What do you know about SEO? Go on … think about it for a moment.
Let’s learn SEO today!
What is SEO all about?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is indeed very simple but why on Earth, everyone is saying that SEO is hard?
Like what Brent said, it is us who confuse ourselves and when I think about it, it make sense.
Let me tell you why.
I had been doing search engine optimization research and practicing multiple techniques over the years (since 2005 to be exact) and it is no secret that we get all our SEO scoop from no other than … other blogs and websites.
There are some reputable SEO sites out there like Moz and Search Engine Journal. However, we usually don’t get enough from these sites and we venture out to the open sea looking for more sources.
I bet you do right?
And there comes other so-called SEO blogs that we assume are providing valuable insight on the matter. The question here is … how many of these sites are trust worthy?
I am not saying that my blog is 100% correct but at least, they worked for me (ding!).
So, how do you actually leave a comment and at the same time, placing a link within the comment without being labelled as spam?
This is where a great WordPress comment plugin called CommentLuv Premium comes into the limelight.
CommentLuv is a WordPress comment system that is widely used by bloggers
What is CommentLuv Premium?
CommentLuv is a WordPress commenting system (plugin) and it is used by thousands of blogs out there.
For every comment submitted, commenters are able to share one link in their comment which is good especially when it comes to search engine optimization.
CommentLuv Premium allows blog owners to control the number links shared in the comment, placing a DoFollow or NoFollow option and many more.
Due to this indirect link building method, CommentLuv is used by many major blogs and gained a lot of popularity among bloggers.
For more information about this lovely WordPress comment system, you can have a look at their official website here.
What I really love about CommentLuv Premium?
Ms Ileane from Basic Blog Tips is the ambassador for CommentLuv and thus, it is a no brainer to try it right?
As for the record, CommentLuv Premium has more than 24 features which is extremely great for both bloggers and blog owners.
Before going deeper into why I actually decide not to use some of CommentLuv’s functions, let me tell you why I love this WordPress plugin so much.
I am a huge fan of social engagement (huge could very well be an understatement). I wanted my readers to drop me a comment and leave valuable insight. Yes this is great especially when the blog is new and you need boost your engagement level.
Having CommentLuv Premium enabled on my blog are able to convince readers (and spammers ~ ouch) to leave comment and in return, getting a backlink from my site.
You might think, “Hey, that’s a good deal right?” … and so do I!
I wanted to do something extra and I added some spice into it by allowing an automatic DoFollow if the commenter share the article on social media.
What did I get in return? 320 comments and counting. Not bad for a figure right?
The moment of truth – Turning CommentLuv Premium plugin off (partially)
Why did I decided to turn CommentLuv link sharing feature off?
I am quite well verse in SEO and I know one day, this will back fire. And by saying ‘this’, I mean the ability to link out through CommentLuv plugin.
Now, here’s a few bad thing about linking out:
The links might return a 404-error which means the page is not found or down
The links could be from a penalized website or blog
The links could be redirecting too much
The links might originated from a site which has very less information
And probably a few more down the road
Thought it was very real at the back of my head, I wouldn’t really bother thinking about it since my blog is like 60 days old. No biggy right?
Here was where I was so … W-R-O-N-G!
I am a big fan of Adrienne Smith’s blog and I recently came across her latest article, Blog Maintenance: The Essential Guide written by no other than, Tim Bonner.
In the article, he said about broken links and immediately, it struck me like a thunderbolt straight through my heart.
As recommended by Tim, I used Broken Link Checker (web version) to find for broken links on my blog. I let it run and after sometime, the numbers keep increasing.
Yes! The numbers of broken links. From 10 to 20 to 30 … and finally 60. I thought that was it but again, I was wrong. The process was still running! I ended up with over 160 broken links.
That was bad … real bad. With rumors of coming Google update, I can’t afford to do any mistake now. I basically slapped myself multiple times (virtually) as I been seeing the alert on Google Webmaster Tool on 404 errors and I thought they weren’t important.
Lesson learned!
After some quick checking, majority of these broken links comes from CommentLuv plugin (remember the link building feature?). The thing is even though the broken links were coming from CommentLuv commenting system (indirectly), it doesn’t mean that the plugin is at wrong.
What really happened to CommentLuv Premium?
Honestly speaking … nothing.
