Understanding Ecommerce Web Hosting Templates

Having basic HTML knowledge may seem to be enough for creating a simple website but it is inadequate to make a professional, sophisticated website. For ecommerce websites, the design incorporates many complex features such as navigation, content, colors, logo, interactive applications, etc.

With web hosting companies offering web design templates as part of their hosting packages, it has become much easier to create a well-designed, impressive website. Simple website templates will cost upto $20 but business-oriented, ecommerce websites are more costly, ranging from $100 – $1000 or even more for high-end websites.

Apart from design templates, ecommerce websites require other features like shopping cart, security system like SSL encryption and online payment processing. All these are offered by reputable web hosting companies at reasonable prices, which vary according to the volume of transactions of the website.

Selecting an Ecommerce web hosting plan involves the analysis of various factors like:

Multiple payment options
The customers should be able to pay through various modes such as credit card, smart card, PayPal accounts, online check, etc.

Product restrictions
some web hosting packages may restrict the number of products and categories which can be put in a website. This reduces your website’s flexibility and variety available to the customers. You must also enquire about additional charges to setup new categories or add new products.

Emails
ecommerce websites use email accounts for marketing as well as communication purposes. There should be automatic notification to the customers about the order placement, status, processing, etc.

Costs involved
ask about the fees charged for the ecommerce hosting and design plan and the system for payment; monthly, quarterly or annually. Also, check whether there is any additional cost for setting up a new online store under the same account.

Analyze the transaction volume of your website before selecting a web hosting plan. Keep all the above stated factors in mind and make a smart choice for hosting your online business.

What Web Hosting Downtime Means For Your Online Business?

One of the most dreadful situations is customers failing to get requested information at your website due to downtime error. This may lead them to look for desired data from competitor websites and result in loss of profits as well as reputation for you.

Downtime refers to the amount of time for which a website remains inaccessible. This occurs due to excessive load on the server on which the website is hosted. It involves both hardware and software failure. You risk losing existing customers, drive away potential clients, incur additional support costs and losses and above all, your business image.
Definitely, your business can’t afford downtime!

It all comes down to the reliability and functional efficiency of the web hosting company chosen by you. a reliable web host will ensure minimal downtime for your website. Look for a host offering at least 99.9% uptime guarantee, not just service availability. If they do not fulfill their claim, the hosting company will have to compensate you for losses incurred due to downtime.

However, many web hosting companies use a single server to handle all requests. If this server crashes or suffers from a power or software failure, the entire collection of websites housed on it will go offline. Make sure that you choose a web host that has redundancy measures in place. They should be able to deal with network downtime instantly rather than keeping website owners and customers stranded for hours or even days.

Reputable web hosting providers offer High Availability network. This ensures connectivity to surplus resources like routers, switches and carriers. Backup generators also enable continuous running of websites in case of power failures. There should be provision for temperature and humidity control to avoid excessive heating up of servers.
Another feature of High Availability servers is RAID. Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks implies the use of multiple hard disks as a single combined disk. One disk failure does not affect the performance of the entire array of disks in the server.

Clustering is an advanced technique to avoid downtime and increase server performance substantially. It allows connection of two servers wherein one is a primary server handling all active requests while the other is a backup. In case of server failure, the second server takes over within seconds. This eliminates hardware failure, file corruption and software errors.

Maximizing web hosting uptime involves provision and monitoring of redundant network, hardware, power and server. For personal or simple websites, downtime may not be a critical issue. However, ecommerce websites with substantial web traffic should select a web hosting company with all the above features to reduce downtime and enhance online business time, customer access and profitability.

Web Hosting For Multiple Websites

It has become a common practice for enterprises to own more than one website. This is due to the significant reduction of domain name registration and web hosting.

Firstly, you must decide whether you want to host all the websites with the same web hosting company. Commonly, web hosting providers offer web hosting packages that include this feature. This means that you can set up multiple websites through a single account or get a number of accounts, each for every site you setup.

It is better to stick to a reliable web host for multiple website hosting rather than trying a new one which has not been tested yet. You can avoid wastage of time and money which may occur in case of an inferior web hosting provider. Check for discounts offered by your current host on multiple accounts or sites.

In contrast, if you are not satisfied with your present web hosting company’s services, hosting a new website with another web host is a good idea. This will give you an opportunity to test the new host and compare their services with the current one.

Your sites may rank higher in search engine results by hosting them with different web hosts. This happens when you get a different IP address for each website. An important factor for getting your website ranked well is the links from other websites. If these are from the same IP address, search engines may not assess your website as valuable.

However, if you have decided to host all the websites with a single web host, you can do this in three ways:

1: Individual Account
Your web hosting company may provide a separate account for each website rather than a single one for all websites.

