E-Commerce Hosting
To provide effective E-Commerce hosting for your website, you'll need to select a web hosting provider that combines reliable hosting features with an easy-to-use shopping cart and a SSL certificate for security. If you use a third-party Shopping Cart Program, make sure you check with your potential hosting provider ahead of time for compatibility. You will also need to estimate whether your expected customer volume can be handled by a shared E-Commerce hosting account that allows 10 to 30 GB of data transfer per month, or if it will require a dedicated E-Commerce hosting server with 100+ GB of bandwidth.
For small businesses and start-up companies operating on a lower budget, iPowerWeb's Business Pro account will more than meet the needs of E-Commerce hosting for small business. With this account, you can easily setup your website files and all you need beyond that is the merchant account of your choice. For larger companies or those that can justify paying $100 a month and up for a dedicated server, please view our advice on choosing a dedicated server listed below.
E-Commerce Hosting - Dedicated Server Solutions
Ideally, you should start your E-Commerce website on a dedicated server to ensure maximum reliability and bandwidth for your online business. It almost goes without saying, but having a reliable site with fast-loading pages is critical for online business, and dedicated E-Commerce hosting servers are the best way to guarantee that level of service. When deciding upon a good dedicated server, you should make sure that you get the following:
- At least 100 GB of Data Transfer - If you pick one that only offers only around 10 to 20 GB of bandwidth, you may find yourself paying very high additional bandwidth charges if you exceed that limit.
- Accessible Customer Service - View the host's online support information and look into their procedure for handling support issues. Also, check to see if they charge fees for specific service operations.
- Low-cost SSL Certificates - If you sell products online, you need to have SSL so that your customers know the privacy of their financial information is protected. Know before hand the costs of adding a SSL certificate to your dedicated server.
- Capable Hosting Data Center - A good E-Commerce hosting provider will give you complete information on the types of equipment used in their data center, as well as their total available bandwidth and Internet pipeline connections. Don't put your online business in the hands of a inexperienced provider with inadequate resources.
- The ability to upgrade affordably - Read through your dedicated hosting providers pricing list for upgrading your server. As your business grows, you may increase the hard drive size and RAM, or add new software to your server. Make sure the cost for upgrading these items is acceptable to you.
One company that really has a great offer on dedicated servers is ServerBeach. They have server accounts with 60 GB hard drives, 400 GB of data transfer and 512 RAM for only $99 per month. There are many good dedicated hosts out there, but if you follow the list above and use ServerBeach's offerings as a benchmark, you'll certainly find the right one for your business.