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eCommerce web site hosting is the type of hosting that is required by an enterprise that will be selling products or services directly from their web site. An on-line enterprise has some added requirements but the basic criteria for selecting a hosting service still apply, in fact they are of greater significance because of the potential to lose business if the hosting service is poor.

For eCommerce web site hosting the following should be considered:

Site Availability – Your hosting service ought to give an uptime guarantee with a financial penalty if it is missed.  Whilst no one can provide 100% uptime you want to get as close to this as feasible. If shoppers want to buy and your site is down they will go to a different site. If your site is down regularly it will result in a significant negative impact on your business.

Site Operation and Page Load Times – Consumers will want to move through your site as speedily as possible. If your site is slow you will lose buyers who will just move to your rivals. Even if they stick with the site and make a purchase they are less likely to come back.

Helpdesk – Good quality support should be obtainable 24/7. If there are any urgent issues they must be resolved without delay.

Shopping Cart/Payment Processing – An eCommerce web site hosting service will offer a SSL certificate to provide security for your customers and it should be easy to add a shopping cart (you might see a choice of shopping carts) to your site.

Upgrade Path – As you are starting a business which you expect to expand, it is important that your hosting service can look after you as this comes about. For example you do not need your page loading speeds to get slower as your site gets busy.

Supplementary Functionality – A high-quality hosting service will provide all-embracing email capabilities, virus protection, security from hackers/malware and backups of your site and data.

Some web hosting companies offer specific eCommerce hosting plans whilst others just incorporate it within their ordinary plans. However, if you are opening a serious business you will need to take a business targeted plan that will offer you more functionality, such as your own (not shared) SSL certificate.

Shopping cart functionality is not consistent. Some hosting providers let you integrate a 3rd party shopping cart whilst others sell their own and the package you pick limits the functionality e.g. how many items you can have in your shop and how many delivery choices you can use.

Changing your eCommerce web site hosting service once you are up and running would be a major upheaval to your business that you want to avoid. Choosing your hosting service is therefore a serious decision. You must look for a well known business with a first-rate reputation for support which should be in the business for many years to come. Time used on research at the outset will be a good investment.

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