Picking the right web host for small business
So, you created an ecommerce website on your computer and you’re ready for the world to see it. There are tons of options for you to choose between. You could use a computer in your home that is dedicated to your website, but doing this can be very technical, and it will definitely be time-consuming and expensive. What you need is a web host.
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Free web hosts versus commercial web hosts
A web host is a company that stores all the parts of your website such as the pages, the HTML, and the scripts. They also connect your site to the Internet so that the world can see it. There are web hosts that provide free hosting, but they put ads all over your site and have restrictions on things like space and bandwidth, and usually there is little if any support.
Your best bet is to go with a commercial web host. They are more geared towards the small business/ ecommerce world. You have literally hundreds of web hosts to choose from, and all of them offer different space, reliability, and price packages. Here are some good questions to ask when selecting a web host for your small business website.
Web hosting reliability
Reliability is a major concern among small business website owners. You never want your website to be down because if your site is down, you’re not converting traffic into sales. Many hosts offer 99% and up uptime guarantee.
Disk space and bandwidth offered
You will want to make sure the web host offers enough disk space to hold your website in the plan you’re looking for. You will also want to make sure they offer enough bandwidth per month for the amount of visitors you will have. If you go over the limit, there will be a charge. Watch out for oversellers who promise a ton of disk space and bandwidth but don’t deliver. Make sure you check the host’s terms of service and resource usage policies.
Quality of support
Support is an extremely important part of any host's service. They should have multiple ways to contact them, including ticket system, live chat, and phone. They should be able to be contacted by either live chat or phone 24/7/365. Make sure you test the support and call in and ask them questions to test their competence.
Security
Ask them how they secure their datacenter and if they have secure servers and SSL certificates. Security Socket Layer (SSL) is a protocol that allows the secure communications to take place over the Internet. This is important for doing online business transactions.
Server backups
The web host should back up the data you have on your servers. You will want to make sure that if something happens to your website for any reason, you will be able to recover the information that is lost. Make sure that the information is yours and not the host's. This is an important question to ask the host.
Shopping cart software
Many hosts provide shopping cart software as part of their package. Most ecommerce sites will need this software in order for their customers to buy products.
Applications
You will want to make sure you are able to use a variety of background applications like PHP, PERL, and CGI scripts. These allow you to truly create forms and a website that are tailored to your business.
Cost
Shared hosting should not cost more than $20 per month. That being said, the above factors should carry more weight than the price. You can also use rebates and coupons to make the same hosting cheaper. Either way, hosting can be one of the cheapest parts of starting a business.
Perks
Many web hosts have deals with other companies, especially when it comes to marketing tools. Some perks are credits for Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing. There are also things like free Sitepal characters. If all else is equal, it can’t hurt to take advantage of the perks certain hosts offer. Also, some hosts offer other services like web design, and this is something to look into if you do not want to create your own site.
Conclusion
There are many things you have to do when creating a small business. Do not overlook choosing a web host. Don’t jump quickly into this because you could regret it. Do the research, ask the questions, and choose the host that is right for you.
See also
Web Hosting Wiki article text shared under a Creative Commons License.
