How To Choose A Good Web Hosting Service for an Ecommerce

Are you thinking about upgrading your web hosting service for your ecommerce? With many options available, in the market today choosing the right web host can be overwhelming without guidance and understanding. As technology continues to advance the hosting industry also evolves. Therefore it's crucial to stay well informed to make a decision when selecting a provider for your website. In this blog post we will discuss aspects such, as performance metrics, support options and cost saving strategies that can help you find the web hosting service tailored to your personal or business needs.

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Understand your needs - figure out the size and scope of your website

Creating a website is an exciting endeavor, but it can also be overwhelming. One of the first steps in the process is understanding your website’s needs and requirements. If you are launching a small blog or personal website, shared hosting may be the most cost-effective option for you. On the other hand, if your goal is to create a larger e-commerce site with lots of content and users, then you should consider more robust options such as VPS or dedicated server hosting. As seen at https://www.justhostme.co.uk , there are options for both personal and business website hosting that can fit your budget. So, it’s important to understand what your website needs in terms of resources and bandwidth, so you can select an appropriate hosting plan.

When considering hosting options for your store it's important to have a deep understanding of your specific needs in order to make an informed decision. Without a foundation, the most visually appealing and user friendly website can encounter obstacles that hinder growth and negatively impact the overall user experience. The size and nature of your ecommerce business are factors determining your hosting requirements. A small boutique store may not require the resources of a large digital marketplace. However, regardless of scale performance is always of importance. Slow-loading pages or downtime during peak shopping periods can be disastrous leading to abandoned shopping carts. Lost sales. It is crucial to choose a hosting solution that guarantees uptime rates and can handle surges in traffic during sales events or holiday seasons.

Security is another aspect when it comes to ecommerce. Unlike other types of websites, online stores deal with information such as customer addresses, credit card numbers, and login details. This data becomes a target for cybercriminals. Consequently, it is vital to ensure that the chosen hosting solution includes security features, like SSL certificates, regular malware scans, and firewalls.

When it comes to ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce or BigCommerce each one has its requirements. It's important to make sure that the hosting environment is compatible with the software you're using. Some hosting providers specialize in platforms. 

Scalability is critical for success. And it  can have impacts as your business grows. Imagine a scenario where your online store experiences a surge in traffic due to a marketing campaign. Will your current hosting solution be able to handle this increase in visitors? Will it buckle under the pressure? It's crucial to plan for growth and choose a hosting service that allows for upgrades whether it's additional storage space, bandwidth capacity or processing power.

Lastly, while it may not directly affect your server's performance customer support plays a role. Issues can arise at any time – during a sale event, product launches or even late at night. Having a support team with knowledge and accessibility can be the difference between resolving problems and enduring extended periods of downtime.

Read this complete guide on digital marketing funnel and then choose the right digital marketing channel for your business.

Research web hosting providers - compare features, pricing, customer service, and uptime

When it comes to establishing a presence finding a dependable web hosting provider is crucial in today's era. It is essential to conduct research before committing to a web host. Factors such as pricing, uptime, customer service and features should all be taken into consideration. With numerous options available, navigating through the choices can be overwhelming. However, dedicating time and effort to finding the web host for your requirements can help you avoid headaches and costly mistakes, down the line. So take a moment to relax grab yourself a cup of coffee and begin your research!

Choose a reliable host - look for a provider with a good reputation and solid track record

When it comes to selecting a web hosting provider it's crucial to choose one that you can depend on. The last thing you want is for your website to crash or experience downtime, due to hosting services. To avoid issues, opting for a provider with a reputation and a proven track record in the industry is important. This means conducting research reading customer reviews and evaluating the providers guarantees and support options. Don't solely focus on the option investing a little extra in a reliable host will ultimately result in a smoother and more successful website.

Select the right package - consider the cost, storage space, bandwidth, support options, etc.

Selecting the package might seem overwhelming initially. By considering various factors like cost, storage space, bandwidth, support options and more you can make an informed decision that aligns with your needs. Avoid going for the priced option as it may mean sacrificing essential features or support required for your business or personal use. Similarly, refrain from overspending on storage or bandwidth that won't be utilized effectively. Conduct research on your choices and realistically assess your requirements to find an ideal package that strikes the right balance between cost and functionality.

When faced with a multitude of options it's crucial to consider more, than the price or popularity. Instead, focus on aligning your needs with what each package offers and consider interconnected factors to ensure you get the value for your investment.

Naturally, cost is often the first aspect people look at – and understandably so. Staying within budget is essential for businesses or projects with financial constraints. However, opting for the option doesn't always mean it's the deal overall. What truly matters is the value you receive. Sometimes investing a bit more might provide features or benefits that can save you money or hassle in the term.

