Owning a business can be very stressful. Having an online business is no different. Finding the right web hosting company for your ecommerce business can be frustrating because there are many companies to choose from and if you are new at ecommerce there are so many things to learn. Right from the beginning you will need ecommerce web hosting so we will try to help you here by giving you a few ideas of what to look for.
Affordability – No one likes paying more than they have to for anything. In today’s economy this is especially true. Affordability is key in your ecommerce web hosting because you don’t need a lot of overhead expenses. The web hosting industry is extremely competitive and if you just do your homework and shop around for the features you need, there is web hosting available for very little money and great services.
Features –
- One major function that you have to have for ecommerce is a product catalog. Some companies may offer you a product catalog but when you look closely you will find that it only supports 10 or 15 items. This simply is not enough for most companies. Make sure that you choose a hosting company that offers a product catalog that will support the amount of products that you offer as well as a little room to grow.
- Shopping carts are necessary for ecommerce. This allows your customers to place items in a “basket” while they continue shopping and then check out all at once just as you would in a normal storefront.
- Processing payments is a major component of ecommerce. You will most likely have to have a way to process payments right online. Customers in this day and age expect convenience and you most likely don’t want to miss out on sales just because you can’t meet this need. Just make sure you hosting service is compatible with these services or even better, provides these services. You will need a payment gateway and a merchant account.
Marketing – Ecommerce necessitates marketing. All ecommerce websites will benefit from marketing credits as well as marketing tools and tips. Good ecommerce web hosting provides these items for you and they will continue to support you so that you succeed.
Our top three picks for ecommerce web hosting are: