Disclosure: CyberNaira content is reader-supported. This means if you make purchases through our affiliate links, we may earned commission but at no additional cost to you. 

How to choose a web host can be challenging as there are hundreds of web hosts in Nigeria as we speak. But not many reliable web hosts

What you’re not aware of is that most of these web hosting companies are resellers or affiliates of a foreign web host. In practice, they do not have a data center of their own where they store your website files.

This means if your business is serving the local audience in Nigeria, your files are stored abroad.

This might add an extra bit of layers to your website page speed. Also, your blog files and content are guided by the existing law of the foreign host country.

But before we go into the technical details and other reasons why you should consider hosting locally. Especially if your business serves the local audience.

Let’s take a look at how to choose a web hosting company in Nigeria.

Since we have hundreds of web hosting companies in Nigeria claiming superiority over each other in terms of service delivery, it is essential to analyze what makes a good web host according to your needs.

How to Choose The Best Web Host In Nigeria

This is one thing you need to bear in mind.

A good web host is as good as your needs and wants.

1. Technical Support

I am of the opinion that everything doesn’t always go smoothly no matter how best or competent your technical staffs are. But what makes a good support system is the ability to always be available when the need arises.

A good and reliable web hosting company’s technical department should always be on the ground 24/7 to attend to customers’ issues and complaints.

There should be several customer rep communication channels. i.e. Twitter, Facebook page, WhatsApp, Skype, Live chat, 24/7 call support, email, etc.

In our today’s world, people communicate using various channels and you can’t tell what your customers preferred.

In fact, some customers have reported quick and better customer service delivery using the company’s Twitter handle.

2. Hosting Package Prices

This is an essential aspect of web hosting you should look into carefully.

You need a reliable web host to do business with, in the same vein, you want something affordable.

Remember, if it is too cheap, it could also mean a sign of inferiority.

Reliable web hosting services cost money to run. From modern and reliable hardware purchases to the in-house support team, everything cost more money to run.

You need to analyze every feature and service your web host offers vs the prices of each hosting package.

If things do not balance well, it could be a sign of a non-transparent web hosting company.

3. Contact Customer Support Before Placing Your Order

This is essentially good to do before placing your order for at least, you may have a view of how the service department works. 

But not just that, your website has its own needs and wants so you need to contact your potential web host to make your inquiry.

For instance, you may have a blog you want to migrate to the server after completing your order. You need to confirm if your web host provides free WordPress migration services or charges a small fee.

If they charge a fee for such a thing as site migration, then I suspect they’ll happily charge you more for other hidden services in the future.

Make a list of your questions and take note of the customer rep’s response before placing your order.

4. Features and Limitations

Your business needs and wants will determine what features you will need on your website.

If you’re running an e-commerce site, your web hosting features will be different from that of a content publishing powerhouse.

So, go through the list of features and limitations your web host provided and showcase them on their homepage.

If something you want is missing, consider asking, or ideally, move on to the next hosting provider.

But I will advise you to speak with a customer representative first before deciding on your next move.

Some companies don’t list everything on their homepage. Not for bad reasons, but someone may not just be doing his job too well.

Okay, now that we’ve identified how to pick a web host… let’s see why you should host locally with a Nigerian web hosting company.

1. Economic Value

Disclaimer – I’m not singing the present government song Change – Grow The Naira…far from it.

But if you look at it from a business perceptive and patriotic citizen. You’ll agree that if there is an “equal in quality” of services or product value in Nigeria to what we have abroad.

What is the need of taking your Naira abroad to purchase the same services or products?

I agreed in the past that Nigerian web hosting companies are nowhere near most of their counterpart overseas.

But with this new web host on the block, I think the face of the Nigerian web hosting industry is about to change for the better.

Let’s support our own…and grow the Naira.

2. Ease of Access to Technical and Staff Team

One of the best advantages you’ll get from hosting with a local web host is the ability to reach out in person if the need arises.

No matter the state your web host resides in, with a proper arrangement, you can visit their office and sort things out amicably.

I once had an issue that required extensive protocols and all sorts of personal identification with HostGator. If it were to be a local host, things would have been settled within a few hours.

