If you’re serious about launching an eCommerce business, there’s quite a bit to learn. You’ll be tackling everything from eCommerce marketing and branding to warehousing and inventory tracking.
It also includes filling out boring, but necessary, paperwork. Such forms include your eCommerce business license and eCommerce business insurance. If you’re selling alcohol online, depending on how you sell it, you’ll need a manufacturer’s license and shipping license, too.
Once your paperwork is done, you can start looking at eCommerce website examples. If it’s your first time building any kind of site, it’s useful seeing eCommerce businesses that have incredibly successful websites. You should also research the typical eCommerce website cost to be prepared.
In addition to a domain and an eCommerce website builder, your online business needs hosting. Website hosting is the term used to describe how site files are stored and made accessible on the Internet.
Hosting can be a frustrating and sometimes arduous part of starting an eCommerce business. It’s also a necessary part of learning how to build an eCommerce website. To make it easier, we compiled a list of the best eCommerce website hosting companies.
Keep reading to learn more about these options and what works well for your business.
eCommerce Hosting
If you haven’t read about hosting before, the term may be confusing. In the context of Internet technology, hosting refers to where and how a website’s files are stored.
All website files are kept on a web server. A web server is an Internet application that allocates various resources to specific purposes. First, files are uploaded from a personal or business computer to the server. The server provides a website access to the files, hence the name server.
Second, the server continues to interface with the website based on the website’s needs. Hosting packages come with a specified amount of resources that they can deliver to each website.
What Is eCommerce Web Hosting?
eCommerce hosting is any internet service that hosts files for an eCommerce website. Ever since the Internet went public in the 90s, thousands of hosting providers have offered their services for businesses of all kinds.
As learning how to increase eCommerce sales and sell online have become more popular, some companies have provided dedicated eCommerce hosting services. This has helped businesses find eCommerce software that matches specific needs. Such needs include traffic bandwidth, storage space, and optimized image hosting.
eCommerce Hosting Solutions
Since there are so many options to choose from, it can get tiring doing research by yourself. We looked through the top eCommerce hosting solutions to save you time and energy.
Here’s a list of the best eCommerce hosting solutions:
- BlueCart. Yes, we know--we put ourselves at the top of the list. But we promise it’s for great reasons. Not only can you sell as a B2B business or direct to consumer on our all-inclusive eCommerce platform, you have access to numerous marketing features. BlueCart is SEO-optimized, mobile-friendly, and built with your business’s success in mind. Request a demo now to see what our platform and online marketplace can do for you.
- DreamHost. While it doesn’t offer the most impressive suite of features, DreamHost is lauded for its beginner-friendliness. eCommerce business owners creating a website for the first time will be relieved by their simple interface and the inclusion of free daily website backups. You can also get unlimited traffic on each of their plans, which is a huge plus when your business starts to take off. DreamHost’s shared plans start at $2.59 per month.
- InMotion Hosting. This website hosting service offers excellent features for eCommerce scalability and usability. InMotion provides one-click installation for dozens of eCommerce applications and a robust content delivery network (CDN). They also have some of the most well-trained customer support staff in the industry, which is particularly useful when facing problems. InMotion’s shared plans start at $2.49 per month.
- HostGator. HostGator is a little more expensive than competitors but offers popular features in return. In addition to their stellar 99.99% uptime and 24/7 customer service, they provide round-the-clock server monitoring to mitigate risk of attacks. Get your eCommerce store up and running quickly with one-click installations and payment gateway providers on all plans. HostGator plans start at $2.75 per month.
- SiteGround. If you’re looking for a knockout combination of eCommerce hosting features, SiteGround has them. Their pricing starts at $6.99 and comes with global servers, free storefront transfers, and a robust CDN. SiteGround’s security features are among the best available, including near-constant server monitoring and built-in email spam protection.
- Bluehost. In terms of WordPress-hosted sites, you likely won’t find options better than Bluehost. This hosting provider boasts a well-rounded list of hosting features, including unlimited domains and unlimited storage on their Plus shared plan. Their starter WooCommerce plan begins at $6.95 per month and comes with excellent uptime and automatic site backups.