So, what contributed to the broken links on the comments?
The answer would be the commenters themselves. From time to time, we change our permalinks, URL etc. And this is very common for new blogs. Let’s say you are visited by these users and they share a link.
Through GASP which comes with CommentLuv Premium plugin, all URLs basically go through some sort of filtering before it goes into your comment box awaiting for moderation.
*If you are interested to read more about GASP, Ana Hoffman from Traffic Generation Cafe wrote about something about it here.
Now it all starts when these URL’s go bad. This means that if the URL changes or goes into 404-error, there is no way to get notified automatically.
Unless you are using a link checker tool, then you would probably find the answer. Otherwise, you are left with … nothing more than just plain dead links.
If broken links on your blog doesn’t sounds bad for SEO, I don’t know what else will!
Obviously, this isn’t a problem with CommentLuv plugin but instead, the problem lies (as said above), on the commenters and the blog owners.
As a blog owner, we got to ensure that those links on our websites are good and therefore, we can’t be lazy (like me).
My new CommentLuv Premium settings
After several discussions with my web host and an hour searching for the answer on Google, I decided that I am going to remove CommentLuv highly-rated feature; the link sharing ability … for at least, a couple of months for some testing reasons.
I am absolutely sure that this is going to leave a huge impact on the my blog and the number of comments is going to drop rapidly.
In my point of view, I got to consider the SEO ranking and what Google actually sees on my blog. It is suppose to be a good website that shares quality content and NOT a site for linking out.
I even went the extra miles by setting the number of words and the duration before posting to further reduce the chance of spammers.
Why am I still using CommentLuv Premium?
Should I or should I not use CommentLuv Premium for my WordPress site?
Basically, disabling the link sharing could mean that I could easily ditch the comment system right?
Yes, I could but I choose not to because I wanted the GASP and ReplyMe features. GASP is the shortform for Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin which is great to control the number of spam on your blogs.
As a blogger, it is a known fact that spam is definitely your number one enemy.
On the other hand, ReplyMe is great to create a chance of engagement with both first time and repeat readers who leave comments. Don’t forget, a simple ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ could go a long way when it comes to relationship building!
If you are using CommentLuv Premium plugin like I do, then you probably might not want to face the same issue.
The way out is actually very simple. Here are a few methods:
Use broken link checker plugin
Use broken link checker web version
Using Google Webmaster Tool
Ensure that links are automatically NoFollow using CommentLuv setting
Here’s a few thing you SHOULD know.
The first two methods have loopholes such as not able to detect broken links completely (possibility). For example, method #1 told me that I have 60 broken links but method #2 told me I have 80 broken links instead!
So here, you just got to be a little hardworking and double check from time to time.
On the other hand, Google Webmaster Tool is great and its track record is squeaky clean. Here’s a little problem: It only detects broken links on indexed pages.
Method #4 is strictly to avoid sharing your link juice. All you need to do is to set all URL’s shared to be a NoFollow and you would be fine. This method is great when it comes to URL control but it doesn’t help in checking for bad URL’s.
Question: Should I get CommentLuv Premium plugin?
YES … Yes … and yes!
I would still recommend CommentLuv Premium plugin to anyone who asked. It is one hell of a WordPress commenting system and I am sure it will always be that way.
Remember that CommentLuv doesn’t only helps you control the number of spam comments but as well as the rich features of ReplyMe and it increases the chances for readers to leave comments on your blog.
Personally, I am not a hardworking person and thus, checking thousands of links monthly isn’t really my cup of tea. After all, anything could happen anytime right?
What I am trying to say is that CommentLuv Premium is a very sweet plugin that you should get for yourself if you want to boost blog traffic.
Many bloggers are already using it and I see no reasons why you shouldn’t.
Today is 13th August 2013 and this marks exactly 2 months since the day this website is created.
This blogging journey had taught me a lot especially when it comes to building authority, increasing traffic to blogs and foster relationships with other bloggers.
Before that, I had created a simple video (yes, my second YouTube video) as a summary of this whole article:
Did you enjoy the video? I hope you do! (p/s it would be great if you could just give me a ‘Like’ on YouTube)
Let’s see how far this website had gone, shall we?
