subject: Small Business Website Hosting - How To Choose [print this page] Small Business Website Hosting - How To Choose
Small business website hosting is rarely a specific offering from hosting companies but clearly service levels are more important than with a personal website. As a result cost should not be a prime factor in selecting a hosting provider. There are a number of options to consider and these are outlined below. Before starting the process it is vital to define exactly what you want the site to do and how important the smooth functioning of the site will be to your business overall.
A small business owner wants:
A site to always be available to customers - no hosting service can offer 100% uptime but the best will guarantee in excess of 99.9%.
Speedy Loading - pages need to load fast to keep users happy.
Fast and Efficient Help - support should be provided 24/7 including having informed staff contactable by telephone when necessary.
In respect of the latter two items it is a good idea to check out user comments and reviews (although these must be independent).
When choosing a hosting service the following options are available:
Linux or Windows Hosting - If a site is developed professionally the developers will advise on this. If not it is best to select Linux unless you have a particular reason to use Windows.
Shared Hosting - The normal hosting service used by most people where many customers are hosted on the same server. For a new site, a shared service with a reputable hosting company should be fine but look for the potential to upgrade later. Bearing in mind the requirements of your website ensure that the service provides the necessary tools and supports the scripts and databases required.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting - In this service a server is divided by software into virtual mini servers which act and feel like real servers, providing guaranteed system resources and greater security. This is not a vast step up in cost from shared hosting and should certainly be considered for an eCommerce site.
Dedicated Server Web Hosting - Here the user really does have exclusive use of a real server. However, this is a significant step up in cost terms and if a business can justify this it will no longer be "small".
For an e-commerce site (i.e. selling goods or services) the following also needs to be considered:
Shopping Cart - Some hosting services have specific packages providing this facility, others allow you to use third party services. Make sure that you use a shopping cart that offers good functionality based on your requirements (e.g. requirements for selling physical products are different to those for selling digital products).
Payment Processing - You need a payment processing service which is compatible with your shopping cart (and your bank).
SSL Certificate - Cheaper packages may include a shared SSL Certificate. Consider paying for a private certificate (and IP Address).
The above is a very high level look at the issues for more information please follow the links below.
