Aside from choosing the right hosting plan for your website, it’s also crucial to support it with essential add-ons to improve your site’s security and performance.

Visitors expect a website to load in less than two seconds and to see a security padlock next to the URL when it does. Therefore, merely relying on the basic features of a web hosting plan is not enough.

In this article, we’ll go over five add-ons to look for when purchasing web hosting. By the end, you’ll understand which add-ons are critical for your site and how to get them.

Let’s jump right in.

1. WHOIS Privacy for Domain Names

When registering a domain name, your personal details such as phone number and email address are available on a public database called WHOIS.

When not protected, this can lead to data breaches due to hackers and data attackers. Not to mention that a single data breach can cost you $3.62 million on average.

Thus, WHOIS privacy protection for domain names is an essential add-on when choosing a web host. It ensures your data is protected and kept hidden from public access.

You can add WHOIS privacy protection to new or existing domain names through your domain registrar or web hosting provider. If you’re unsure about the process, consider contacting the support team for help.

2. SSL Certificate

The SSL certificate refers to the digital certificate that authenticates the site’s identity. It stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a security protocol that encrypts the data transferred between a web browser and web server.

A secure website with an SSL certificate will have a padlock icon next to the URL, and the protocol will be HTTPS instead of HTTP.

An SSL certificate helps secure information such as login credentials and online transactions by encrypting the information. This way, hackers are unable to read the data, and your website remains secure.

Aside from security measures, installing an SSL certificate is a critical step because Google Chrome will actively direct users away from insecure websites, decreasing not only your site’s traffic, but also sales and conversion rates.

Therefore, choose a web hosting provider that offers an SSL certificate with their plans. If not, you can purchase it from third-party providers, such as Comodo SSL or GeoTrust.

3. Content Delivery Network

CDN is a network of servers located across the world to help distribute content with minimum delay. It can do so by distributing your content from the closest server to the user’s geographical location.

Essentially, a CDN is used to improve your site’s performance. It’ll help increase your page load time and reduce bandwidth consumption.

A CDN is best for websites and businesses that consistently deliver content to users, such as eCommerce, news publication with worldwide readers, multimedia content, and graphics-heavy websites.

Examples of companies that use CDN to accelerate their content delivery include large enterprises, like YouTube and Netflix.

If you’re just starting, consider getting a free CDN from Cloudflare to get started. Otherwise, there are other options, such as Sucuri and Rackspace. Essentially, make sure to do your research and pick one that suits your needs best.

4. Automated Backup Services

Backups make copies of your website files and database, so you can recover it if your site ever crashes or gets hacked. Therefore, backups add another layer of website protection and prevent data loss.

Besides that, backing up your website is also helpful if you like to try and install different plugins. Some plugins can damage your site, and restoring the latest backup will return it to its original state in no time.

Therefore, it’s vital to perform regular backups on your website. Luckily, most hosting providers offer a backup service with their plans.

If not, consider installing backup plugins such as UpDraftPlus or BackUp Buddy to automate the task and keep your website safe.

5. Security Plugins

Cybercrime has been on the rise. Last year, 80% of breaches involved brute force attacks and onslaughts of login. Therefore, keeping your website secure should be a top priority.

Without proper security measures, breaches can cause serious problems such as stolen customer information, data loss, and destroyed brand reputation.

Although you can always scan for breaches, cleaning a hacked site without professional help will be challenging for non-technical users. Thus, it’s best to take preventive measures by installing security plugins before anything terrible happens.

Some popular options include Sucuri, Wordfence, and Jetpack. Each plugin comes with features such as malware detection and data protection to make sure your website is safe from attacks.

Conclusion

There you have it – five add-ons to look for when purchasing web hosting for your site.

These additional features will improve your website’s security and performance, thus, resulting in a trustworthy and credible reputation for your business.

To recap, here’s a summary of the listed add-ons:

• WHOIS Privacy Protection. Protects your personal details that are disclosed when registering a domain name.
• SSL Certificate. A security protocol that encrypts transferred data between the web server and web browser.
• Content Delivery Network. A network of servers located across the globe for faster content delivery to visitors.
• Automated Backup Services. Secure your site’s files and database with plugins such as UpDraftPlus.
• Security Plugins. Secure your site from hackers, malware, viruses, and breaches with security plugins like Wordfence and Sucuri.

Now that you’ve learned all essential add-ons to create a robust website, it’s time to install them and improve your site.