5 Tips for Choosing the Right Web Hosting for Your eCommerce Website

People often get confused while choosing a dependable web hosting solution for an ecommerce website but it is actually very simple if you go by certain guidelines. Here are 5 easy tips that may prove helpful in selecting an appropriate web hosting for your ecommerce project.Choosing the Right Web Hosting

1. Know what you need

The very first thing you should do is learn about your requirements before you even start searching for a web host. There are certain set of questions that you need to answer before sticking to the right one, like for example, whether Windows application is needed or not, special version of any software is needed or not, traffic load of the website, etc. In case if you are new in this field and are looking to set up a small online store, then shared hosting would be enough in most cases and you can upgrade to VPS or dedicated server later down the lane. But for a full fledged, sizeable ecommerce project, it’d be wise to go virtual or dedicated right from the beginning.

2. Server uptime

Imagine your site going down every now and then. This will on the one hand prevent your prospects from buying from you site and will have direct impact on your revenues, while on the other, it will take a toll on your image and reputation, thus hampering your growth in the long haul. To avoid all this mess up, you should always go for a web host that offers stable network connection backed by powerful server and infrastructure. Look out for uptime of at least 99.5% and never choose a service of anything below 99%.

3. Multiple domain hosting

If you are planning to host more than 1 website, say for instance, a separate country specific domain for multiple countries, then you need not buy hosting accounts separately for each one. Most of the companies allow you to host unlimited number of domains in a single account. And even if not unlimited, you should at least be able to host the number of domains you are planning to set up.

4. Option for account upgrade

This is more applicable if you are buying shared hosting or even low end VPS. Chances are that you will outgrow your current hosting as your ecommerce business picks up the pace; and moreover as you pass through different stages of development, you may have different levels of requirements. This is the reason why an upgradable hosting would be an ideal choice. If you can upgrade to a VPS and dedicated account in future without having to move to another webhost, you should always give preference to that web host.

5. Website security features

Website security is of utmost importance for an ecommerce website. That’s because you will be processing financial transactions and sensitive user information through your website. And your customers should be able to trust you with that. So, your web hosting vendor should be able to offer SSL and other security certificates and features for your website.

Final verdict

Never be in a hurry while selecting a web hosting for your ecommerce website since it is the key ingredient that will take your website to the desired position. Your criteria for selecting a web host may differ based upon the individuality of your project. But keeping the above tips in mind will definitely make your task easy. You can also turn to reliable review sites to gauge the suitability of your shortlisted web hosts. Certain sites like www.cheaper-vps-hosting.com and www.discountdediservers.com are specifically designed to help you find good yet cheap web hosting providers. Also, if you know somebody more experienced who can guide you in the right direction, never shy away from taking their advice. Take a well thought decision after a thorough research. Remember, it’s an ecommerce site and you will not afford to keep it moving from one web host to another!