All I need to do is to locate their office, go there in person, and speak with the man in charge. Plus you can even exchange business contact and meet new people.

People are more likely to be interested in what you offer on your blog and possibly do business with you.

3. Domain IP Location

Though while not a direct ranking factor, and still a subject of debate, your website IP location might play a small role in search ranking.

If your business serves the local audience and your files are hosted in the same country. Technically…it could improve page speed which is a direct SEO factor.

This is because of the time required for information to travel from the source to the user network.

So in an ideal world, I strongly advise you to host with a local web hosting company if your business serves the local audience.

4. Currency Exchange Rate

This is another factor you should consider hosting your website locally. Especially in this current economic recession and the Naira to the dollar exchange rate.

If you’re a small business owner just starting out with a limited marketing budget, the best is to start here with Localhost.

The Naira equivalent you pay for the same hosting services you can get here does not worth it.

You’re ignorantly paying high for the same product and service available to you at your fingertip.

5. Face-to-Face Meeting

I briefly talked about this up there but is important I remind you of it once again.

It is easier for me to get on the phone or knock on my web host’s door if there is a need for that. But you know it’s impossible for me to get on the plane and fly to Chicago to settle issues concerning my website hosting.

That’s impossible.

Considering all the above factors, your next question will be which Nigeria local host will be good for my next blog project.

Since most Nigerian web hosting companies are either affiliates or resellers to one web hosting company abroad, Garanntor is my recommendation.

Why Garanntor Web Host?

Garanntor has been acquired by Verpex. So, the information in this article is no longer valid for promoting the Garanntor web hosting brand.

Garanntor is a web and cloud hosting company, that delivers outstanding hosting service and amazing features with their data center hosted at a tier lll facility in Lagos, RackCenter.

Garanntor is the first indigenous web-hosting company to have its infrastructure hosted here in Nigeria. An indigenous company that claims to have its infrastructure delivers quality services equal to international standards.

Unlike other web hosting companies in Nigeria, Garanntor provides many other services like cloud hosting, WordPress hosting, email services, domain name registrar, storage, security, etc.

A company founded in November 2015 by a team of experts in web and cloud hosting services but officially launched in 2016.

Currently, their hosting package starts at N125/month which I believe is affordable for any level of an internet marketer.

All Garanntor hosting plans come with Cpanel features available in most top web hosting companies.

Garanntor has a dedicated WordPress hosting package starting at 600 Naira per month. This is something I haven’t seen in other web hosting companies in Nigeria.

It is good to know that Garanntor is the first to have dedicated WordPress hosting in Nigeria.

Garanntor pricing plan

Try Garanntor today and hopefully,  you won’t regret it.

Similar Posts

8 Comments

  1. This is a nice write up. Choosing a web hosting is always a doubtful task as everyone is recommending something. As a beginner it is good to start with a popular one and shared hosting plan might fit into the budget also. Thanks for this share.

    1. Hi Sanatu,

      Sorry for the late reply.

      You nail the problem…everyone you asked has something to recommend. And in most of the instances, the recommendation is coming with financial gain attached to it.

      One of the reasons is hard to just follow through on advice.

      Thank you.

  2. The country based host helps in getting more localized traffic as Google considers it as one of the SEO factors. Also, you pay in local currency with better support, so opt out for a local host.

    1. Hi Kanav,

      Thanks for your useful comment. And good to see you agree with hosting locally. Paying in local currency is sure one of the most positives reasons one should consider.

      Thanks for your time spent here, and have a nice day.

  3. author comments Prince John Okosun says:

    I must say this is a very nice post. And i actually just transferred my domain from domainking to garanntor and i hope to get the best services from them.

    1. Hi prince,

      I think you’ve made the right choice by going with Garanntor. Hope it worked out well. Thanks for your time here.

  4. Hi,

    Nice write up you have there. I think its time for us to start thinking QUALITY over QUANTITY. I see some Nigerian webhosts offering some ridiculously low hosting packages and I feel sad because some potential customers who don’t know how things work(technically speaking) will rush into those deals. At the end of the day, they come back disappointed. One thing, the webhost has collected their money.

  5. I agree with the points mentioned under importance of local hosting. I also recently migrated my hosting to a local server and it worked like a magic for me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.