Do you need email hosting?
Do you want your email address to be [email protected]? If so, then you need to stick with hosting companies that provide email hosting. Keep in mind that an email with your domain name looks more professional.
Do you need large storage for media files?
For example, do you plan on uploading videos, infographics, or high-resolution photos? If so, you’ll need a host that offers large storage solutions.
But be wary of hosting services with unlimited storage. Some of them will limit your storage usage by capping your inode usage. Before signing up, ask your web host about inode usage. Anything below 100,000 inodes on a shared web host is unacceptable.
Do you expect the site to grow fast?
If you do, then you should probably stick with a web host that gives you room to grow. The more traffic you have, the more data transfer and CPU power you’ll need.
Look at the cost of bigger packages and private hosting. Some hosting companies offer cheap rates for small packages, but charge much more than they should for larger ones.
What other additional services you need?
Do you need server root access? Someone to backup your site for you or automated backup? Automated malware scanning? These could all be deciding factors on your hosting choice.
What is your level of hosting knowledge?
Do you need spoon-fed support, or you can pretty much cover everything yourself? Do you prefer phone calls over live chat, or vice versa? If your knowledge is limited, look for a hosting company that caters to newbies or offers inexpensive tech support packages.
Can you tweak and secure your own WordPress site?
If you can’t, you may need a developer to do it for you instead. Some hosting companies provide their own web development services. But make sure you check the cost of using these developer services carefully. Does the company charge by the hour, or by the task? Will they teach you to manage your own backend on the server, or will you be paying them for eternity to update your site?
Is the server location important?
If you’re not planning on using a CDN, you probably want a server that’s closest to your targeted audience so your blog loads faster for them.