Another crucial factor to consider is storage space. While it may be tempting to choose a package with storage capacity it's wise to evaluate how much storage you genuinely require. Overestimating can lead to expenses while underestimating might result in rushed upgrades or a cluttered system. Therefore finding a balance, between your needs and available storage is key.  It's important to plan for your requirements based on your current usage and growth rate. Make sure you have the capacity to handle increases, without overspending. Check these Amazon FBA tips to grow your business and see how optimising your Amazon listing could help you grow. 

Bandwidth plays a role in digital operations. It determines the amount of data that can be transferred over a network within a time frame. For instance if you have a website and anticipate a surge in visitors it's essential to ensure that your site doesn't crash due to. Similarly, apps need bandwidth to provide user experiences, especially during peak usage periods. Like storage aim for a bandwidth that meets your needs with some capacity for unexpected spikes.

Additionally don't overlook the importance of support options. With the best packages available issues can arise. What distinguishes services from ones is often the quality and availability of their support systems. Whether its round the clock customer service, comprehensive FAQ sections or an active community forum having support can make all the difference between hiccups and prolonged headaches.

To summarize, selecting the package isn't a one size fits all decision. By considering factors such as cost, storage space, bandwidth capabilities and reliable support options as interconnected elements, in decision making process you'll be able to make a choice that not meets but anticipates your needs.

So when you encounter a range of choices it's important to take an approach. Consider more, than the moment and choose an option that will benefit you in the long run as well. 

If you need help optimizing your e-commerce, reach out and our team will be happy to help.

Compare different packages - don't be afraid to shop around and get multiple quotes

When selecting your website's web hosting plan, it's crucial to compare options and gather multiple quotes. Don't hesitate to explore providers in the market as there are excellent choices, with competitive rates and packages. Moreover, remember to ask questions and explore any deals or discounts that might be accessible. By investing time, in researching hosting packages and making a choice you can be confident that you have chosen the optimal web hosting service that suits your requirements at a reasonable price.

Services are always evolving, so probably the moment I will press publish on this article new ones will be out there. However we've organized a few / per technology to hep you with the search: 

• Shopify

  • Description: Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms. It's a hosted solution, which means you won't need separate web hosting. It's designed to be user-friendly, making it a favorite among beginners and established businesses alike.
  • Cost: Plans start from $29/month for the Basic Shopify and can go up to $299/month for the Advanced Shopify. There's also a Shopify Plus option for enterprises, which requires custom pricing.
  • Link:
    Shopify

• WooCommerce (on SiteGround)

  • Description: WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin, but you'll need hosting. SiteGround is recommended due to its excellent WooCommerce-specific features, performance, and support.
  • Cost: SiteGround's WooCommerce hosting starts at $6.99/month for the StartUp plan, with higher-tier plans offering more resources.
  • Link:
    SiteGround

• BigCommerce

  • Description: Like Shopify, BigCommerce is a hosted e-commerce solution. It offers a lot of built-in features, which can make it more cost-effective for businesses that require a lot of functionality.
  • Cost: Their Standard plan begins at $29.95/month, and they offer more advanced plans, with the Pro plan starting at $299.95/month.
  • Link:
    BigCommerce

• Wix eCommerce

  • Description: Wix is primarily a website builder, but it has an e-commerce module that's suitable for smaller online stores.
  • Cost: E-commerce plans start at $23/month for the Business Basic plan.
  • Link:
    Wix

• Bluehost WooCommerce Hosting

  • Description: Bluehost, a well-known web host, offers a WooCommerce-specific hosting plan that's optimized for online stores.
  • Cost: The WooCommerce hosting starts at $15.95/month for the Standard plan.
  • Link:
    Bluehost

• Magento (on Nexcess)

  • Description: Magento is a powerful e-commerce platform. It's self-hosted, so you'll need a robust web host. Nexcess is widely recognized for its Magento-specific hosting solutions.
  • Cost: Plans for Magento hosting on Nexcess start at $19/month.
  • Link:
    Nexcess

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): AWS offers a wide range of products, from computing power (EC2) to storage solutions (S3). Their pricing is based on a pay-as-you-go model where you only pay for what you use. They offer a free tier with limited resources to new users, which lasts for 12 months. For detailed pricing, you'll need to visit the AWS Pricing page or use their pricing calculator.

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Like AWS, GCP provides a variety of services, with Compute Engine, App Engine, and Cloud Storage being some of the popular ones. Google Cloud's pricing is competitive and often slightly lower than AWS in many scenarios. They also offer a free tier, as well as $300 in free credits to new users, which can be used over 12 months. For specifics, the GCP Pricing page or the pricing calculator would provide more details.

• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): OCI is Oracle's foray into the cloud infrastructure market, competing with the likes of AWS and GCP. Their primary services include computing, storage, and networking. They often emphasize performance and cost savings as differentiators. OCI also offers a free tier and provides new users with free trial credits. To get detailed pricing for their services, you'll need to check the Oracle Cloud Pricing page.

Read reviews from users - find out what other customers have to say about their experiences

When it comes to making a purchase reading reviews, from customers often plays a role in our decision-making process. All who can provide insights than those who have already tried the product or service? Reviews help us identify problems or concerns while also shedding light on what people liked and appreciated. They give us a glimpse into the company's customer service and overall product quality. So if you're uncertain about making a purchase take the time to read reviews from others to make a decision.

Monitor performance - keep track of your website's uptime and response times

Once you’ve selected a web hosting provider, it's important to stay on top of its performance. Keep track of your website's uptime, response times, and any other metrics you deem important. This way, you can immediately identify any issues that may arise with your hosting service, and take action to ensure that your website is running smoothly at all times. It's also a good idea to read up on the provider's SLA (Service Level Agreement) to ensure they are meeting their commitments.

To maintain a presence it is important to regularly monitor both your website and hosting performance. This ensures that you provide the user experiences and retain your visitors. Here's a seamless way to approach it;

When evaluating website performance start by looking at loading times. Slow page loads can frustrate users. Negatively impact search engine rankings. Tools, like Googles PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix offer insights into the causes of delays. Provide recommendations for improvement. While analyzing load times pay attention to media files, unoptimized images or excessive scripts as culprits.

Another crucial aspect is website uptime, which measures how often your site is accessible to visitors. Even minor periods of downtime can result in lost sales for e commerce websites. Services like Uptime Robot and Pingdom monitor site accessibility 24/7. Send notifications if your website goes offline. These tools are invaluable in ensuring availability.

Here is a complete guide on how you could use the digital marketing funnels to expand your customer base and how sell directly on Amazon with a detailed plan on Amazon listing optimization.

Furthermore understanding website traffic patterns helps assess performance. Analytical tools such as Google Analytics delve into user behavior on your site by revealing information, about the visited pages, bounce rates and user demographics.

Detecting bounce rates, on your website could be an indication of issues like loading times, unattractive design or confusing navigation. By analyzing traffic patterns you can make improvements. Refine your website accordingly. Read this guide on E-commerce supply chain and voice search optimization.

In addition to focusing on the specifics of your website it is crucial to keep a watch on the performance of your hosting. The hosting environment directly impacts factors such as site speed, uptime and overall user experience.

Lets start by examining server response times. This metric reflects how quickly your hosting server responds when a request is made. Slower response times can result in sluggish site performance. Regularly checking this ensures that your hosting provider is delivering as promised. Next pay attention to resource usage. Most hosting dashboards (such as cPanel or Plesk) provide metrics related to CPU usage, memory consumption and bandwidth utilization. High resource usage might necessitate upgrading your hosting plan. Optimizing your site. Remember that sudden spikes in traffic or resource heavy plugins can quickly deplete resources.

Lastly maintaining strong server security is essential. While not directly tied to performance metrics a compromised server can significantly impact both website functionality and user trust. Make it a habit to regularly review server logs for any activities and ensure that all software—including content management systems and plugins—is kept up, to date.

By using a combination of techniques and proven methods you can guarantee an user experience that will help establish a strong online reputation and drive growth. Consistently monitoring and making modifications based on these metrics will keep your website agile, captivating and ahead of the competition.

Tools we use at Codedesign

• Uptime Robot 
• Uptime
• Google Analytics to monitor traffic sources and micro-conversions, conversion rate per traffic source, and pre-defined goals (macro-conversion). If you spot issues, use the next two tools to understand what’s happening and how to fix it.
  
• Uptrends can help you track your customer’s path from traffic source to your website to show you if there are connection problems on specific devices, platforms, or browsers. For example, if you spot drops in mobile-device use, Uptrends will show you if there are API issues or if it’s a question of a broken click-through link. 
• Hotjarprovides product experience insights to understand your customer’s journey from the lead funnel through to the sales funnel, so you can decide how to implement the right solutions for them. Numbers alone won’t always reveal the best path: Hotjar’s
  • Session Recording tools show you how users interact with your site throughout their visit while
  • Heatmaps let you know where users are engaging with your pages and what they’re scrolling past. With Hotjar
    
  • Surveys and
    
  • Feedback, you can tap into the voice of your customer and discover deeper qualitative insights.

• StatusCake: in addition to core web vitals and page speed, StatusCake also monitors domain expiration notification and website uptime.

• Intruder: this complete vulnerability monitoring tool protects your entire tech stack. It includes continuous security checks, compliance issues, weakness identification, and surface monitoring. 

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