Web hosting is an essential service that makes your website accessible on the internet. Offered by companies or businesses who maintain and run physical servers, web hosting plans in India play an important role in the success of any online business or website. A powerful web hosting plan includes all the resources required to store your website data whether HTML or CSS files or media content or any other documents in various formats. Also included in these plans are the software, services, and the connectivity required to allow your website to go live. Let us look at the most important features to look at when you buy domain and hosting plans.

1.   Inclusion of Domain Hosting

A domain name is the address of your website with the domain host using the DNS or the domain name system records to connect visitors to your website. A powerful web hosting plan also includes the option to purchase a domain name thereby simplifying the process of maintaining the nameserver settings.

2.   Resources on Offer and Type of Hosting

Web hosting plans differ on the type of resources being offered. While some plans offer limited resources from a single server, others offer dedicated resources from a single offer or a dedicated server itself for hosting your website. The choice from these options will depend on the size of your business and website, its traffic volumes, and the type and size of resources required by you. Online businesses handling a lot of commercial transactions may require greater security and speed and so prefer dedicated server hosting while newer businesses with limited visitor traffic may find shared hosting plans more suitable.

3.   Search Engine Optimisation Features

A major factor driving your website’s popularity is its ranking on the search engine pages which in turn is driven by the content on the site and the speed of its loading. A powerful web hosting plan aids in improved search engine optimisation through the provision of features that not only improve the speed and security of your website but also boost its uptime.

4.   Security Features

Mere setting up of a website is not enough. You need to take steps to ensure its security especially from viruses and phishing attacks. So, go for a web hosting plan in India that offers adequate security features like a SSL certification, regular backups, spam protection and protection from phishing attacks.

5.   Technical and Other Support

Powerful plans are the ones that come with continued or 24/7 support to their clients. This means that any technical issues that you face in operating your website or issues related to speed and security are immediately handled by the web hosting company. This feature is a must if you are not technically strong or do not have the time to deal with technical issues relating to running your website.

In addition to these key features, you should look into your hosting service providers’ track record. Check customer reviews and find out about the inclusion of other features like caching and content delivery network or CDN access for faster loading of your websites. Another thing to look at is the ease of use of the control panel included in your hosting plan. The control panel helps you in managing and controlling your website and its key features. Lastly, the domain and hosting price is also important and should fit into your budget.