How to Choose a Reliable Web Hosting Provider for Your Business
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, and while most small businesses are focused on marketing and sales, few think about what’s powering their website behind the scenes.
Your web hosting provider plays a huge role in whether your site stays online when it matters most. Slow load times or outages during peak season can mean lost revenue, frustrated clients, and damage to your reputation.
Here’s how to choose a hosting provider that actually supports your business.
1. Prioritize Reliability (Not Just Price)
Cheaper isn’t always better when it comes to web hosting. Many low-cost providers rely on shared servers, meaning if one site goes down, yours could too.
Look for uptime guarantees (at least 99.9%), 24/7 customer support, and ask about their Service Level Agreement (SLA) timelines (how quickly they respond and resolve technical issues when they arise). During major traffic periods like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you need a partner that can handle surges without slowing your site.
2. Understand Where Your Data Lives
If your business operates in Canada (or serves Canadian customers), data residency matters. Hosting your website and customer data within Canada helps with compliance, especially for organizations that must meet local privacy or data storage requirements.
Canadian web hosting providers to consider:
Web Hosting Canada (WHC): secure, bilingual support, and servers located in Canada. Use our referral link to get started
HostPapa: Canadian-based servers and easy setup.
IONOS or Rebel: for businesses that want managed services with strong Canadian data options.
3. Pick a Provider That Owns (Not Rents) Its Infrastructure
Recent outages have shown the risks of relying solely on big cloud platforms like AWS or Google Cloud. If your hosting provider rents server space from these giants, your uptime depends on them, and one disruption can ripple down to your site.
Look for providers that own and manage their own infrastructure. It means better control, faster support, and fewer points of failure.
4. Plan for Growth, Not Just Today
Your business will grow, and so should your hosting plan. Choose a provider that lets you scale easily without hidden fees or complicated migrations.
Features like automatic backups, easy domain management, and one-click app installs will save you time (and stress) as your website evolves.
5. Ask for Support You Can Actually Reach
Tech issues don’t wait for office hours. Choose a provider that offers responsive, human support, not just chatbots or email forms.
If something breaks during a launch or sale weekend, you want someone who can fix it fast.
Cloud alert: Why The AWS Outage Matters for Your Business
On October 20, 2025, a major AWS cloud-services incident took down dozens of apps and platforms worldwide, from Snapchat and Ring to banking apps and even government systems. The cause? A Domain Name Server (DNS) issue in the US-East-1 region that disrupted essential cloud functions.
Even if you don’t use AWS directly, you’re likely using tools that do, from scheduling software to eCommerce plugins. When AWS goes down, those services often follow.
Here’s what it means for you:
Dependency Risk: Your business may be affected by outages even if your own systems aren’t hosted on AWS.
Redundancy Matters: Always have backups or alternate systems for mission-critical tools.
Review Your Stack: Take stock of which tools rely on a single cloud provider, and build a plan B.
This outage is a reminder that your tech infrastructure needs layers of protection, not a single point of failure.
Final Thoughts
A reliable web host is more than just a service, it’s part of your business foundation. Whether you’re preparing for the holiday rush or just want peace of mind, make sure your website is secure, compliant, and backed by experts who care.
Ready to review your setup? Start with Web Hosting Canada here.
If you’re not sure where to begin, Techity can help assess your hosting, data residency, and backup strategy to keep your business running, even when the clouds go down.