In this current economy and age where online shopping is one of the most popular activities globally, getting it right when choosing the right host becomes as important as your business itself. It is estimated that e-commerce returns worldwide will be 4.24 trillion dollars of the United States in 2020 alone, and these numbers are expected to rise to 5.4 trillion dollars in the year 2022. Nonetheless, choosing a host that can guarantee you speed, attractive features tailored to your needs, good storage, and security should rank in your top list.

Whether you’re not sure where to begin with web hosting or your current host isn’t cutting it for your business’ needs, this article from our Austin hosting team is sure to help point you in the right direction.

What is Web Hosting?

Technology has brought us to an age where you do not have to hire a whole team of IT professionals to get the job done. Your work is to look for the company that bests serve your needs when it comes to hosting. Web hosting is one of the most fundamental parts of a website.

There are great companies out there that have put in the time to create technological solutions that cater for different needs, and not all hosts are equal. Therefore, careful consideration should be taken to ensure you choose the right host to suit your needs.

Instead of hiring a whole team to develop a website for you, with a small fee, you can get the same services from a web hosting company which is a great business decision you can make.

Types of Web Hosts

To better identify and choose the right host, you must first understand the types of web hosting companies that exist in the market. The web host is the infrastructure that allows an organization to publish a website. Some offer simple web hosting services, some are in highly lucrative markets, and others are in less crowded markets. The six most basic types include the following:

1. Shared Hosting

Good for those at the starting stage of website hosting, shared hosting is where a site is stored on the same servers just like other sites. Random Access Memory as well as the Central Processing unit are shared, and therefore the cost is cheaper. This makes shared hosting companies the most excellent choice for beginner website owners.

It can be used by an owner of an enterprise, a community group, or a blogger as it is simple to host. Facilities like website builders, WordPress hosting, and even email interface are available. The only downside to it is that sudden surges of users can affect your site’s speed and performance, as shared hosting isn’t built for a high capacity of website users.

2. VPS (Virtual private server) Hosting

This is most appropriate for site owners who require more control but don’t necessarily require a dedicated server. Each website is hosted in its own space even if it integrates with others as well. Even though VPS still cannot handle high traffic, it allows access to more customization and storage space.

3. Dedicated Server Hosting

This allows for more control as the server is absolutely for you, and only your site is stored in it. You have access as an admin, and you can regulate the whole thing, including security as well as the operating system. You should keep in mind, however, that this is an expensive web hosting option. It’s only practical for website owners who get high traffic and need control over their servers.

4. Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting means many interconnected computers operating applications together with the help of shared computing resources. It is a technique used by companies that operate one network and offer computing resources as a utility.

Users can involve as many resources as they require without building and maintaining the infrastructure of their computers. They are widespread over several servers with little chance of malfunctioning. With cloud base hosting, your website can grow while your business only pays for the resources it needs.

5. Managed Hosting

Here, the provider takes care of the the day-to-day operation as well as management of the standardized applications. Several of the hosting packages available are actually managed, but it all comes down to what you need. Each plan caters for different groups and needs.

6. Colocation

This hosting service allows you to rent a physical space where you are provided with electricity, internet connection with a bandwidth of great strength, an IP address, and cooling systems. With these resources, you are left to manage your own devices. If you own your own computer server, you may choose to “co-locate” instead of keeping it in your home or office.

Which one do you want? What is good for you? This is a question only you can answer. Even though there are many to choose from, it boils down to what best suits you need.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Web Host

1. The resources required
2. Expected traffic
3. The kind of website available
4. Your budget

Criteria to Choosing the Best Web Hosting Service for Your Website

Measure up each web host against these criteria to get the best choice.

1. Understand Your Website’s Needs

Make a list of what you need on a website. From there, compare them to what the potential host is offering. If you have a specific need, make sure you consider it. For photography, you might need and look up hosts that offer speed and storage and a content delivery network for content-heavy sites. For E-commerce sites, you might want to consider bandwidth and security.

2. Consider the Host’s Subscription Period Contract

Consider the contract lengths including monthly and yearly plans, and think how long you would want to commit upfront. It is advisable to pay for a few months first to experience it, and you can commit long term if you like it. This strategy can save you quite a lot of money.

