In my previous blog on Ecommerce hosting, I began writing about the features that should be part of any quality Ecommerce hosting plan. This week I continue with the same blog on selecting a good Ecommerce hosting plan and Ecommerce hosting retailer.
Along with adequate bandwidth, adequate Ecommerce hosting space, the correct type or operating system of your Ecommerce web server, you also need:
A secure server included in your Ecommerce hosting
If your Ecommerce website requires the customers to enter any sensitive information or your Ecommerce website is to store any other type of sensitive information (for example, paid reports), than you absolutely must host your Ecommerce website on secure Ecommerce hosting space. A secure Ecommerce hosting web server is one that needs a ‘https’ URL to access any of the web pages stored on it.
Along with the secure Ecommerce hosting space server, you will also need to buy and install (your Ecommerce hosting space retailer can do it for you), an encryption and security certificate. This is available for purchase from third party vendors and can be purchased online.
The security certificate is usually issued after testing the secure Ecommerce hosting server and is made out in the name of your company or business.
Some Ecommerce hosting retailers offer shared security certificates – stay away from those. If your Ecommerce website is hacked a shared security certificate provided to you by your Ecommerce hosting retailer will offer poor legal and financial protection.
Content Manager included in your Ecommerce hosting
If your Ecommerce hosting plan includes free use of a good quality content manager with adequate features then that is definitely a big plus.
Ecommerce Cart or Shopping cart included in your Ecommerce hosting
Another big plus would be if your Ecommerce hosting plan included the free use of a good quality, easy to install, customize and use ecommerce cart.
Availability of a readymade ecommerce cart would greatly reduce your web design fees. However, you might want to give the readymade ecommerce cart a good look over and test run before you decide to use it. Technical glitches in your new Ecommerce website will cost your dearly and also create a rift between you and your web designer.
Payment Gateway included in your Ecommerce hosting
To make their Ecommerce hosting plans more attractive, some Ecommerce hosting retailers are even offering to include a payment gateway in your Ecommerce hosting plan. Do read the fine print. What might look like an excellent deal might turn sour once the cash registers start ringing and you find a big percentage of your revenue being eaten up due to unfair rates and terms applied by the payment gateway that came bundled with your Ecommerce hosting plan.
Terms of use of the Ecommerce hosting
Very few customers bother to read the terms of use. An Ecommerce hosting plan that seems excellent and very competitively priced might not look so good once you read the terms of use of the Ecommerce hosting.
