Many online businesses find that shared hosting is an inexpensive, suitable option for their internet store or other e-commerce business. However, dedicated web hosting offers several important features for larger or better established e-commerce businesses.
As an online business grows, the need for increased online security and flexibility may offset the added expense of dedicated web hosting.
What is Dedicated Web Hosting?
Dedicated web hosting is preferable for many e-commerce businesses because the server hosting their website is not shared with anyone. Shared hosting providers may have several websites hosted on one server; while this option is usually less expensive, there may be several downfalls for an online business, including:
- server overload, slow loading speed, and intermittent down time
- the ability of other users on the same server to upload content that may include viruses
- bad codes and scripts from other users
Business hosting is more secure on a dedicated server. An e-commerce website will not experience slow load times or down time due to heavy traffic on other sites sharing a server.
Why is Security Important in Business Hosting?
Online businesses take a number of measures to protect themselves and their customers, including credit card verification and the use of internet payment gateways. However, online security begins well before a customer even reaches the website.
Shared hosting opens the door for security issues because any user can upload content and potentially affect everyone else who uses the server. Imagine a new business owner across the country uploading a web application with an undetected virus that wipes out everything it touches. Every user on the server could lose all of their data. E-commerce web hosting demands greater security, even for small businesses.
Reliability is Critical in Web Hosting for Business Users
Online business websites cannot afford down time or slow loading time as a result of overloaded servers. If one website on a shared server experiences a large volume of traffic, the other websites sharing the server may become temporarily unavailable or sluggish.
Dedicated web hosting is a good business hosting option because the user has a set amount of (or unlimited) exclusive bandwidth.
E-Commerce Web Hosting Often Requires Flexibility
No two online businesses are identical; while out-of-the-box e-commerce solutions and shared hosting work well for some business models, others require greater flexibility.
Shared hosting plans usually include access to specific software and applications, some of which the company can use, and others that are not suitable. Dedicated web hosting allows the user to choose the operating system, software, applications and control panel that best suit their business needs.
How to Choose a Business Hosting Provider- Web Success for E-Commerce Companies
Cost is only one factor when selecting an e-commerce web hosting provider. Carefully weigh the features, benefits, and limitations of at least three different shared and dedicated web hosting providers before making a selection.
Ensure that the provider offers the required bandwidth, security features, operating system, and control panel. Choose an option that is affordable, but allows room for growth.
See E-Commerce Web Development Gaffs to learn the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make in creating new e-commerce websites.
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