The web hosting industry, like any other, has evolved over time. If you take a historical view of the industry, you’ll see constant, incremental changes. VPS has gone mainstream, Cloud Hosting is becoming more popular, CMS applications are now offered with more hosting plans, hosting companies have tie-ups with security and backup software companies — the list goes on.
A decade ago, most of the things mentioned above were non-existent. Today, they’re almost ubiquitous. Each year, there’s something new. So, with that in mind, here’s a list of some of the things that are trending in 2021.
Top Web Hosting Trends for 2021
- Aggressive Pricing
In 2020, COVID-19 forced governments across the world to impose lockdowns, which meant that a lot of physical stores had to take their business online. This inevitably meant that more and more small businesses had to open websites.
This, of course, means that the customer pool for web hosting companies is on a sharp uprise. More customers for everyone means that there’s more competition which in turn leads to lower prices. So, if you’re planning to start a website now, you’ll probably get better prices than ever before.
- HTTPS across the board
Greater cybersecurity has been a priority for years, and developments have been made in this direction. SSL certificates have had a huge role to play, and we’ve now reached a point where SSL certificates are almost a necessity.
All the leading browsers, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, started showing security warnings to customers whenever they access a website that’s not HTTPS (does not have an SSL certificate). A security warning message is a quick way to drive your customers away.
The result of these developments is that there’s an extensive implementation of SSL certificates across the globe. 2021 has seen SSL certificates become a norm. Web hosting companies geared up and are offering quick and seamless integration of free as well as paid SSL certificates with their hosting plans.
- Greater emphasis on security
Sticking to security, expect a much greater emphasis on website security in 2021. One of the many collateral damages of the pandemic has been cybersecurity. Agencies across the world have noted that there’s been a sharp rise in the number of cyberattacks since the pandemic began.
Small businesses that have websites are disproportionately affected by cyber attacks. They have smaller budgets for security, and yet, the attacks aren’t any less deadly.
So, hosting companies are trying to fill in the gap. A lot of the leading hosting companies have already tied up with website security applications, such SiteLock Security, to create more secure environments that have better encryption and more robust firewalls. Additionally, some companies have already started offering third party website security support to combat the menace of cyber attacks. 2021 is seeing a high emphasis on security by the hosting industry.
- SSD-based website hosting
The price gap between traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and the more advanced and efficient Solid State Drives (SSDs) has now decreased to a point where SSD hosting is getting popular.
2021 is seeing widespread adoption of SSDs across hosting types and hosting companies. The price gap is getting lower, and the performance of HDDs is plateauing to a point where it may simply not be enough for our future storage needs.
Websites are getting heavier on average thanks to all the videos, animations, and images that they now carry, meaning there’s a need for a storage system that can spool up these large files quickly.
SSDs do the job, and they’re getting more affordable. Expect to see a lot of SSD based web hosting plans going forward.
- Green hosting
There’s more concern about global warming and climate change today than ever before. From environmental legislation to industries like shipping and aviation, everyone is under scrutiny for the carbon footprint that they leave behind. Hosting companies are no exception.
The website data of millions of websites is stored in data centres around the world. Data centres need to be cooled, and that requires a lot of energy, which increases the carbon footprint of the companies.
One way to reduce energy consumption is by adopting SSDs that are more efficient. However, it doesn’t end there.
Companies that maintain data centres are now adopting a more proactive strategy by getting Renewable Energy Certificates that mandate that the companies help in generating renewable energy. Some companies are also getting Carbon Offset Certificates that certify that they are indeed helping in reducing greenhouse gasses.
Overall, 2021 is all about web hosting companies, especially the big ones, doing more in the environmental sector.
- Feature-rich hosting
As mentioned earlier, the customer pool is getting quite big and hosting companies are expected to go all in to acquire as many customers as possible. One way to do this is to dole out as many features as possible.
Automated backup applications, native support for third-party security applications, better e-commerce support, free SSL certificates, email marketing applications, even training customers on better website building practices — they’re all set to appear as standard services that are offered with a hosting plan.
Of course, the idea is to not just have a Unique Selling Point (USP) but to actually add services that new customers really need, making their hosting plans more attractive to potential customers.
Conclusion
Pandemic or not, innovation doesn’t stop. Web hosting would have evolved at its own pace anyway. But COVID-19 has made hosting companies accelerate their innovations and add more to their existing plans.
Of course, the majority of these innovations will initially be adopted by the leading web hosting companies. It’ll be a while before they become industry standard. So, if you’re looking for a web hosting plan that’s truly modern, sticking to hosting industry leaders may be the best bet. After all, apart from all the new tools and features, you’ll get robust hosting that’s reliable, secure, and fast. In the long term, this will hold your website in good stead. You can check out web hosting plans from ResellerClub. We offer free SSL, SSD-based hosting options, easy integration with third-party backup (CodeGuard) and security (SiteLock) tools, 24×7 tech support, and so much more! contact us today for more information.
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