Designing a website for your company takes quite a bit of creativity, pre-planning and personalization. That’s why most web hosting services tend to offer a host of different tools and features that allow for customization. But, just because these features are offered doesn’t mean they’re necessary. Or that you even need them. In fact, some of the tools are fillers that exist only to try and entice you to spend more. If you’re looking to create a website without spending more than you need to, you need to understand what extras you’ll need and which ones you won’t.

Map Out Necessities

Before you sign up for a web hosting service and fork over the cash for extras, you need to map out the necessities. Think about how much space your website would need, whether you need domain email addresses, or auto-responders, etc.

Having this kind of info at hand takes a lot of the guesswork away from the decision. For example, why drop an extra 50$ on 100 GB of storage when all you really need is 10 GB? If all you’re looking to do is post some blogs and house contact info on your website, 10 GB will more than suffice your needs.

Don’t Scrimp On Important Things

You might think that 24/7 customer service access isn’t really that big of a deal, but it is. You’re going to want uptime that’s constant, especially if you’re website is bringing in revenue. If you’re checking things out at 3:00 AM and you notice your site is down, you’re going to want it back up and running ASAP. If your web host doesn’t have 24/7 customer service that’s not going to be an option for you. Downtime means a loss of money, and regardless of what business you’re in that’s very bad news.

Keep Mobile in Mind

Given how reliant everyone is on their mobile devices, a mobile version of your site is an absolute necessity. This feature is something that more and more web hosting sites are starting to cash in on, but not all of them offer this as a feature. If you’re looking to make your website as progressive as possible, look for a web hosting service that offers mobile device compatibility.

Remember Scalability

You want your business to grow. And on that note, you’re going
to want to sign up with a web host that allows room for that related growth. When you first start out you probably won’t need user forums. But as your company grows you may want to add that feature in order to better communicate with your clients or customers. The same goes with features like photo galleries, blogs, or shopping carts. These features might not be necessary right off the bat, but down the road they’re going to be worth the investment – particularly if your company is showing growth potential.