2: Reseller Account
In this case, you are an intermediary between the web hosting company and the customer, which is you, in this case. This enables you to host your own websites by becoming a reseller for the web hosting provider.

3: Dedicated Server
If you want total control of your websites, this option will be suitable for you. You have the power to use any operating system, install any software and data bases for your websites. Remember that you will be responsible for maintaining the website and regularly check its performance, update various features and provide technical support yourself. Also, this is a much more expensive alternative as compared to the other options.
Analyze your budget and the requirements of your websites before deciding the kind of web hosting option which suits you most. Multiple website hosting is provided by most web hosts at competitive prices, so it should not be a problem to find the best one for you.

What is Reliable Ecommerce Web Hosting?

The first thing to consider about any web hosting company is its level of reliability. When you are looking for an ecommerce web hosting provider, the essential characteristics are the same as any other web hosting service.

The basic factors include the following:
•    More than 99% uptime

•    Continuous technical and customer support

•    Large number of email accounts

•    Sound security system like SSL encryption

•    Good operating system- Windows NT or Unix

•    Flexibility for future upgradation

•    Statistic reporting tools

•    A minimum of 5 GB bandwidth per month

•    A minimum of 5 MB disk space

•    Shopping cart for online order placement

•    Multiple payment options
For ecommerce websites specifically, the most important features include:
•    Domain name
You should be in control of your domain name by not disclosing your password and other information. A good ecommerce web hosting deal will provide you control of domain name registration.

•    Website design
Go for time saving, readymade website templates and compare various options for the best deal. This not only makes the website look more professional but also keeps the customers updated about the website interface from an early stage.

•    Merchant account
This is an important part of your ecommerce website. A merchant needs to confirm your identity and authenticity. You may choose your existing banker or an online system like PayPal.
With all these criteria in mind, you should be able to locate and purchase a good quality, reliable ecommerce web hosting package. Refer to websites like PlanetOnline.net and Hostgator to find attractive and reasonable deals.

Understanding Web Hosting Costs

In the current scenario, finding a good web host is like looking for a needle in the haystack. With thousands of web hosts boasting to be better than the rest, you may end up being more confused than anything else. So it is very important to select the right web host to ensure a flourishing online business. However, this task may be quite time consuming. There are a few things which must be kept in mind before selecting a web hosting provider, including:

Server space:
you must estimate the disk space required for your website and keep a margin for future expansion too. If your website needs about 300 MB, you must take a hosting package with at least 350-400 MB server space. This can help you to avoid extra fees charged by the web hosting providers for giving additional web space. Usually, a typical website costs about $1 per 10 MB.

Bandwidth:
make sure that your web hosting package has more bandwidth than required by your website. A normal website will cost about $3 per GB of bandwidth used.

Domain names:
you must select a web hosting company which provides multiple domains rather than one account per website. This will help you to save money as well as get multiple domains and sub-domains for your website.

Email:
if you are running a website, especially e-commerce websites, you must know the importance of emails. Check the amount of mail addresses offered by a web hosting package for your website. Most of the reputable web hosting companies provide a large number of email features in their web hosting plans.

Applications:
the web hosting plan selected by you should support the various applications used by your website. These may include PHP, FrontPage, databases, etc. you may even compare different hosting packages for additional applications available at no or very less charges.

Service agreement:
even though monthly payment plans will work out to be a little costlier than annual plans, it enables you to test the reliability of a particular host without locking in of funds. Try to avoid long term contracts as this prevents you from shifting to a better host as and when required.

Statistics:
you can save considerable amount of money by pre-planning and calculating the expected growth of your business and choosing a web hosting provider accordingly. Keep a record of current bandwidth usage, customer visits, etc to predict the expansion needs of your website.

Like other businesses, websites also need to carry out a cost-benefit analysis to cut their costs and maximize the returns from their online venture. Keep all the above factors in mind and save money for your business growth rather than wasting it on avoidable expenses.

Smart Web Hosting Guidelines

Once you have decided to purchase a web hosting plan from a good web hosting provider, you need to be smart about it. There are various things which you must consider while looking for a reliable host.

Assess your needs
No one knows the needs of your website better than you. So, the first step is to assess your requirements and objectives before deciding upon a particular web hosting company.  Make sure that you are paying for features which you will not use. On the other hand, you must be able to expand your business without extra charges or delays.

Research
Enquire about the various web hosting companies from existing users and advisors. Also, use the Internet to find and compare the various kinds of web hosting plans to find the best deal for you. You can also read reviews, use online forums and investigate about the past performance of the web host.

