Starting a website for your online business is an excellent idea. Apart from helping you reach a wider audience, your business website also helps build credibility for your brand.
However, many business owners often have difficulties choosing the right hosting provider for their new websites. Meanwhile, an online business’s credibility relies heavily on a third-party hosting provider and other software services.
In this article, we’ll share seven tips for how to choose the best business hosting for your online store. If you don’t want your site to perform poorly due to an unreliable provider, keep reading.
1. Compare the Hosting Providers
Web hosting is a service that makes websites accessible on the internet. With the right provider, a website will be able to accept many visitors and display lots of content whilst providing a smooth and effortless experience. As a result, this can drive more traffic and generate more sales.
Information to consider when researching different web hosting providers includes server response time (SRT) and uptime.
The former is the amount of time the web host server is available online. Choose a provider that guarantees at least 99.5% server uptime. Anything below the number will mean your site will be inaccessible for more than two days in a year.
The latter is about how fast the webserver delivers the site visitors’ requests. Website speed is vital for any business’ growth, as it reduces bounce rate and improves user experience. For this, check if your chosen provider can keep the SRT below 200 ms.
If you’re having trouble finding the perfect web hosting provider for your new online business, Hostinger is considerably one of the best web hosts in the industry. Apart from providing up to 99.9% server uptime, it also packs an excellent server speed.
2. Consider the Domain Name
A domain name refers to the website’s address. Having a reflective domain name is essential as it makes your site more visible. On top of that, it also speaks for professionalism and improves your business’ reliability.
Many hosting providers offer an all-in-one service that includes domain name purchase and registration. That said, some include the domain name at the same price, which makes it more cost-effective.
Always check if the domain name is included in the bundle and for how long. On top of that, you need to make sure that the renewal fee doesn’t cost a fortune.
3. Check the Bandwidth and Storage Space
Bandwidth measures how much data a web server can transfer in a second.
The bandwidth needs will be different from one business to another. Suppose your website displays tons of product images and videos. In that case, choose a provider that packs over a terabyte of bandwidth on a monthly basis.
In terms of data and file storage, opt for a provider that utilizes a solid-state drive (SSD), which is the latest storage device generation for computers.
SSDs are faster than the traditional hard disk. It’s because they utilize flash-based memory chips, replacing the spinning circular plates from hard disks.
Typically, a 40-GB SSD caters to a website’s needs well even when the operating system and other software have taken up much space.
4. Check the Security Features
When it comes to website security, web hosts should take cyber threats seriously. Security is vital for online stores, as business owners will look at a long list of their customers’ sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and addresses.
For that, check if your chosen provider offers a free SSL certificate. It’s vital to install one as it encrypts your website data by moving it from the HTTP to the HTTPS environment, making all your customers’ data more secure.
In today’s eCommerce scene, people will look for the HTTPS or the padlock symbol before a website’s URL. When found, they’ll be more confident in having a transaction with the online store.
On top of that, make sure your web host has a good track record and uses robust security solutions, such as BitNinja. For the latter, you can also ask about the security measures taken to protect its name servers from any cyber attack.
5. Learn the Automated Backup Period
Backup is the process of making a spare file copy of your website and saving it to an alternate location.
In website development, this process is vital as it allows you to have the most recent website file ready to launch if something unexpected happens. Thus, you won’t have to worry about starting your website from scratch all over again, as the backup can get it back in its most recent state quickly and effortlessly.
However, manually backing up your data can be taxing. Therefore, check if your selected provider packs an automated backup.
If you use WordPress, Jetpack is one of the most excellent plugins to integrate. With the software, automating your backup schedule will be easier. It also comes with a one-click restoration to ease the relaunch process.
6. Check the Technical Support
Errors happen even if you try your best to avoid them. They may come from your side as the client or from the web hosting company as the provider. Thus, it’s vital to have technical support to help you troubleshoot the issues.
That’s why it’s essential to choose a hosting provider that has 24/7 customer support. Also, see if the service comes in your language to ensure more effective communication. This will make it easier for you to reach them whenever you need technical assistance.
Additionally, phone and live chat support tend to be more convenient, as they’re faster than email tickets. Therefore, don’t forget to check if the provider includes phone and live chat services.
7. Consider the Scalability
Your online store may grow larger over time. By the time it happens, you’ll need more storage to contain all of its data. That’s why it’s important to ensure your selected hosting provider can scale your resources affordably.
For this, review the web host’s plans and check if all of them have reasonable prices. That way, you won’t have to worry about any surge in costs so that you can stay within your budget.
Conclusion
Now you know how to choose the best business hosting for your online store. From server-related details and security prerequisites to automated backup and technical support, all of these factors are crucial to helping your business grow.
Therefore, research your provider well and choose wisely. Also, use the seven tips mentioned above and you’ll find your next web hosting provider in no time.