This is how my website traffic looks like during the first 60 days
Total traffic: 7,977 (100%)
Organic traffic / Google: 2,446 (30.66%)
Direct traffic: 2,302 (28.86%)
Referral traffic: 3,229 (40.48%)
On an average, the website is getting about 132 traffic a day or approximately 3,988 traffic a month. No biggy right?
I got to admit, I am ashamed of publishing the stats but for the sake of learning and sharing, I believe this is the best interest for all 🙂
Here’s a quick summary of what this whole article is all about:
My website traffic experience (organic traffic vs referral traffic)
Monetizing my blog
Satisfaction issues as a blogger
It all comes down to blog traffic
If you are planning to start blogging, then you got to know that traffic is the lifeline of a blog. It doesn’t really matter if you are blogging for money, passion or as a hobby.
You need traffic to sustain and maintain your site. Moreover, running a self hosted domain isn’t that cheap after all.
When I started this blog, I wanted to make this blog different. This means that I do NOT want to do the same mistakes I did years back with probably a dozen or more websites.
Instead of focusing on organic traffic, I wanted to focus on referral traffic instead. Let’s see what makes them different.
1. The differences between organic and referral traffic
Which is the better choice when it comes to building traffic for your blogs?
Organic traffic vs Referral traffic … what?!
Let’s see what the web has to say about them:
Organic traffic – Visitors who come to your website from unpaid organic or natural search engine results
Referral traffic – Visitors who come to your website from other domains (and pages in those domains)
Source: Google
In my own words …
Organic traffic can easily be defined as traffic gained from search engines. If you are getting more of this, it is safe to say that you are doing the right search engine optimization techniques to rank well on SERP’s.
Referral traffic (aka referred traffic) is traffic that comes from a second party and it doesn’t come through search engines. This type of traffic usually comes from social media, other domains and blogs who are sharing your links.
2. Why I decided NOT to be normal – focus more on referral traffic
Are you focusing in the conventional (organic traffic) or the unconventional (referral traffic) for your blog?
Some bloggers say focusing on organic traffic is risky and I got to agree with this.
Google can easily change its algorithm several times a year but building a website from scratch would take months or maybe longer. You can’t just change your game plan overnight even if you have the manpower to do so.
So yes, I took the road less taken and I know what I did would actually be beneficial for my organic traffic as well (indirectly).
This brings me to the next related point below. Before that, ask yourself why did you do blogging. Could it be:
Earning some side income?
As a hobby?
Living your dreams?
For me, I blog because I love it and the ability to earn some side income is definitely a good plus point.
Okay you will be asking, “So, what would these have to do with referral traffic?”
I want to make sure that every traffic that lands on my blog counts. This means that if I can have 100 readers daily who really enjoy my writing, then I would have struck the gold mine … literally speaking.
Here’s what I think. Readers won’t click on a link shared on Twitter or Facebook if they are not interested with the topic. Therefore, is it safe to say that referral traffic means targeted traffic?
Yup, you can say that!
Now, do you see where this is going?
Monetizating my blog with referral traffic
How you make money blogging … the smart way?
Personally, I think I did rather okay even though I wish I could do more 🙂
Here are the stats after 60 days of uptime:
Google Adsense: $ 1.69
Affiliate sales: $ 209.96
Again, I know most of you guys could be earning more than this. Shame on me!
But here’s the thing. For those who been visiting my site during June would realized that I have more Google Adsense banners.
Compared to now, I only place Google Adsense banners on several spots or categories. But why? I had replaced them with specific banners that are closely related to the said categories.
For example, I will be featuring a web hosting affiliate banner if that category is about website creation. Chances is, those targeted readers will be probably looking for a cheap hosting to go with their self hosted domains.
Oh yes, this is rather crazy as I ended up with 68 widgets on my blog.
Like what I said, the earnings above could just be a fraction of what many other bloggers are earning. Nonetheless, it is a good start. At least, I know that what I did (mostly) are bearing fruits 🙂
Recommended freemium tool for social media management: Socialoomph
You can’t please everyone. So, stop trying!
1. Making your readers happy …
As a blogger, you can’t possibly make everyone happy and you are bound to have lots of enemies when you are above the rest.
And for the record, I do receive hate mails and some super epic comments (which sadly, still lying in my moderation folder due to too many 4-letters words).
