We know web hosting is about as exciting to think about as a root canal. It’s much easier to just push it into the deep dark crevasse of ‘I’ll get to that later.’ However, not all web hosting providers are created equal, and understanding the don’ts when evaluating a provider is vital to the success of your online business presence.
1. Don’t Settle When It Comes to Speed
In the world of the Internet, faster is always better. A fast website design is crucial in this day and age to be taken seriously and considered relevant in ranking. Speed plays an integral role in how current and prospective customers perceive your brand. When someone visits your website, it is expected to load quickly (within 3 seconds). According to statistics, 40% of people abandon a site completely if it takes more than three seconds to load. Not meeting this standard means you’re losing business.
Speed is also extremely important to SEO and ranking. Search engines like Google have made load speed one of the factors that play into how well a site ranks. A higher-ranking leads to an increase in organic traffic, which is important for business growth.
Take Away: Evaluate your current or prospective host company for bandwidth and the number of sites on a server. The more sites on a server, the more bogged down it becomes, in turn making your site slower.
2. Don’t Assume You’re Safe
Your security and the security of those visiting your site, especially if you’re an eCommerce site, need to be your top priority. Ignoring or not understanding the security of your website sets it up to be compromised by hackers and malware. Unfortunately, not all web hosting providers are running on the most up-to-date, well-maintained, and secure servers. A secure web host protects your site from fraud and ensures your site stays up and running. They should also make backups of your site and always have your plugins updated to the most current version.
Take Away: Check what safety and backup protocols your current or prospective host has on their servers.
3. Don’t Focus on Price
In the world of web hosting, the old adage “You get what you pay for” rings true. Less expensive web hosting sites lure you in with low prices but often offer more bare-bone server options and require long commitments. With cheaper web host sites, you’ll share server resources, which impacts speed, as we discussed earlier, and will have fewer value-added features, which could impact safety protocols and backups.
Take Away: Cheaper is not always better. Companies who consider their website to be an integral part of their marketing strategy and rely on their website to promote their business or sell products should invest in a managed hosting or dedicated server provider.
Web hosting can be daunting and confusing, but it’s essential to understand the details of your hosting service. Ensuring your site is speedy and protected is necessary for success and investing in that success is vital. If you want to learn more about Just By Design’s hosting, please fill out the form below!
Justine is the Founder and Creative Director at Just By Design, a Central Oregon–based marketing studio that helps service-driven businesses build standout brands with strategy and purpose. With more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing, SEO, and content strategy, she’s known for combining clear thinking, creative direction, and real-world practicality to help businesses grow with clarity and confidence.
A proud University of Oregon graduate, Justine has called Oregon home for over 40 years. She leads every project personally, collaborating with a close-knit team of expert creatives and developers. Whether you’re launching something new or leveling up an established brand, Justine brings a thoughtful, hands-on approach to turning your vision into visibility—always grounded in strategy, built for real impact, and backed by care.