If you are considering hosting or set up a website in Nigeria. There are a few numbers of things to consider. The most important factors is a fast and reliable web hosting– the platform that houses the website.

There are two main options for hosting a website in Nigeria :

1. Choose a small, local host-based in Nigeria
2. Choose a larger, recognized international host.

The best option would be to go for a recognized International hosting company because of there reputation and certain beliefs. However, it can be disappointing when considering the high cost of hosting, the distant location of the hosting company, and no local phone number.

In Nigeria, we recommend a superior speed and ultra-reliability hosting company like qServers Web Hosting because they stand out by providing High-quality services just like any international hosting company.

In this article, we have four (4) popular hosting companies in Nigeria and we will explain each.

Before we get into details, you need to understand that a web host determines the reliability, speed, and stability of the website, so it is paramount to make the right decision.

What To Look For In A Good Hosting

Speed

The importance of website speed can not be overemphasized. Speed starts with a fast web host. A web host should respond within 200ms (according to Google), get a host that responds quickly to your location and around the world.

Security

Prevent your website from Hackers. A good host should have automatic updates and malware scanning. Some even come with a free SSL (security) certificate.

Uptime

Up-time is a measure of reliability. In other words, it’s the percentage of time your website is online. Even an up-time of 98% can mean your site is down for six days of the year(!) Look for an uptime of 99.8% or higher.

Backups

As extra security and practical feature, many hosts now come with regular automatic backups.

Customer service

Ideally, your web host should have a 24-hours customer service. Most hosts now have customer service options including phone, ticket systems, and online chat.

Price

Don’t always settle for the cheapest web hosting company. It can end up causing you issues with speed and reliability. It may even hold you back if your website starts to grow. At the same time, you don’t need to spend a fortune! Look for an affordable host with all the features you need.

Storage and Bandwidth

Storage refers to how much content, images, and data you can store on the host’s servers. And ‘bandwidth’ is how much data can flow through from the server. This has an impact on speed and visitor numbers. Naturally, we want the highest storage and bandwidth within reason.

4 common web hosting providers in Nigeria

Host Provider: Domain King
Price/Year: N4500
Bandwidth: Unmetered
Host: 2 Websites
SSL: Free
Domain (.com): N3800
Sub-domain: None

Host Provider: HostNowNow
Price/Year: N5000
Bandwidth: 15GB
Host: 1 Website
SSL: Free
Domain (.com): N3900
Sub-domain: 4

Host Provider: Whogohost
Price/Year: N5000
Bandwidth: 10GB
Host: 1 Website
SSL: Free
Domain (.com): N3800
Sub-domain: None

Host Provider: qServers
Price/Year: N4500
Bandwidth: 8GB
Host: 1 Website
SSL: Free
Domain (.com): N3000
Sub-domain: 5

The hosting providers analyzed have their benefits depending on your preference. qServers actually provide a cheaper cost for the domain name with lower bandwidth size among others. Domain King provides unmetered Bandwidth and even supports 2 websites on the hosting platform. HostNowNow appears to give more juicy services, 10 sub-domain, 15GB Bandwidth, and next cheaper domain cost. Whogohost is on the high side on cost, with 4 subdomains and Bandwidth of 10GB.

Our Conclusion

By the way, do not be fooled by excess bandwidth, as websites use just about 10% for a month before it resets at month-end. However, if you are building an e-commerce website, it is advisable to use a dedicated server (More explanation on this later). Even with Subdomains, the real question is, how many will you make use of? Some hosting companies in Nigeria will entice you with some features so that you invest in them. Just imagine, an iPhone and Nokia with similar features. The iPhone camera will always stand out, but the battery will still be a drawback.

After a series of experiments, and considering what to look for in a hosting provider, we still consider qServers web hosting as the best hosting provider. They provide excellent customer service, surprisingly qServers still respond to queries at mid-night. The uptime is unbelievable, we used a query monitor and we got 99.2%. The cpanel is very user-friendly, especially for a new developer. The plans are also flexible that the cost of the current plan is deducted if you wish to upgrade to a higher one after a few days. Most developers on Fiverr also make use of qServers for the International website as well. Click here to start hosting with qServer.