How to Choose the Best eCommerce Hosting Services

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Updated May 3, 2024

What Should You Know Before Purchasing an eCommerce Hosting Plan?

If you are running an online eCommerce business, then it’s important to know how to choose the best eCommerce hosting provider. Many businesses fail because of bad loading speed, improperly managed servers, and poor security. So what makes the best eCommerce hosting services? Let’s go over the key qualities to look for.

What is eCommerce Hosting?

A web host provides a server for your website, which gives your platform a basis to reside on and the ability to connect to the internet, which enables people to visit your website. Essentially though, you are paying for the rights of server space that is not in use and the services of a company that knows how to manage, secure, and divide the server space.

Hosting comes in different forms that has a variety of required specializations. For instance, HIPAA-compliant hosting will be different from hosting that primarily deals with international eCommerce. Some hosting types are named after the specific hardware they use, and others have special plans, with each plan containing unique features and functionality.

High-quality eCommerce hosting packages have special features bundled, which are often useful for eCommerce businesses. These features include free SSL encryption, assistance setting up payment gateways, scaling during high traffic time periods, or extra security. As a subtype of eCommerce hosting, WooCommerce hosting has these features and more. It comes with a server environment that is optimized to execute the WooCommerce plugin.

ecommerce hosting

Why is Choosing the Right Host Important?

When you make a website, the data files need to be stored somewhere. As a website owner, you have to pay rent for the space you use on a host’s server. However, choosing which company to house your website is important for the functionality of your website and therefore its success.

Customers Won’t Wait for a Slow Site to Load

web design

Research shows that websites only have a few seconds to load before visitors go off to another site. The host’s ability to enable fast load times along with your page optimization needs to allow the website or webpage to load within that time. Each second in reduced load time increases traffic and conversions by a staggering amount. The best eCommerce hosting company can manage the volume of visitors that they offer and that you are expecting. The host should also consider factors such as traffic spikes that can slow down the site if the server isn’t prepared.

Customers Value Secure Sites

Proper security is essential to building trust and credibility with your business and eCommerce platform. Anyone can start an eCommerce site, but proper security is needed to be implemented by any business before their sales start. Just adding a button to collect credit card information is not enough.

You can see that every browser is different, and they have variant security features from one another. Chrome keeps its consumers safe while searching for a piece of information on the web, and it makes it one of the most popular browsers.

This is why your site needs to be encrypted with HTTPS; otherwise, it will be identified as Not Secure when your visitors will be using the Chrome browser. This, in turn, will make customers distrust your site and be less willing to interact with it.

website security

Website Downtime Hinders Activity

website downtime hinders activity

If customers are unable to access your site, they won’t be making purchases or interacting with your platform in other ways. They may leave the site to make a purchase elsewhere. Even one hour of downtime or less results in lost revenue. Some web hosting companies schedule planned maintenance, which can cause your site to go down. The timing of this maintenance affects how many sales will be lost, since some hours of the day can expect more site activity than others. Keeping an eye on this time schedule will help you know when the best times are to schedule maintenance—and be sure not to have the site be down too frequently, either.

Also, it’s important that maintenance is only done as necessary—if your host is scheduling maintenance but not actually fixing or updating anything substantial, then you may want to evaluate their performance as a provider. Putting notifications up on the site and sending notifications to customers to let them know when the site will be down will also go a long way towards mitigating the issues associated with site downtime.

Qualities to Look for in eCommerce Hosting Companies

There are some features that every host should have, such as:

  • High Performance
  • Bandwidth and file storage
  • Auto-scaling
  • Full security
  • Automatic backups
  • Developer-friendly environment

Each of these qualities is detailed below.

High Performance

A host provider needs to be reliable and fast. A webpage’s load time should be less than three seconds—according to research, 70-80 percent of visitors leave a site that takes longer than three seconds to load, and 80 percent never come back.

It’s best to avoid shred hosting, as it can slow down your website and experiences frequent downtime. Some hosts have unpredictable infrastructure, resulting in crashes and slow downloading. While every company advertises that they are the best and have the fastest services, many cannot uphold those standards. Therefore, it’s advisable to check that your potential host provider has performance and uptime monitoring and alerts systems if something goes wrong.

high performance ecommerce host

Bandwidth and File Storage

ecommerce server bandwidth and file storage

eCommerce websites often need lots of file space and the ability to handle lots of traffic. You need a host with enough resources for you because no one wants to pay overage fees. High-quality images are a key part of the design in eCommerce websites, and these take up a lot of storage. As the store grows bigger, you need enough space to accommodate these additional files.

Auto-Scaling

eCommerce website can be a little less predictable than other types of websites, and the market can shift in your favor resulting in a sharp rise in sales. Therefore, two types of scaling need to be considered when it comes to choosing an eCommerce web host. One is auto-scaling during sudden traffic increases and scalable resources which grow with you.

Auto-scaling is a necessity for eCommerce stores due to sudden surges in traffic. Your regular plan should suit your site well for at least a year, with the exception of the holiday season and rush on your site. Auto-scaling automatically allocates the resources on your website and will keep it safe from downtime especially during these times of high traffic.

auto-scaling

Full Security

full security

Hackers often track eCommerce sites, and this is due to associated sensitive data like bank details, credit card numbers, and PayPal accounts. If your website is not secure enough and implementing the latest security features, it can become vulnerable and get hacked. This compromises not just your business but all the buyers and sellers on your website. Making sure your host is continuously updating and checking security is essential to protecting your business’s and customers’ data.

Developer-Friendly Environment

As a developer, you may want to have access to advanced options for server processes for your website. It can be difficult to find a host that will enable these features, because web hosts don’t want to take risks by giving beginners access to critical files that might result in the whole site crashing if something is incorrectly altered. Therefore, it’s best to find a host that can understand your level of expertise as a developer and can easily work with that.

developer friendly environment

Grow Successfully By Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Many new eCommerce business websites failed because of some common issues like poor security, poor support, low speed, low space, and many others. If you want to avoid all of them, you need to get a hosting with all of the features discussed above with affordable plans.

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Clarity Can Help

With our services at Clarity Ventures, we keep the synchronization of all the data between different production environments. It can improve your eCommerce platform's performance, and without this, your site will experience downtime on every single request.

You can always reach our experienced team for getting more details on this topic of planning your hosting server infrastructure. Talk to one of our experts for answers to your questions, a free demo, and no-obligation price quote.

Talk to an Expert

FAQ

 

ECommerce hosting is a specialized type of web hosting tailored specifically for online stores and businesses conducting transactions over the internet. It provides the infrastructure and features necessary to support eCommerce websites, ensuring they operate smoothly, securely, and efficiently.

Key features of eCommerce hosting include high performance to handle large volumes of traffic and transactions, robust security measures such as SSL certificates and DDoS protection to safeguard sensitive customer data, and scalability to accommodate growth in website traffic and sales. Additionally, eCommerce hosting often includes specialized tools like shopping cart software, payment gateways, and inventory management systems to streamline the online shopping experience.

ECommerce hosting is designed to meet the unique needs of online businesses, providing them with the technological foundation required to deliver a secure and reliable platform for selling products and services online.

 

Choosing the right hosting is crucial for an eCommerce website due to its direct impact on performance, security, and user experience. Firstly, performance is key for eCommerce; a fast-loading site with minimal downtime ensures customers can browse and make purchases smoothly, reducing bounce rates and increasing sales.

Second, security is paramount in eCommerce hosting to protect sensitive customer data like payment details. The right hosting provider will offer robust security measures such as SSL certificates, firewalls, and regular backups to safeguard against cyber threats and data loss.

Last, the scalability of hosting is vital for accommodating business growth. As an eCommerce store expands, hosting needs to handle increased traffic and transactions efficiently. Choosing the right hosting ensures a reliable and secure online shopping experience for customers, which ultimately boosts sales and fosters trust in the brand.

 

When selecting eCommerce hosting, several critical factors should be considered to ensure optimal performance, security, and scalability for your online store:

  • Performance and Speed: Choose a hosting provider with fast servers and reliable uptime to ensure quick loading times, which is essential for retaining customers and improving SEO.
  • Scalability: Ensure the hosting plan can accommodate your business growth without compromising performance. Look for options to easily upgrade resources as your site traffic increases.
  • Security Features: Prioritize hosting providers that offer robust security measures such as SSL certificates, DDoS protection, regular malware scans, and data backups to protect sensitive customer information.
  • ECommerce-Specific Tools: Opt for hosting services that provide eCommerce-specific features like shopping cart software, payment gateways, and inventory management systems to streamline your online store operations.
  • Customer Support: Choose a provider with responsive and knowledgeable customer support available 24/7. This is crucial for quickly resolving any technical issues that may impact your eCommerce site.
  • Cost and Value: Compare hosting plans based on pricing, features, and value for money. Balance your budget with the required resources to ensure optimal performance and security for your eCommerce store.
  • User Reviews and Reputation: Research and read reviews about different hosting providers to gauge their reputation for reliability, performance, and customer support.

Considering these factors will help you select an eCommerce hosting provider that meets your business needs and supports the growth and success of your online store.

 

For larger or more complex eCommerce operations requiring advanced features and scalability, a specialized eCommerce hosting provider is recommended. They can provide dedicated support and optimized infrastructure tailored specifically for eCommerce. However, for smaller or less complex eCommerce ventures, a reputable general hosting provider may suffice, offering cost-effective solutions with adequate performance and security features. Ultimately, the choice should align with your business goals, budget, and specific eCommerce requirements.

 

Yes, most hosting providers offer scalable hosting plans that allow you to upgrade as your eCommerce business expands. This flexibility ensures you can accommodate increased website traffic, transactions, and resource demands over time. Upgrading your hosting plan typically involves selecting a higher-tiered package with more resources such as CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth. Check with your hosting provider to understand the upgrade process, associated costs, and any potential downtime during the transition. Regularly assessing your hosting needs and scaling accordingly will support the growth and performance of your eCommerce business.

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