E-Commerce Hosting Benefits
E-commerce hosting, sometimes called web hosting, is a service in which an organization provides Internet access to businesses that want to sell products and services via the Internet. It is designed to be used by small businesses and individuals who want to keep a web presence, but do not have the cost or other characteristics associated with larger organizations. E-commerce hosting consists of a variety of services. These include a Web server that host the business’s Web site, typically the company’s own Web site; E-commerce software, generally web based; and marketing services, such as search engine optimization and web content development. There may also be a payment processor, an online payment gateway, or a system for managing customer transactions.
E-commerce hosting provides several advantages over traditional Web hosting. First, E-commerce websites are typically more visible to search engines, so it can be difficult for smaller businesses with smaller Web sites to get the kind of traffic they need to attract customers. With e-commerce hosting, however, customers have access to a Web site that has all the same features as the Web sites of larger companies. That means a larger customer base. E-commerce sites also run efficiently and with less downtime than their non-E-commerce counterparts. This is because they are fully managed by the hosting company, so upgrades, security fixes, and software updates are automatically performed on a regular basis.
E-commerce hosting has many additional advantages over the traditional Web hosting services. For instance, users may have a choice between fully managed hosting services, or unmanaged hosting services, which are self contained and do not require special management. Managed hosting services are more costly than managed hosting services, because they require ongoing monitoring and maintenance. Also, with unmanaged hosting services, there is no guarantee that the server will be running at its optimal performance, because if the business’s Web site becomes popular, the increased demand for servers will likely lead to an overload of servers, which may lead to data center congestion and performance issues.
Fully managed hosting services are much more secure than unmanaged hosting services. Because the entire network and server are operated and maintained by the hosting company, security problems affecting the network and server are unlikely. Also, if the Web hosting plan includes security upgrades or patches, then these can be applied instantly and will solve any potential problems the day they occur. In addition, with a fully managed Web hosting solution, customers can choose what types of upgrades or patches to install. The company will make these available to customers at any time.
E-commerce websites run slower with e-commerce hosting, than they would with a traditional Web hosting provider. This is because with an e-commerce site, each transaction is tracked separately, which means each user has to enter that transaction multiple times in order to obtain the information needed. With a traditional Web hosting provider, each transaction is recorded once, making it easy to retrieve data that is needed for processing credit cards and other transactions. With a managed hosting service, all transactions are processed through one software application, reducing the amount of time spent entering transaction details repeatedly.
With a fully managed Web hosting service, you will also have access to the latest technology. Each e-commerce site needs servers with powerful processing power, high bandwidth, and secure sockets layer (SSL). Some companies offer only basic hosting services, leaving the customer to fend for their own servers, and may not include the latest technology. When a customer searches for servers on their own, they may not find the most powerful servers, which may actually cause slower processing speeds and reduced productivity. By using a fully-managed Web hosting provider, you will be able to receive the latest technology, as well as upgrades whenever necessary.
In addition to providing an easy way for customers to order products or services, E-commerce hosting means lower costs for the hosting provider. Hosting is generally billed on a per-click or per-transaction basis, which means that the customer will pay a certain amount of money per time the advertisement is displayed on their site. E-commerce hosting means that the hosting provider does not need to dedicate a large amount of money each month just to pay for servers, which lowers the cost to the customer. Fully-managed hosting providers can also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means if the customer is dissatisfied with their service, they can return the entire amount of money paid for the service.
With most hosting providers, all customer service calls and e-commerce support e-commerce sites are handled through the company’s technical support staff. This means that customers can call the company for support any time of the day or night, even during business hours. Also, most companies provide round-the-clock online access to customer support personnel. With a hosted web server and reliable hosting company providing web hosting services to clients, customers can feel confident that their site will always be up and running, and their needs can be met whenever they want. With e-commerce hosting, companies can provide their customers with a platform through which they can establish an online presence and sell products, or even run a promotional campaign.