Here’s the thing about blogging. As long as you are doing it right, you don’t worry about what others think.
I very interesting quote I would love to share from someone I really respect:
Source: Smart Passive Income
The above is taken from Pat Flynn (the guy behind SPI) and the author of the eBook, ‘Let Go‘ which explains how unemployment changed his life completely and currently earning more than $100,000 monthly.
2. Unforeseen issues with blog subscribers
I had just a small number of followers for my newsletter and I too, received some feedbacks from them. Here are some of those:
My emails are either too long or too short
Wanting more freebies
15% of them subscribed as they thought I was doing more reviews instead
Some of them were expecting me to email them during specific days of the week
And the list continues …
Disclaimer: Feel free to think if I’m BS-ing but these are the things that REALLY happened to me recently.
My reply to them are the same (including the ones who leave comments on my blogs); I am not forcing you to subscribe to my newsletter and you are free to unsubscribe at any time.
I’m sorry if it might feel a little cocky but I am just one man and obviously, I don’t have super powers to make everyone happy.
Note: It is still rather sad to see that there are people who doesn’t really appreciate you and your writings.
Brighter sky after some stormy days
There is always sunlight after a stormy day
I am sure that all of us have our ups and downs.
Being a blogger is very fun and I am very honored to meet up with some seriously great friends (bloggers).
There are definitely more than this list but they are the ones that truly make my day:
Adrienne Smith ~ Lovely woman who never STOP giving you encouragements especially in blogging and life.
Barry Wells ~ Nice guy and pretty good in IT related stuffs. LOVE his writings too! He’s also one of the guys behind Marketing Mini Classes.
Corina Ramos ~ Another nice lady. If I would give her a nickname, it would definitely be ‘Work From Home GURU’!
Adam Connell ~ Great writer and one hell of a marketer. Learned from him a lot especially when it comes to building authority and Internet marketing.
Harleena ~ One of the most inspiring bloggers I ever seen. She teaches me that you can be good in anything as long as you have the passion.
Again, I felt truly honored to meet up with so many bloggers and lovely friends. I would possibly given up last week or earlier but thanks to them, I felt that everything will be just A-okay for me.
60 days and 7,977 website traffic later …
So, what did I actually learn about blogging after this life changing experience?
We need to:
Focus on the right traffic for our blog.
Make friends with other bloggers and most importantly, learn from them.
Mistakes are common in blogging. Use them to improve yourself.
If you want to make money blogging, start improving your blogging skills and focus on traffic first.
There are many ways to build your blog traffic. Choose the one that fits you best.
Don’t ever give up on negative feedbacks. They will make you stronger!
Before I end
I truly hope that you enjoy this blog post as much as I do. So, did I miss out anything? Hit the reply button below and tell me what you think!
*p/s If you like my writing, feel free to signup for my newsletter and could you please share it for me using the red button below?
The hype is finally over. Genesis 2.0, HTML5 and Scheme are here to rock your website.
I personally waited more than 3 months for this and I know many who waited way longer for this. When I saw Brian Gardner’s post on G+ yesterday hinting on the possible Genesis 2.0 release, I was basically glued to the download page.
Yes this is the one of the advantages of being a Genesis Pro user. I have unlimited access to all their child themes and updates.
In this article, I am going to cover a few things such as:
Why you should use Genesis framework and the advantages?
Why you should update to Genesis 2.0 right now (for those current users)?
How you can convert Genesis child themes to HTML5 correctly?
I know your heart is pounding like the drums of Amazon and therefore , without any further delay, let’s dive in!
The Advantages using Genesis Framework
See why over 86,000 website owners trust StudIoPress themes
Here are three very obvious advantages for using Genesis framework. With so many website owners using it, I bet you can’t go any wrong with it!
1. Search optimized
State of the art code and smart design architecture mean search engines clearly see your content. And with automatic updates, you never have to think about it again.
Genesis framework and all the child themes are SEO ready out of the box.
Genesis framework is also working together with Yoast SEO to ensure that all the themes are having great SEO features. If you want to rank well on search engines, you need Genesis framework.
2. Turn-key designs
The Genesis turn-key designs give you an array of beautiful frames for your content. The design settings give you unprecedented control of the framework.
Imagine you are a website developer and you want to customize the website. Genesis framework empowers you to do so … without hassle!
