There are many types of web hosting plans that cater to just as many different kinds of websites. A single, static page will need the most basic of hosting solutions to make it work while a blog requires a a more flexible one, and so on. When it comes to ecommerce sites, you are looking at a site that not only serves to provide information to your clients and customers, but one that also holds your goods and services (at least a virtual representation of them), handles their sales, processes financial transactions and does it all under a tight hood that no one can access or peek into.
Needless to say, if you are running such a site, you will need a hosting provider that offers you a lot more than just the features that come with a blogging package. Before you set your eyes on a specific hosting provider, we ask that you make sure that as many of these features are available to you:
Reputable Security
Yes, it is true there is no 100% guarantee that your website won’t be hacked into – cyber security (an oxymoron if there ever existed one, by the way) is an on-going game and it looks that the good guys are still playing catch up to the bad guys.
But, it still doesn’t mean you should have your ecommerce site hosted with provider that uses the equivalent of saloon doors on its access points and as it main source of defense. If a hosting provider spends more time fighting malicious attacks or virus infections than it does improving its services and catering to its customers, you really should start looking elsewhere.
Do some online research regarding a provider’s uptime and security breaches, or the lack of it, before you sign up.
Plenty of Unlimited Offers
Not too long ago hosting providers would squeeze clients dry by making them pay for every megabyte of bandwidth they used over their limits or the extra disk space they took up over their allotments.
Those days are gone. Now, it is the time of “unlimited” offers – no bandwidth and disk space caps. In fact, some hosting providers even state they do not monitor usage. This is great news for ecommerce sites that have problems with figuring out seasonal or random bursts of traffic and trade. They don’t have to demand for more resources during peak hours or seasons only to have to go back to the normal allotments once it is all over.
Make sure your web hosting provider offers such an “open” solution and that they really mean it.
Good Customer Service
A good customer service is critical – you simply can’t do without it. You are in the business of making money and – if you really want make the most out of it – should focus on that aspect of it. The technical parts of your website should be handled by someone who knows what they are doing (emphasis on the “knows”).
You can’t be expected to resolve all the technical issues that you might, and probably will, encounter with the running of your ecommerce website. Even if you did have some knowledge about how to resolve some problems you still need to have the backing of your hosting provider’s customer support to fall back on when it goes beyond your capabilities.
Make sure your provider has good support by inquiring directly (call, email or chat). Ask what you can expect in terms of support, talk to the experts and gauge response times and also how well you were able to communicate with the staff – it will be critical when you are under a lot of pressure and need to get your message across in the shortest possible time.
Plug-ins, Add-ons, Installations, etc.
Your ecommerce site will need many extra features and you should be able to install all of them. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice or forgo any plug-in especially if it will make your visitors’ overall experience a pleasant one – they will simply go with the competitors that have them installed. You shouldn’t have to leave out a key security feature – it will cost you and your customers dearly. You simply shouldn’t have to have a sub-par ecommerce website, period.
And especially not if it is because your hosting provider can’t, or won’t, let you add plug-ins that already exist on the market and can alleviate problems. You should be able to install any software you need and you shouldn’t compromise on that.
Go through the list of software that is available or allowed on your hosting plan; ask if you don’t see any that you might require. Also, find out if you will be able to install any new ones that will be forthcoming.
Frequent Backups
A good back up plan will be able to save your business. Yes, there will be some loss – but it won’t be a total one. Therefore, the more frequently your hosting provider backs their data up, the safer you can assume your site to be.
Find out how frequently back ups are taken and go for the one that does it more often times.
