It is vital for an ecommerce startup to choose a really good web hosting provider or the success of the entire business is going to be compromised. The problem is that it is not at all difficult to choose the actual hosting package that you need. Many of the ecommerce packages are great and you can also use the dedicated option whenever the budget allows it. The big problem appears in finding a really good web hosting provider as not all that you find on the market will be suitable for a business. You need to take a look at the following key aspects when your choice is made.
Hardware Used
Quality hosting is only available when hardware is reliable and fast. You will want to look for tier 4 data centers with an annual uptime guarantee of 99.999%. The web hosting provider should have as many data centers available as possible since this will store data in different places and will minimize losses caused by hardware failure. It is great to see data centers being located in a geographic location that is as close as possible to your target audience. Multiple geographic locations are great since natural disaster failure possibility is reduced and you are going to have faster loading speed for customers. Obviously, you will be interested in the provider offering the latest possible hardware.
Software Used
You can choose out of so many different eCommerce hosting options at the moment. Some are better for small businesses while others are better for larger corporations. You want to base your choice on business needs and size. Startups can opt for the cheaper hosting but those that have a large operation or that expect fast growth have to focus on something that is better. Opt for the software that gives access to various eCommerce optimization features so that company growth can be properly supported.
Customer Support Options
You need to talk with people that are qualified and that would actually be able to offer high quality service. This means the team of highly experienced developers and administrators is preferred. At the same time, you want to be sure that customer support is always going to be available. This is highly underestimated by startup eCommerce businesses. You never know when technical problems appear and they do have to be solved as fast as possible. Be sure that you are offered as many customer support options as possible, including phone support, online chat and a good support system.
A great way to asses customer support is to find testimonials and reviews written by current and past customers. If you notice that there are many reports that state something went wrong and that the provider was not professional, you want to look for someone else.
Scalability
Even if you do not have future growth goals or expectations, the hosting provider should allow you to scale properly in the event this happens. Ecommerce is basically fast and you want to choose the host that can meet future business needs by cancelling or adding as many extra services as possible.
Since we are talking about scalability we should mention that the hosting provider has to be flexible. There are some that will lock clients in pretty strict rules and regulations. This should be avoided. You need to work with providers that are truly flexible.
Price
Notice that we placed price last because this is the factor you need to use in order to compare the deals that you found so that you can be offered the highest possible value for the money you are about to pay. Value is automatically lost in the event that cost is higher than what it should be. You want to evaluate how cost effective the hosting deal is.