Basically, this feature offers you a huge range of beautiful designs that you can work with.
Imagine this: Each child theme works as a ‘general body’ for your customized theme. Choosing the right theme and customizing the detailed to fit your requirement is so easy and can be done without needing a developer.
3. Unlimited everything
Unlimited support. Unlimited updates. Unlimited websites. There’s no “Developer Option” here. One low price entitles you to support, updates, and domains.
StudioPress’s business isn’t charging you for every upgrade. Instead, you’ll just need to pay only once and that entitles you for a lifetime update.
Upgrading to Genesis 2.0 offers you more mobility that you can ever imagine
Not yet upgrade to Genesis 2.0 … or maybe still deciding on whether to get Genesis? Let this three reasons be the ONLY reasons you need to get it right now!
1. HTML5 ready
Being HTML5-ready out of the box means your site will be fast, flexible, and future-compatible without hassles or headaches.
There are many advantages using HTML5 for your website such as:
It makes your website future compatible.
It improves cross-browser compatibility.
It makes your site truly mobile-friendly.
It allows for extensible design and supports video and audio like no other markup language.
It is cleaner and more efficient in terms of storage, API interaction, and other ways impact user experience.
2. Mobile responsive
Now every visitor to your site will get a layout optimized for the device they are viewing from, without you spending big $$$ on a separate mobile site.
We are living in the 21st century and technology is over our heads. Gone were the days where you surf website on your laptops or PC.
Mobile responsive ready out of the box? Bring it on!
3. Microdata
Don’t make search engines guess about the most important elements on your page. Support for schema.org markup lets you do just that.
No idea what microdata or scheme are? Don’t worry! Here’s are what the pros think about it:
Google doesn’t use markup for ranking purposes at this time ‘” but rich snippets can make your web pages appear more prominently in search results, so you may see an increase in traffic. – Google Inc.
Let me start with explaining why you should be bothered with schema.org if you weren’t convinced yet. Not just Google uses schema.org, all 4 major search engines, Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Yandex use it for several different purposes ‘¦ but it’s not just them. Recently, Pinterest joined the party by announcing support for Product, Recipe and Movie schema’s through their Rich Pins effort. So, in my opinion, schema.org markup is a must for everyone serious about their websites optimization. – Joost de Valk’s (Yoast SEO)
Still want to read more about Schema? Then I highly recommend you to check on Ana Hoffman’s article on Schema Markup.
Converting Genesis child themes to HTML5
Converting to HTML5 is easy with the guidance
One thing you have to understand is HTML5 is NOT automatically enabled on your current theme unless it is recently released.
Being said that, you would need to get your hands dirty a little bit to get it working. At this point of writing, all child themes will be able to convert to HTML5 easily.
Important disclaimer: Backup your functions.php and style.css before doing any changes.
1. Adding Genesis HTML5 markups
Open your style.css and replace the old codes (left side) with the new ones (right side). You need to use programs such as Note++ to do the conversion.
Example below:
All you need to do is to change the codes on the left with the ones on the right
You can find the full list provided by Brian Gardner here.
2. Update the new Genesis HTML5 loop hooks
Now, open your functions.php and do the appropriate changes or updates. Again, credit to Brian’s for the codes which you can find it here.
Do not panic if some of the codes are not in your file. These are just very general codes and you just need to replace them if they are available 🙂
3. Enabling HTML5 markup features to your Genesis
As I said above, Genesis is not able to automatically enable HTML5 markup for you. Instead, you need do it yourself.
Before you go wandering around for the solution, all you need to do is to place the code below in your functions.php.
The reason for this is when using HTML5, we (StudioPress) cannot default to </div> for the closing tag since it could be opened with <article> instead – Credit to Nick_TheGeek for explaining this to me.
Did I miss out anything?
Tell me … have you converted to Genesis 2.0 and enabled HTML5 on your website? If yes, how was the process like? Tell me using the comment form below.
A few years back, applying for guest posting is rather easy and you could easily land yourself with one without much effort. Nowadays, you definitely need to step up the game if you want to earn a spot in the guest posting segment.
The requirements for publishing guest post has increased dramatically and do you know what it takes to stand out from the crowd?
Are you ready for guest posting?
Getting started for guest posting … the absolute basic
Guest posting 101: Knowing your targeted website is important
Choosing the right website is important for every guest post opportunity. There are hundreds and probably thousands of websites that you can apply for guest posting position.
Bloggers tend to signup for any type of topics with some crazy hopes … literally.
Do you think this is a waste of time?
Absolutely! Why don’t you just spend some time finding 5 or 10 niches that you really want to target instead?
Deciding on the niche you are going to get your hands dirty with will actually opens more doors when it comes to guest posting.
Let’s see it this way. There are many websites which offers general information but at the same time, there are also many who offers specific information.
Now, which do you think will benefit you more?
I would go for websites offering specific information as I am sure 75% of the traffic heading towards there are looking for that same type of information. This gives you a better chance to grow your authority.
Does this make any sense to you?
Fact: Choosing the right niche and website will give you the most benefits when it comes to guest posting.
2. Please give me a chance – Try before you buy
Do you feel better and safer when you are able to try out a dress before you buy? I bet it does and the same concept applies to guest posts.
If you want others to give you a chance, you need to offer them something back in return. It can varies from making them feeling safe, helping them to accomplish certain tasks or 100 more ideas you can think of.
The 70 words above might sound super easy but honestly, life doesn’t go that way. Nowadays, most editors are more picky and choosy when it comes to guest posting.
Hey, they are not wrong! After all, guest posting is all about quality right?
Here’s my confession: If you want to be given a chance for guest posting, then start building authority and make your presence counts. This means that spending time to build a certain level of ‘existence’ in that particular topic especially on social media.
This would take time and probably months. I personally took a month plus to build my presence on 3 specific niche and at the end, I was offered several chance of guest post.
Once that happens, the rest are rather … easy and straightforward from there on.
My guest posting checklists
Guest posting checklist is important to ensure that you are inline with the requirements
If you want to be successful in guest posting industry, you need to have a strategy … a damn good one.
I call it, “My guest posting checklists”. This checklist doesn’t only serve the purpose to write a good guest post but at the same time, making the whole process as smooth as possible.
Here are some of my personal guidelines:
Rules of engagement
Quality control
Mentally and physically prepared
All in all, keeping in mind that guest posting is all about a win-win situation between both bloggers and editors.
1. The rules of engagement
You should only start thinking about guest posting topic after knowing where you are going to publish the article.
Why is this important?
Each website has their own rules and regulations. You wouldn’t want to your articles to rejected just because you might have overlooked on a certain rule.
You are definitely facing a series of rejections if you are not applying on the right websites. For example, you might be writing about fashion niche and what will happen if you decide to write for CopyBlogger?
Does this make any sense to you?
The trick here is to write for websites that require your expertise or in line with your niche.
I make it a habit to discuss on the guest posting rules and regulations over email with the respective party. Ask them 101 questions if you got to.
It is never wrong to ask … but please, do ask logical questions only.
The best questions you can probably ask are:
Topics that the editor has in mind
The length of the article
Number links (DoFollow and NoFollow) in a blog post
Size and number of images allowed
Time frame for submitting the guest posting
2. Quality above everything in guest posting
If you are putting 100% in your blog post, then you should put 120% or more in guest posting.
Remember this: You are putting not only your brand and name on the line but as well as that editor’s one as well.
Even though guest posting is apart of creating backlink, this doesn’t mean that you should do link stuffing into the article. Instead, provide useful links to support your writing and not just links from your website.
Note: If your main goal for guest posting is to get backlink, then you are wrong. The correct goal is to provide relevant information, tips and tricks to boost not only your authority and credibility but as well as that particular website’s ranking.
3. Sending in your first draft
Waiting for the editor to reply could be the most nerve-wracking and nail-biting experience I ever had.
This is probably the moment of truth. Usually, the editor will take about 24 to 72 hours to get back to you and trust me, it felt like forever.
You got to be mentally prepared as there is a high chance of failure especially when it comes to submitting the first draft.
Once you received the review, do the appropriate amendments if needed and make sure you follow the guidelines given by the editor.
You could take a week or so to redo the draft but don’t take forever!
Go ahead and tell me. Did I miss out anything?
I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I do. Remember to hit the Reply button and tell me if I overlooked anything.
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Web hosting is important when it comes to starting a website. For me, web hosting service more than just plain important as it is my partner who I will work along for a long time and this is also one of the factors that will determine my website success rate.