3. Check for Server Reliability

Look for uptime guarantees and how reliable the service can be. You want to ensure that your website will be online and available when users need you without issues.

4. Ask About Host’s Refund Policy and Guarantees

This is for “what if” purposes. You want to know whether they are fluid and flexible to refund your money if you change your mind.

5. Know Your Upgrade Options

It is important to know if some charges or penalties will accrue to you later when you try to upgrade. Your business or blog might go viral, and there might be a need to upgrade quickly. You need to know if you can upgrade on short notice and how smooth the process will be.

In addition to that, verify your hosts’ features, determine whether hosts support e-commerce, find out what kind of control you will have access to, and understand your account’s limitations. Those are the most basic criteria you might need to find the right web host.

Find Web Hosting in Austin TX

If you’re in need of reliable, fast commercial hosting with excellent customer support, the web team at tekRESCUE is ready to help. Our Austin hosting Services can take your business’ site to the next level with managed updates and priority support. Contact us to learn how we can help!

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) are an increasingly popular web design element, and with good reason. They’re extremely flexible, easy to update, and don’t lose quality when resized. On the other hand, many people don’t know what SVGs are or how to use them, making it difficult to work with designers in their projects. This article outlines the pros and cons of using SVG graphics on your website so you can decide whether they’re right for you.

What are SVG Files?

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files are vector images, meaning they can be infinitely scaled without losing quality. This makes them especially useful for web designers who need to resize without losing sharpness or clarity. While designers can always use raster graphics like JPEGs, these types of images lose quality if scaled up. SVG files aren’t limited to working online either; you can also import them into any program that works with vector graphics, including Photoshop.

Advantages of Using SVG Images

1. Scalability

A scalable vector graphics (SVG) image is a scalable image format. It maintains the same crisp quality no matter the size of the display. This makes images look sharp and clean on any screen, regardless of pixel density.

2. Speed

The implementation of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) in web design is fast. Raster images like JPEGs and PNGs typically have very large file sizes, slowing down websites as a visitor’s browser tries to download all that information. SVGs, on the other hand, have much smaller file sizes and load much quicker.

3. Versatility

The browser compatibility of Scalable Vector Graphics is extremely good. With support for all modern browsers, it means your website can display clean scalable graphics to the vast majority of your potential audience, regardless of the device they’re using. SVGs also make it easy to add animation effects to websites without needing to use third-party plugins, as they’re able to be selected and manipulated using simple CSS.

4. Resolution Independence

Resolution independence is the quality of an image that can be scaled and zoomed to any size without losing sharpness or clarity. With their vector-based content, SVG images provide this advantage to businesses, allowing them to scale logos and original graphics to any size without loss of quality. Present your business’ assets as they were meant to be!

5. W3C Standards Support

When you use SVG images, you can ensure that your website complies with the standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These standards ensure that a site is compatible across multiple browsers and devices and is accessible to the widest audience possible.

6. DPI Independence

SVG images offer DPI independence. This makes it easy to create crisp graphics that can not only be displayed at any size on a screen, but also printed at any size. From business cards to highway billboards, a single graphic in SVG format can be used for any print implementation.

7. Interactivity

Interactivity is one of the advantages that makes web design unique compared to print design. Adding animation and interactivity to your website will help keep visitors engaged with your site and encourage them to stay longer on-site, and SVGs add to this potential significantly. Web designers can use CSS and JavaScript to animate SVGs with near limitless potential, allowing your website to deliver a one-of-a-kind user experience that visitors won’t easily forget.

Disadvantages of Using SVG Images

Because SVG is vector-based, it does not work well for images with lots of fine details and textures like photographs. SVG is best suited for logos, icons, and other “flat” graphics that use simpler colors and shapes. Also, while most modern browsers support SVG, older browsers may not work with them properly. This can cause a website to look broken or unexpected to people who are still using them.

Key Takeaways

Although SVGs are easier to create than ever before, they can lead to visual complications if you’re not careful. Therefore, when deciding whether or not SVGs are appropriate for your project, it is helpful to compare them with other types of graphics—namely PNGs and JPGs. You can refer to our infographic “Image File Types Decoded” to see how SVGs stack up against other file types and how to decide which one to use for your project.