eCommerce hosting is mainly responsible for your site’s overall performance, including its functionality, speed, and security, among other things. If you own an eCommerce business or company, you must prioritize the hosting services you are currently using. But how do you find a trustworthy hosting partner? What are the advantages of a dependable eCommerce web hosting hosting provider, and what else should you know?
Introduction To eCommerce Web Hosting
A web host, also known as hosting, is required when you want to start an online business for selling goods and services. In essence, hosting provides a server on which you can host your website. The site will establish a connection to the internet from this server, at which point users will use it.
Simply put, you are purchasing the right to utilize unused server space owned by someone else. Additionally, you can purchase your own server from a hosting provider like GPDhost, Mint Host, and Many More.
You can acquire hosting in many different configurations and specialties. Some hosting companies are well-known for the hardware around which they are built, while others offer specialized plans with one-of-a-kind features. But what is e-commerce hosting in reality?
It is a collection of unique features designed for a specific market segment. Free SSL encryption, scalability for significant traffic, an additional layer of protection, support for payment gateways, and many more features may be included with the hosting.
Keep in mind that practically every hosting service has a variety of features. You must locate a reliable and secure hosting solution if you’re seeking to host your online store. Let’s learn about the many hosting solutions in the industry.
E-Commerce Web Hosting Types
Before anything else, we must make a distinction between two major hosting categories:
Self-managed: You are responsible for setting up and keeping up your hosting plan with this form of hosting. This is typically a less expensive choice, but it calls for a highly prepared technical team and systems administrator committed to this topic daily.
Managed: With this hosting, the hosting company also takes care of your site’s installation, configuration, upkeep, and monitoring of its performance and the security precautions required daily. The most suggested option for an e-commerce site is this one because it will save you time.
Ecommerce Web Hosting Provider: 8 Major Factors To Consider
Some factors are negotiable, such as a hosting fee that exceeds your budget or the security add-ons included with your hosting package. However, certain features are non-negotiable and must be included in your e-commerce hosting package. Below, we will explore these non-negotiables:
1. 99.99% Uptime
Your e-commerce site must be speedy and up. Your e-commerce host must ensure a fast load time and 99.99% uptime. Most customers leave a slow or slow-loading website forever. Shared Hosting is not recommended for e-commerce websites due to frequent downtime and economic loss. A CDN, a network of servers dispersed across a vast area, must be included in your ecommerce web hosting service to ensure a fast website. Look for a plan with uptime monitoring, so you’re notified if the server goes down.
2. Scalability
Ecommerce hosting must be scalable. Holidays, specials, and promotions can boost website visitors. In such cases, your e-commerce hosting plan must let you scale resources. CPU, RAM, Storage, and all other resources must be scalable to avoid bad customer experiences.
3. Unlimited Storage/Bandwidth
Ecommerce websites attract heavy traffic, requiring additional storage, space, and bandwidth. Product photos, videos, and other website files make e-commerce websites heavy. Choose an e-commerce host with unlimited bandwidth and storage to avoid overage penalties.
4. Security
On an e-commerce website, you expect users to contribute personal and financial information so you can provide personalized services. Customers expect you to protect this information. Ecommerce websites are a goldmine for hackers to steal bank and credit card credentials. As an e-commerce store owner, you must protect your business, customers, and reputation. Your e-commerce hosting company must offer comprehensive security features like SSL certificates, firewalls, malware, DDoS attack monitoring, etc.
5. 24/7 Support
Even if you choose the most excellent e-commerce hosting service and have all the essential tools and plugins in place, there is a potential that your website will experience problems on occasion. Your hosting company must be conveniently accessible to assist you in these situations and provide the appropriate response. Whether your website speed is affected, you need to expand resources to meet traffic, there has been an attack, or you require any other assistance, your eCommerce hosting provider must offer around-the-clock support to help you return to business.
6. Payment Integration
Your eCommerce hosting companies must make it simple for you to incorporate all payment options required by your target audience. It is an important deciding factor in a customer’s purchase decision. Debit and credit cards, UPI, cash on delivery, and bank transfers must all be supported by your e-commerce hosting provider. With the increasing popularity of Razorpay in India, for instance, HostingSeekers now enables clients to integrate Razorpay with their online store quickly. In addition, ensure that your eCommerce website hosting supplier is PCI compliant (Payment Card Industry). These security standards ensure the safety and security of user data.
7. Automatic Backups
Backups of data are essential for e-commerce websites. Automatic backups safeguard the data and files of your e-commerce store. Your database can quickly become corrupted, especially if you modify critical settings, which might result in significant losses. If you lack the most current backup, getting everything back up and running may be impossible or incredibly time-consuming. Your e-commerce hosting service must have automatic backups to increase the security of your website.
8. Developer Friendly
If you have a technical understanding or are a developer, you will adore hosting that is simple to comprehend or developer-friendly. You don’t want to alter crucial files and cause the entire website to fail.
Compare the top e-commerce hosting services to learn more about the many variables to consider when selecting a web hosting service, including server response times, advanced security, and quality 24/7 customer care.
Wrapping Up
Your selection of hosting for your e-commerce store will have long-lasting effects. Hosting can affect an e-commerce site in various ways, including performance, security, and service quality. At HostingSeekers, we will provide you with the correct hosting and other e-commerce store-related advice. We have experience designing e-commerce stores from the ground up. Let us know your requirements.