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients, as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center.
Source: Wikipedia
Everyone has different opinion when it comes to the term ‘best web hosting’. In my books, the best web hosting company consists of:
Customer service and support
The truth behind server uptime
Control panels with very low learning curve
Affordable price or hosting plans
Security features provided
Before we proceed, what does it takes to be the best web hosting plan for you?
What attributes make a web hosting great?
Which web hosting do you think PSY uses?
#1 Down right customer service and support
A great web hosting company consist of service and support. I am no developer and I have very limited knowledge in those IT related stuffs. Therefore, my web hosting company works as a support team who will provide me with essential information and ways to solve an issue.
I don’t expect them to solve all the problems for me but at least, they need to point me to the right direction to get support or to solve the problem. I really don’t mind getting my hands dirty if I have the required information.
Give the hosting company two thumbs up if they offers support via telephone, email or live chat. This is extremely important especially when you have a website that is down as you know that support is just one click away (or phone call in that sense).
#2 Secretive cover up of the server uptime
Nearly all web hosting companies around the world claim to have 99.9% uptime and guess what? Most web hosting companies doesn’t even live close to that. Seriously.
You: My website is down! OMG!
Support: Thank you for calling or emaling us. We are checking on the matter.
30 minutes later …
Support: Thank you for waiting. It seems like one of our partners is being hit by DDoS (or maybe, our servers are experiencing sudden increase of payload which resulted in the website downtime). We are in the midst of …
Two questions that might pop up in your mind right now; “What the hell is DDoS” or “So how long do I need to wait?”
The above sounds more than just familiar to me and this happens to a few web hosting companies I worked with, literally. Whenever we try to ask where is the 99.9% uptime as promised, they would probably say ‘this’ only happens once awhile, or maybe they have another 100 more reasons to tell you.
So, what am I trying to prove here? This —–> don’t be fooled by the ‘so-called’ uptime.
#3 Control panels for the less geeky
How many of you actually know how to navigate around using the control panel of your web hosting?
I bet 7 out of 10 would only know how to install WordPress and nothing more.
A good web hosting (or maybe the best web hosting) company should provide at least easy to navigate control panels and the most basic functions required for website maintenance.
Have you image using a web hosting company that takes 24 to 48 hours just to install WordPress into your brand new and shiny domain? Happened to me and it probably will happen to you as well. Trust me, that is really annoying!
#4 Go easy on your wallet – web hosting pricing
When it comes to choosing the best web hosting plans, price is definitely an issue. The best web hosting plans (for a single website) would easily cost you below $30 monthly and if you think it is bad, you are probably wrong.
Remember that you are not only paying to secure your website but also, subscribing to a better customer support plus services.
If you are looking for a long term partnership, you can even opt to get a longer hosting plan duration. Usually, the longer you subscribe to the plan, the more discount you would get.
Important tip: Please avoid going for the cheapest web hosting company or plan you can ever find. Cheap web hosting companies could be a huge security factor for your website.
#5 Web hosting that offers SSL features and eCommerce functions
These are two core features that must be provided by your web hosting company if you are running an online site. I believe this is rather self explanatory when it comes to website security.
You definitely wouldn’t want to expose your potential customers to the thousands of online security threats just by using a cheap web hosting that doesn’t support SSL.
So, what if you don’t run an eCommerce website?
SSL feature could still important for non commerce website. Well, it might not be that useful but it is definitely going to beef up the security matters for your site.
Finding the best web hosting company
With the above methods, I hope that you would have an easier time trying to figure out which hosting plan to go with. In order to find the right web hosting company that suits you, all you need to do are:
Do your research on various web hosting providers
Check for user reviews
Subscribe for a web hosting plan that fits your requirements
Avoid rushing to get a web hosting plan if you are not prepared
I have a question for you. Do you need some guidance on choosing the best web hosting provider?
Recently, I also reviewed HostGator web hosting plans and you can have a look at it here; HostGator Review – Possibly The Best Low Budget Web Hosting?
If you are looking for a web hosting plan that allows you to host multiple domains at a very cheap rate, BlueHost could be your best bet.
I certainly hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I do. If you like this article, feel free to share with your friends and signup for my newsletter using the link below!
