You already know what your next marketing campaign is going to cost. The budget is set, the content is ready, and you’ve decided where people will land after clicking an ad. Your website is supposed to handle the rest. Have you given much thought to whether it can?
Your hosting plan may have been chosen long before those plans existed. Back then, the website had fewer pages, fewer visitors, and probably a much simpler job to do. Since then, you’ve added new content, introduced features, and started relying on the site for more of your marketing.
The hosting that worked when you launched may still be enough. But it’s worth checking before you commit more money to bringing people to a website that now has different requirements.
Match Your Hosting Resources to the Work Your Website Does
Storage is usually one of the first numbers you see in a hosting plan. It’s easy to understand what 20 or 50 GB means, especially when you have plenty of images, videos, or downloadable files on your website. CPU and memory limits are less obvious, although they can matter just as much.
Take an online store. Its product images need storage, while orders and customer transactions rely more on processing power and memory.
When comparing web hosting plans, check the CPU and RAM limits alongside storage. You can also look at your current resource usage to see which limits you’re getting close to. Some hosting dashboards show this information directly. If yours doesn’t, it’s worth asking.
A plan with more storage isn’t necessarily a better fit if storage was never the problem.
Prepare Your Website for Active Marketing Campaigns
Your hosting plan may have enough resources for the website’s usual activity. But what happens when a marketing campaign brings a lot more visitors in a short period? Pages that normally load without any trouble may start taking longer to respond. It’s better to find that out before you’ve spent money bringing people to the site.
Before launching the campaign, you can ask your developer to run a load test. It’s worth checking more than how quickly the page opens:
- Increase traffic gradually. See how the website responds as more people use it at the same time.
- Test important actions. Try submitting forms, searching for products, or completing purchases during the test.
- Check for errors. Look for failed requests or functions that stop working under heavier traffic.
The results can help you decide whether the website needs adjustments or the hosting plan needs to change before the campaign begins.
Make Routine Website Management Less Complicated
Marketing teams don’t always have time to wait for technical assistance with routine website tasks. A new promotional page may be ready to publish, but a change to the website’s settings or a CMS update can still require help from a developer. The tools available in your hosting account can make some of these tasks easier to handle without outside help.
A convenient control panel gives you access to common website settings in one place. Built-in CMS tools can also simplify platform updates and other routine maintenance. Automatic backups and SSL renewal also reduce the number of maintenance tasks that need attention.
You won’t necessarily use all these features every week. But it helps to have them available when something needs attention.
Look Beyond the Introductory Hosting Price
The monthly price advertised on a hosting plan isn’t always what you’ll pay throughout the year. Some providers offer a lower rate for the first billing period, with a higher price when the subscription renews. That difference is easy to overlook when you’re comparing several options.
Before choosing a plan, it’s worth comparing two things:
- What you’re actually paying for. Two plans may cost roughly the same at checkout, but one includes daily backups and email accounts while the other charges for them separately. A lower advertised price doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll spend less.
- Renewal and payment terms. The price may change when your first billing period ends. See what you’ll pay after that and whether the advertised rate requires a longer subscription. If you’re considering a longer subscription, find out whether you can get a refund or credit for unused time when changing plans.
You may find that the plan with the higher advertised price is actually less expensive for the services your website needs.
Check the Details Before Choosing a Hosting Plan
You may have found two or three hosting plans that seem suitable for your website. Their prices are reasonable, and the features look similar. But there are a few things that aren’t always obvious from the comparison table.
Before making a decision, take a closer look at the conditions:
- Number of websites. Some plans only allow one website. If you’re thinking about launching another, check whether you’ll need a separate hosting account.
- Traffic limits. Unlimited bandwidth may still come with restrictions. Find out what happens if you exceed them.
- Upgrading your plan. Can you switch to a larger plan without moving your website? Also, check if the change requires any downtime.
- Leaving the provider. You should be able to download your website files and database. Make sure the provider gives you access to both.
You probably won’t need all these options right away. But knowing what’s possible can make the choice easier, especially if your plans for the website change later.
Hosting Should Support the Way You Market
Your marketing plans probably won’t stay the same from one year to the next. You may start using new channels, introduce different products, or find that your website has become more important to your business than it was when you first launched it.
Your hosting needs can change along with those plans. You don’t have to review your hosting plan every time you launch a campaign. Still, it’s worth including in your marketing plans when you’re making bigger changes to the website.
It’s much easier to make those decisions before your website starts limiting what your marketing team can accomplish.
