Companies that don’t have an online presence face many difficulties.  We live in a connected world where people discover products, businesses and even local stores through the internet. Creating a website can take months of planning, designing and execution but if you’re given the right tools, building a decent website does not have to be difficult. One of the most important tools is having the right hosting service.

Hosting Basics

A web host is basically a company that has servers that you can use to store and deliver the audio, video, photos, files and content that makes up your website.

There are different kinds of hosting services such as shared, dedicated, VPS and cloud. There are also many hosting companies like SiteGround, InMotion, DreamHost, BlueHost and HostGator that want to serve you. Companies can spend hundreds even thousands of dollars on dedicated hosting and VPS.

How Much Does Hosting Cost?

Generally speaking shared hosting is the cheapest kind of hosting because you share servers with other websites.

Dedicated hosting costs approximately $100 per month and that’s expensive for many small businesses. However, dedicated hosting also means that you have the whole server to yourself. You can take advantage of its full resources. Granted, you might need to take care of firewall and maintenance yourself but you can opt for a managed server which will cost you more money.

If you want to save some money, VPS is a good way to go. VPS falls mid-way between dedicated and shared hosting. Building a site on a VPS server means that you won’t need to share resources with other sites that live on the server like in shared hosting. In a VPS your site lives in a partitioned server area with its on RAM, operating system, storage and data transfers so you experience smoother and more stable site performance. VPS usually charge $20 to $30 per month.

But don’t just take a look at the monthly fees. Even if you opt for dedicated, shared, VPS or any other type of hosting, take a look at the features of each pricing tier. Some hosting companies charge fees for transferring websites, website builders and other features. There are also companies that require you to commit to a 3 year plan for example for a lower price. You need to consider these factors when choosing a plan for your hosting service.

What Features Do You Need?

When you’re looking for a good hosting provider, you need to make a list of the features you need. For example, you might need a host that provides unlimited transfers per month, free email, choice between SSD and traditional hard drive storage and customer service support. The OS is important too because Windows-based servers offer an environment to run scripts written in a Microsoft-centric framework, though Linux-based servers are also available (and more commonplace).

Small businesses that sell products should also look for a host that has Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. This feature encrypts the user’s data between the customer’s browser and web host to safeguard purchasing info.

Uptime Is Important Too

The features of a web host like those mentioned above are important. However, uptime is very important too. If your site is down, this means that potential clients or customers cannot access your site. This can also cause regular customers to lose confidence in your brand. What if they needed to access your service today or if they needed to download your app immediately? Downtime means that they will go to your competitors and possibly lose their custom forever. Anybody who has tried to build customer loyalty knows how important trust is.

Small businesses have different requirements and needs when it comes to web hosting. This is because no two businesses are exactly alike. If you feel that web hosting is too complicated for you, a Sydney Web Developer can help you figure it out.

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But how can you tell which platform is right for your business? Here’s a look at the difference between these types of hosting and how to find out which one is for you.

Fully Hosted

In a fully hosted platform, all hosting including the software is handled by the platform. Good examples of this type of hosting include: Shopify, Volution and Big Commerce. These types of platforms utilize drag and drop web builders so people who don’t have experience will be able to create a website easily. They also have an easy-to-use shopping cart so you can accept payments.

Fully hosted platforms require less maintenance compared to self-hosted. This can be a good feature if you don’t have time to perform updates. They also take care of security patches and install latest version of updates which is great because it reduces your site’s downtime and ensures that your site is always up.

This type of hosting is also a great option for those who have limited coding knowledge. You will also have access to their customer service and technical support should you need help.

Best of all fully hosted platforms usually have a flat fee so your hosting expenses won’t fluctuate and all files are saved in the cloud.

Self-Hosted

Self-Hosting on the other hand requires you to install the software on your server. You can think of it as performing a WordPress installation but it will be an eCommerce platform instead. This means that all files are saved in your server. Popular self-hosted ecommerce platforms include Magento and WooCommerce.

Since you will be handling the installation, you will also have more responsibility. For example, you need to have a good grasp of security and fraud. You also won’t have access to technical support and customer service because you will be responsible for this area as well. There are many communities that can help you with troubleshooting issues but most of the time you will be left on your own devices to figure this out.

The good news is that you can really personalize your site with self-hosted platforms. You have access to open source code and tweak all elements of your website to your heart’s content. You also have more control over your files. You do need to perform everything yourself but you also have the option of handing over operations to a skilled programmer who can do changes and handle maintenance in your stead.

Which One To Pick?

Small to medium businesses really fare well with fully hosted ecommerce platforms. With this option you can have your website running in hours. You also enjoy perks like security and maintenance which can be a godsend if you don’t have time to perform these tasks. Most fully hosted platforms are paid monthly and have affordable prices so you won’t need a big startup capital to get up and running.

If you have your own IT team or want more control of your website, self-hosting is a better option. You will need to invest a significant amount of money to get started. You also need to deal with all website issues on your own but self-hosting gives you more control not only over files but over personalization too.

It all boils down to what your business needs. All businesses are different so you need to figure out what your business needs to help you decide the type of ecommerce platform to succeed.

Did you know about the different types of hosting? Which hosting type do you think is best suited for your business? Tell us by leaving your comments below.

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