Hosting Options for an Ecommerce Web Site
by Bobette Kyle
Deciding how to host your ecommerce Web site and what
approach to take can be daunting. There are several
approaches available, each with different advantages and
disadvantages.
Storefronts
If you have a small business, you may want to consider a
storefront or an online mall. For a fee, these services help
you build a small Web site to sell your products. These
"site in a box" Web site services include everything you
need to sell online.
Features and support vary by program and can include options
such as search engine placement, credit card processing, and
advertising. These tend to be template services, however,
with less flexibility than a custom site. Familiarize
yourself with the current offerings in this area before
making a final decision.
Custom Sites
If you have a business that is too large for or has outgrown
the smaller storefront services, you may want to consider
the more costly - but also more flexible - custom site. For
the added cost you can have a unique site, receive greater
support, and handle more traffic. You have the options of
hiring the same company to design and host your site or
using separate design and hosting services.
Hiring the same company to design and host your site.
This option involves the fewest logistics, but may come with
trade-offs in design quality or host reliability. Be aware
that designing and hosting require different sets of skills
and expertise. When choosing a service, evaluate their
experience and ask for references in both areas. Go to sites
the company has designed and navigate them. Note how the
sites look, how easy they are to understand, and how quickly
they load into your browser.
To evaluate the company's hosting service, contact current
customers and ask how pleased they are with the service.
Find out how often the server is down and ask about help
desk responsiveness. Also, consider how your site will be
updated. Can you upload changes directly or do you have to
wait for someone at the hosting company to get to it? If it
is the latter, ask current customers about their experience
with this process.
If you are still considering the design/hosting service
after studying their design capabilities and talking to
their current customers, you may also want to find out if
there has been recent turnover in key personnel. An
individual designer, coordinator, or account manager can
make a large difference in support or design quality.
Using a separate design and hosting service.
By separating the design and hosting, you have more choices.
Thus, you can have more control over both your budget and
your site. Technical incompatibilities are a risk when
taking this approach, however. Be sure your designer is
familiar with your hosting service and it's technical
capabilities. To help facilitate information flow and
minimize technical problems:
Choose a short list of hosts with both the ecommerce
capabilities you require and that pass "reliability" tests.
Read "Don't Make These Hosting Mistakes",
http://www.take-payments-online.com/ECommerceWebHosting.html
, for questions to ask and other mistakes to avoid.
Find a Web designer experienced in ecommerce applications.
Together, decide on the hosting service and ecommerce
systems you will use.
Making the Decision
Deciding upon the right combination will take some research.
One way to gather a list of hosting options is to first find
ecommerce sites that you like and/or have ecommerce
abilities similar to your needs, then ask about the sites'
hosting and ecommerce providers.
Asking for referrals from business acquaintances is another.
Many times, people are more than happy to share their
positive experiences. For example, I use five different
hosts and am generally pleased with all of them. When asked
about hosting, however, I always recommend Lexiconn.com (my
WebSiteMarketingPlan.com site host) because of the
exceptional help desk service and support documentation.
Another way to develop hosting options is to look for online
advertisements. The sponsored search engine ads and
advertisements directly on Web sites are two places you can
find these. While there's no guarantee all of the companies
you find will be high quality, the willingness to pay for
ads can be an indication of commitment.
Diligently decide upon ecommerce features and choose a host
with those features in mind. By doing so, you are creating a
smoother path to ecommerce success.
About the Author
Bobette Kyle is publisher of
http://www.Take-Payments-Online.com , an ecommerce
information site. She is also proprietor of The
WebSiteMarketingPlan.com Network, subject-specific Web sites
designed to help you find the right information for
marketing plans and marketing programs. Visit at
http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com
Copyright 2004 Bobette Kyle. All rights reserved.
Monday - Friday 9am-5pm
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