Online merchants rely on ecommerce web hosting to keep their businesses running. Ecommerce hosting allows merchants to set up shopping carts and sell products or services online. Hosting companies also help website owners accept multiple payment types, and send money to their bank accounts. Before placing your businesses financial future in the hands of a web hosting company, there are three things to keep in mind when doing web hosting comparison.
Company History
The history of an ecommerce web hosting company will help you make an educated decision. Find out how long the company has been in business. Most companies list the date they were founded on their website. In addition to searching a company’s website for information, complete an Internet search using the company’s name. Complaints made on webmaster forums or consumer websites will appear in search engine results. Also look for company press releases and blog posts regarding changes or addressing problems.
Long-Term Costs
Webmasters who are looking for ecommerce web hosting are usually worried about the cost. When searching for inexpensive web hosting, it is easy to get distracted by monthly prices and set-up fees. Few webmasters take the time to calculate the long-term costs of the web hosting plan they choose. Always find out how much your web hosting will cost for the year. Instead of choosing to pay for web hosting each month, try to pay for the year in advance. Remember, you will (hopefully) be in business for many years, and trying to avoid paying a lump sum will end up hurting you and your business in the future.
Average Downtime
A poor performing ecommerce web hosting company will cost your business money. Most web hosting companies state their average up-time on their website. The best website companies boast a 99% up-time. If a company does not have a 99% up-time, find out the reason for their outages and how quickly they addressed the issue. Also, find out how long it takes for the company to respond to customer inquiries. The company may list their average response time on the company website. If they do not, send them an email and document how long it takes
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