Best Web Hosting For eCommerce
Ultimately, the best web hosting for eCommerce will depend on your needs and preferences. That being said, there are several companies that stand out among the sea of providers.
Here are some of the top hosting services for eCommerce websites:
- BlueCart. When it comes to user-friendly, eCommerce-optimized hosting, you won’t find better than our own. By opening a store on our eCommerce platform, hosting is already built-in. Get access to eCommerce marketing automation tools like our best-in-class digital catalog, eCommerce email marketing, and bank-level HTTPS security. We also have industry-lowest payment processing fees to boot.
- A2 Hosting. A2 is one of the best hosting services out there, boasting in-demand features for competitively low costs. Their top-tier server distribution and speed are among their biggest advantages. A2 Hosting also provides a dual firewall, reinforced DDoS protection, and regular cyberattack scans. Their pricing starts at $2.99 per month.
- AccuWeb Hosting. AccuWeb is a leader when it comes to dedicated hosting plans. Dedicated hosting means your website has its own server, so resources can be more efficiently utilized. AccuWeb’s starter dedicated plan offers 1TB of storage, 8GB of ram, and 20TB of monthly data transfers for $105 per month. They also have excellent uptime, fast customer support responses, and unlimited email addresses.
- Hostwinds. If you’re looking for a well-rounded shared hosting service, Hostwinds is one to consider. Their shared hosting plans start at $5.24 per month, featuring unlimited disk space and bandwidth for one domain. Hostwinds offers competitive virtual private server (VPS) options and is great for those running on WordPress.
- Liquid Web Hosting. If you need superior performance with plenty of room to grow from the beginning, Liquid Web is for you. Their managed WordPress hosting starts at $19 per month which is pricier than most comparable services. On the flip side, their larger packages offer stellar specifications. Liquid Web’s starting VPS offers 40GB of SSD storage, 10TB of monthly data transfers, and 2GB of RAM. Their capabilities are best suited for already-large businesses ready to scale.
Best Self Hosted eCommerce
Self-hosted eCommerce is an eCommerce platform that doesn’t rely on an external hosting service to be accessible. This means that a business owner must have a third-party hosting solution, otherwise, it won’t be accessible by the public.
Having a self-hosted eCommerce store also means you can customize it more easily. Take an example like Shopify. You can change your store’s look or function via hundreds of eCommerce apps, but if you want to customize even more, you need your own platform.
It’s for this reason and others that increasing numbers of business owners are turning to self-hosted eCommerce. When you’re using a store builder that can be tweaked at a whim or coding your own, there’s nothing that can’t be customized.
Before you get started, it helps to know some of the leading self-hosted eCommerce platforms. Take a look at the options below:
- WooCommerce. This WordPress-based eCommerce plugin has been helping small- to large-sized businesses for a decade. Since it’s a store builder that runs within a website builder, hosting is never internally configured because WordPress is already hosted externally. Customize everything about your WooCommerce store with dozens of extensions and appearance options.
- Magento. This is another popular, open-source, and self-hosted eCommerce platform. Magento is praised for its high-level security features and advanced functionality. Their Community version is self-hosted and free, making it great for business owners who want to go to the next level.
- OpenCart. OpenCart is a lesser-known but equally powerful eCommerce store builder. This PHP-driven solution provides unlimited products and categories, a multi-store eCommerce analytics dashboard, and an affiliate system with multiple payment gateways, including ACH payment. Browse over 13,000 extensions in their application store and customize your eCommerce platform as you see fit.
Best VPS Hosting For eCommerce
A virtual private server, or VPS, is a type of hosting that imitates server-based hosting, but in a virtual environment. It’s still a form of shared hosting, but a VPS separates the client’s resources from those in the shared hosting server.
VPS hosting has become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s a cost-effective way to utilize shared hosting without the drawbacks of your files being served from the same place as other businesses.
