Choosing the best hosting for an online store

When creating an online store one of the most important steps in the search and selection of hosting provider, on the servers of which will be placed the webserver. Speaking in the language of analogies, hosting is a platform on which the point of sale is located. Instead of square meters here you get the hardware resources, which are necessary to maintain the online store. And the higher the server capacity, the better will work online store: more stable, faster, more reliable.

In this article, we will tell you how to choose to host for your online store to ensure maximum loading speed of the website pages, a high level of security, and convenience for customers.

Types of hosting

There are three main varieties of hosting for online stores:

1. Virtual server (shared hosting). The cheapest option of all, which involves hosting multiple sites on a single web server. Hardware resources can be used by all clients equally, which can lead to performance problems. On the basis of a virtual server to deploy a full online store is not possible because of the low computing power, so this option should not be considered.
2. VPS/VDS. Virtual personal servers and virtual dedicated servers provide clients with a web server with a unique IP address and a wide range of opportunities for configuration and organization. The customer can choose a control panel, change software, configure security settings, add or delete accounts with different access levels. VPS is easily scalable and ideal for hosting online stores. As for the difference between VPS and VDS, it lies in the way of virtualization: in the case of the former, emulation takes place at the operating system level, while the virtual dedicated servers are emulated at the hardware level. In general, VPS and VDS are similar to physical servers, with all the advantages and disadvantages.
3. A dedicated physical server. The most expensive option of all, involving the placement of an online store on a separate physical machine with a unique IP address. Leased hardware is fully available to the client for the duration of the lease, he can change absolutely any settings and software, access is even granted to the core operating system. This hosting option is ideal for online stores with high traffic when conventional virtual servers are no longer able to cope with the load.

It is difficult to correctly determine the load on the server, but in general terms, we can summarize as follows:

• For online stores with attendance from 500 to 15000 people are ideal for VPS or VDS - here much will depend on the store engine, the codebase, and several other factors;
• For online stores with attendance over 15000, you can safely rent a dedicated physical server.

These figures are rather rough, but they allow you to form an approximate picture of which hosting provider is suitable for online stores at various levels.

Scaling

Before making the final choice in favor of this or that hosting is important to make sure that, if necessary, rented facilities can be scalable. And the easier it is to scale - the better.

Online stores sometimes rapidly increase the number of visitors, which leads to an increase in the load on the server. Scaling is necessary to ensure that the servers can steadily cope with the growing load. Most difficult to scale dedicated servers, as in this case have to naturally upgrade the server hardware. The timing of the upgrade will depend on the experience of the hosting provider and its interest in customers.

The easiest way to scale VPS is to increase the leased capacity is enough to make an application, and within 1-2 hours your request will be satisfied.

Site loading speed

Every extra second spent by visitors on waiting eventually turns into multimillion losses, because modern people do not like to wait. Many potential customers, faced with glitchy and slow sites, simply close the tab and go to a competitor's site.

When choosing a hosting service, it is important to choose the right geolocation to ensure your target audience has minimal response time and the fastest possible site load speed. The loading speed of the site can be assessed with the help of special sites. Here are three of the most popular and simple:

• Google Page Speed Insights;
• SpeedTest.me;
• ToolsPingdom.com.

Server stability

It is important to choose a hosting provider with a good reputation and a lot of positive reviews - this is a guarantee that customers during the whole period of cooperation have not experienced any significant problems and failures. Stable, time-tested hosting for online store - a guarantee that visitors to your site will always be able to fully enjoy all the functionality of the resource.

For online stores stability and high uptime are extremely important criteria that directly depend on whether a visitor can choose a product and place an order. Server uptime for online stores should not be less than 99% - it is a golden rule.

Software

The functionality of the online store and the ease of administration greatly depend on the software installed. When renting a VPS or dedicated server, the client has the right to choose the operating system, control panel and can change all the software at his discretion. 

Site security

When renting a VPS/VDS and dedicated servers, the issue of online store security is the responsibility of the client. The hosting provider is only responsible for the physical state of the equipment, and here all the software settings - it is up to the webmaster, who will remotely configure the server and prepare it for operation. As a rule, it is recommended to do the following before launching your online store:

• change the standard SSH port;
• set up multi-factor authentication for login to the control panel;
• set up access from certain IP addresses;
• set up Fail2ban to block suspicious connections;
• set up backups;
• set up a firewall.

There are many different methods and manipulations that will keep your online store safe from hacking, so we recommend finding an experienced professional.

Basic requirements for hosting an online store

There are a number of universal requirements that are relevant to all hosting providers:

1. The physical server must be equipped with modern and efficient equipment because this is the only way to ensure the high speed of the online store and all its functions.
2. Connection to the server must be made through a high-speed channel without any restrictions from anywhere in the world.
3. Equipment should be located in an advanced Tier III or Tier IV data center, because only in this way you can guarantee the maximum level of fault tolerance and reliability for your customers.
4. The ability to scale rapidly if necessary.
5. Twenty-four-hour support from the hosting provider is also not superfluous.

All of these requirements are fully met by HostZealot - we provide only the latest hardware based on high-speed SSD and NVMe drives, and guarantee the highest level of stability and fault tolerance. Please leave a request to speak with a specialist on an individual basis.