Customer service
Test the web hosting provider by calling on their contact numbers, asking questions about their services and observing the promptness and relevance of their responses.

Backup
Don’t leave the backup task for the web hosting company alone. Your business data is extremely important and you should maintain updated records of all your customer information. The web host may or may not keep proper backup of your website’s information.

Price
There are many web hosting companies which offer free or very cheap web hosting packages with large number of features. You must avoid such hosts and look for reasonably priced, high quality hosting. After all, your site and customers deserve the best possible services and these cannot be provided by low-priced hosting plans.

Testimonials
You cannot rely on customer testimonials given on the web hosting company’s website unless their contact information is also mentioned. These are usually a method of self-promotion and should not be relied upon without appropriate testing.

Free domain
Avoid a web hosting package which provides free domain with the web hosting. This may be acceptable if you get the domain registered independently i.e. in your name. Otherwise, you may face problems while shifting to another web hosting company if you want to keep the same domain but it has been registered in the web hosting company’s name.

For making a smart web hosting package selection, you must keep all these factors in mind.

How Web Hosting Companies Generate Traffic For Your Website

Generating traffic for your website is one of the most important and difficult tasks. An online business requires constant customer visits and interest in its products and services to make sales and earn profits. If this seems like a daunting task, take the help of your web hosting company to increase traffic for your website.
There are many ways in which a web host can help you generate traffic, such as:
Website design
web hosting companies provide design templates and various application to make and attractive and interactive website. Few users will prefer going to a plain, boring website. This can help you spark customer interest in your website. A website editor provided by your web host will help you to build an interesting, easy to navigate website.

Offering URL
web hosting companies may submit your URL to popular search engines, directories, blogs and classified pages. Make sure that the URL submission takes place regularly but not too often also. Check the websites where your website’s URL is being submitted and the number of times it is resubmitted by the web hosting provider.

Link Exchange
you can also use reciprocal linking for generating website traffic. This happens when two websites post links on each other’s websites to get targeted leads. Your web host may provide this service for free or charge fees for locating such websites.

SEO
this involves the tools for getting your website on the first page of search engine results. Web hosting companies may provide SEO tips and applications like keyword ideas, rephrasing and other suggestions for getting the desired results and directing customers to your website.

Quality content
online users click on links as well as read the website content to find out more about the website and its features. This presents an opportunity for you to generate customer interest. Web hosting providers can help you in copywriting and in turn, enhancing customer interest in your website. Even the search ranking of a site with quality, relevant content will be higher than one with erroneous, vague content.

Traffic statistics
this is one of the best features provided by web hosting companies. Along with the number of clicks on your homepage, the tracking of unique and repeat visits is also important. Your sales can be determined by the conversion rate statistics. Apart from generating reports, reputable web hosts analyze the results and suggest ways to improve site performance and increase traffic.

So, your web hosting provider can play an important role in generating traffic for making your website a successful venture.

Selecting A Web Hosting Control Panel

A control panel is the software installed in the web hosting company’s server which gives you the power to control the website settings and administration. The web hosting provider offers various features in the hosting package like multiple domains and sub domains, databases, FTP and email accounts and scripts such as FrontPage. This means that a web hosting control panel has a considerable impact on your web hosting experience and website performance.

For any website, finding a good web hosting package is not enough. If the control panel is of inferior quality or has lousy features, it can inevitably lead to the failure of your website. There are various control panel options depending on the kind of operating system being used, such as Windows, Linux, etc.

Different control panels have a different look, style and feel. Some are user friendly and intuitive while others need professional expertise to be operated effectively. Search for a renowned brand of web hosting control panel to get the best results on your website. Beginners should prefer simpler forms of control panels so that they can easily use the different features to be included in the website. With experience, you can move to advanced control panel options which require a higher level of expertise and technical skills.  

Before you pick a specific web hosting control panel, you must see the control panel demos. Usually, all good web hosting providers offer this facility to their customers. Remember to check the features offered by different web hosts and select the best one according to the price and your ability to operate the control panel.

Another way of testing the control panel is to ask for a test account with username and password provided by the web hosting company for the potential clients. If you are not able to understand and manipulate the features easily, you should not take the web hosting plan and waste your money.

Initially, you can refer to online tutorials and forums which can help you get familiar with the popular control panel features. This will help you administer your website in a better manner. Many web hosting providers provide a help section for its customers, so you can access that also.

In future, you may decide to shift to another web hosting plan or web hosting provider. To avoid the trouble of relearning the control panel features offered by a different host, you should be careful while selecting a new web hosting company. Try to find a web host which offers the same control panel as used by you previously. 

As you explore the various web hosting control panel options, keep the above factors in mind to find the control panel which works best for your website.