of money owed to you from previous months.
Premium hosting, on the other hand, is designed to provide the best possible service to each and every customer, which usually results in lower monthly expenses for the company. This is made possible through the use of pre-paid hosting accounts, which means that each month you will be billed only for what you use. Because different customers use different amounts of resources each month, the company can anticipate these costs and ensure that there are no surprises at the end of the month.
Resource-Based Billing
It’s important to consider both the features discussed above when choosing a web host because not all companies are created equal. While some companies focus on giving you the basics and leaving you to figure out how to pay for extra services, others will go the extra mile to ensure that you have everything you need and that your experience is completely unique. One way that some of these companies provide this extra level of service is through resource-based billing. This system assigns a certain amount of resource usage to each user, meaning that each month you will be notified of how much you have used and will need to pay accordingly. This is usually done through the use of a resource meter that is generated based on your site’s unique configuration. This type of system ensures that you are always aware of how much you are using and prevents you from being overcharged because of faulty estimates.
Free Backup
Another important consideration when choosing a web host is whether or not they offer a free backup service. If you are using WordPress, you know that it is extremely important to protect your website content from loss. Even if you choose to store your files on a backup server, if your site is ever down for an extended period of time, you will lose all of the content you have built. A free backup service is an important feature to have because it ensures that your content is always safe and accessible. In most cases, you will be required to register with the hosting company before you can access the service, but even then, you will need to pay for the backup space each month.
SSD Storage
Solid state drives (SSD) are much faster than traditional hard drives (HDD) and can greatly improve your site’s performance. Because they have no moving parts, SSD’s are extremely reliable and will not fail as often as HDDs. Additionally, because they consume less energy, they are perfect for environments where you need to save energy or you go completely off-grid.
Multiple Domains
If you are the owner of a business with multiple locations or brands, having the ability to host multiple domains is essential. Depending on your budget, you might want to purchase a single set of hosting servers and use them to host all of your websites or you could outsource the work to a hosting company that offers this service. Either way, being able to host multiple domains is crucial because it gives you the flexibility of having multiple storefronts or brands online at the same time. Even if you only have one site now, the ability to host multiple domains gives you the flexibility of adding more sites at a later time without having to worry about running out of space.
Geo-Restrictions
Another important consideration when choosing a web host is whether or not they offer geo-restrictions. You might want to create a free account with the web host you choose and begin using it right away, but if you are from Australia and want the best possible experience, you might want to consider buying dedicated hosting instead. This type of plan might cost you a little more money upfront, but it will be worth it because it gets rid of all of the limitations that come with the shared hosting plan. For example, if you are from Australia and have a US-based customer that you want to serve, you will need to use a VPN to get around the geo-restriction. It’s a pain to have to set up the VPN manually for each device you use to access the internet, especially if you are in a remote area without cellular service. Using a VPN on the server is much simpler because all of the devices connected to it will use the same connection. You can check out 1&1 VPN for more information about getting around geo-restrictions if you are interested.
Flexible Billing
Another important consideration when choosing a web host is whether or not they offer flexible billing. You don’t always need to use all of the resources given to you by the hosting company, so it is important to have the ability to cancel the services you don’t need. Unless you are the type of person that can pay for everything upfront, you will have to figure out a way to pay for the services you use on a monthly basis. Using a credit card that doesn’t charge you monthly fees is the best option, but even then, you will need to pay the minimum amount due each month to avoid incurring huge late fees. If you fall into this category, it is important to choose a host that is flexible with their billing so you don’t have to worry about being hit with hefty fees if you accidentally exceed your limits.
CGI-BIN Environment
Most web hosts these days offer some type of CGI-BIN environment, which is short for Common Gateway Interface — Binary Environment. This environment gives you the ability to upload and run scripts of any type through your website. The most basic CGI-BIN installation allows you to create simple animations or run simple scripts that do nothing more than change a few words or images on a website. If you are the type of person that loves to code or has a passion for creating graphics or animations, this is a must. You will not need to know how to code to make use of this feature.
Fancy Hosting Features
Although not all web hosts provide the same level of service, there are a few that go above and beyond the normal hosting service and provide a lot of extra features. These are the kinds of features that make a big difference in how you experience shopping online or performing other tasks online. Here are some examples of fancy hosting features:
Auto-install Scripts
Installing scripts can be a tedious task, and it is important to choose a web host that will make the process as easy as possible. Some web hosts will walk you through the entire process of installing scripts while others will just throw you out there and expect you to figure it out. The best web hosts will take the time to walk you through each step and make sure that everything is done correctly. The result is that you won’t have to worry about installing scripts anymore and can focus on what’s important to you — running your business.
Free DNS
DNS stands for Domain Name System and is essentially the internet’s version of a phone book. When you install a website onto your server, you will also need to configure the DNS records associated with it. Normally, you will have to pay for this service, but a few web hosts will give you their internal DNS for free, meaning that you don’t need to pay for these services. If you are the type of person that likes to keep your costs low, this is a big bonus.