Website hosting provides the technologies and services needed so that a website can be viewed on the internet. The slower the web hosting, the slower the load time. Conclusion? You need the fastest web hosting available. Slow load times discourage viewers from using your website; visitors turn to your competitors instead. In fact, according to Google, the average load time for a web page is 22 seconds. Any slower than that, and your SEO ranking is not going to be as high it deserves to be. But honestly speaking—would you wait 22 seconds for a website to load? If not, then why should anyone else?

How Google evaluates load time

Google has a PageSpeed Insights (PSI) tool, which analyzes a web page (not a whole website) and offers suggestions to make it run faster. Here’s how it evaluates a web page. PSI uses data from Google’s Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) to analyze how a web page ranks against other pages. PSI has two metrics:

1. First Contentful Paint reports the time when the browser first renders any element of the webpage, including but not limited to text, photos, non-white canvases, or SVG files. This is the first time users can start consuming page content.
2. DOMContentLoaded reports the time when the initial HTML document has been completely loaded and parsed.

A median value is assigned to the web page after being compared to all other web pages part of CRuX:

• Fast: The median value of the metric is in the fastest third of all page loads.
• Slow: The median value of the metric is in the slowest third of all page loads.
• Average: The median value of the metric is in the middle third of all page loads.

Afterward, an overall Speed score is calculated after PSI evaluates the categories of each metric:

• Fast: If every metric of a page is Fast.
• Slow: If any metric of a page is Slow.
• Average: All other cases.

What makes a good web host

Hosting Foundry offers a variety of web hosting packages, allowing you to pick one that fits your business perfectly.

This article discusses the importance of quality website hosting providers and services and details what to consider when selecting a web hosting service such as antivirus and malware scanning and protection with offered services.

While you should go for the fastest web hosting there is, loading time is not the only factor you should consider when it comes to picking a web hosting service. Here’s what you need to look out for when choosing a web host:

• An average of 30,000 websites were hacked on a daily basis back in 2013. While web security has improved since then, so has hacking methods. Get web hosting that offers the following security features:
  • Backups and restore points.
  • Network monitoring.
  • SSL, Firewalls, and DDoS prevention.
  • Antivirus and malware scanning and protection.
• Did you know you could check for any website’s owner on the WhoIS website? If you prefer not to disclose your name to the public, find a web hosting service that offers WhoIS privacy.
• SSL certificates. SSL allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. Google ranking favors secure sites, especially if you’re running an online store.
• Server upgrade options. If you’re a new business, your website probably isn’t expecting to have as many monthly visitors as, say, the New York Times website. However, as your business grows, so does the number of your website’s monthly visitors. Your web hosting provider should allow the option to upgrade server hosting, so your website can accommodate a larger number of viewers.
• Uptime guarantee. A website that’s “down” means viewers have no access to anything on your website, from your contact details to your online store. Get web hosting that guarantees you won’t be suffering from unscheduled downtime.
• A professional website can be undermined by a Google, Yahoo, or Outlook email address. If you’re going to pay good money for web hosting, choose one that provides emails with the same domain as your website.
• Customer service. There’s no point denying it: you’ll be running into multiple issues as you build your website. It’s important to have customer service support ready to help you resolve anything that could delay your productivity.

The fastest web hosting option available is your best bet at having a high-ranking, well-loved website. After all, no one likes counting down the seconds so that they can view your homepage. Prioritize your customers’ user experience, and they’ll keep coming back to your website. If they’re happy with your service, why should they turn to anyone else?