Here are some of the best VPS hosting options for eCommerce:
- Kamatera. At just $4 per month for a fully customizable VPS, Kamatera is difficult to overlook. This company allows users to set their preferred metrics for bandwidth, computing capacity, storage, and memory. Kamatera leverages platinum processors with 300% more computing power than previous models and has global data centers for optimal service.
- Hostwinds. Hostwinds remains a VPS leader with a low monthly price of $4.99 and industry-leading security features. Complete with PCI compliance, daily backups, and support for over 30 eCommerce platforms, their VPS is an excellent option.
- InterServer. This company’s VPS options are a little pricier at $6 per month, but they have the features to match. InterServer is available on four different operating systems (Debian, CentOS, Ubuntu, and Windows), which is twice the amount of most hosting companies. They place your VPS in a 100% secure environment, meaning no one can access your files except you. InterServer supports over 40 eCommerce applications and comes with AI-driven, self-healing hardware.
Best Web Hosting for Small Business eCommerce
Want an eCommerce web hosting service that’s made for small businesses? You’re in luck, because we researched a list of those, too.
Here are the best web hosting options for small business eCommerce sites:
- Hostinger. There are few eCommerce hosting options more beginner-friendly than Hostinger. You can get a discounted rate of $0.99 per month while still having access to unlimited bandwidth, 100 email accounts, and 100GB of storage. The only downsides of Hostinger are their lack of dedicated hosting and low uptime, at only 99.90%.
- BlueHost. When you’re learning how to start an eCommerce business, you need the essentials and nothing else. BlueHost offers such features in spades. Starting at just $2.95 per month, you can get unlimited bandwidth, 99.98% uptime, 50GB of storage, a free SSL certificate, and a free domain.
- GoDaddy. GoDaddy is one of the longest-running domain registrars, hosting providers, and website builders in the industry. They still offer some of the best deals for hosting too, starting at just $2.99 for shared hosting. Users receive unlimited disk space, a free domain with hosting, and 99.97% uptime. While GoDaddy’s uptime is less than competitors’ offerings, their all-in-one site -building features make them consistently popular.
- HostGator. This 19-year veteran of the hosting industry provides some of the most competitive features for small businesses. Boasting an impressive 99.99% uptime and robust, in-house security features, HostGator should be on any small business’s shortlist. The fact that they offer all kinds of hosting--shared, reseller, VPS, dedicated, and reseller--means they can continue to support your business as it grows.
eCommerce Hosting Cost
You can expect to spend between $2.50 and $12 per month for hosting when first starting out. The eCommerce hosting cost you end up with depends on the hosting service you choose.
Pricing can vary quite a bit based on your hosting provider’s features and any promotions they’re currently running. The prices above reflect at least one hosted website with essential features, like a shopping cart, email accounts, and eCommerce storefront.
As your business scales up and you rely on more visitors to your website, costs will increase. It’s common for hosting packages to run between $19 and $79 for more advanced features, like unlimited hosted sites or unlimited storage.
eCommerce Cheap Hosting
If you’re really bootstrapped and need cheap eCommerce hosting, there are options that fit this description as well. Here are some of the least expensive hosting providers:
- Hostinger. If you’re looking for only the essentials, Hostinger has you covered. This hosting provider comes in at a low $1.39 per month for shared plans. Get shared hosting and 24/7 customer support or upgrade to their WordPress starter package for $2.99 per month.
- iPage. This hosting provider is another great option for those just beginning their eCommerce journey. Get the basics for only $1.99 per month. iPage offers reliable uptime and an eCommerce website builder, too.
- DreamHost. If all you need is a few live pages with unlimited traffic and storage, DreamHost is a good choice. Their shared starter plan begins at $2.49. DreamHost doesn’t offer email accounts on their entry-level plans, though, so be aware in case this is a deal-breaker.
eCommerce Website Hosting Reviews
Looking at eCommerce website hosting reviews is a useful way to determine which services are worth your time. The experiences of other buyers are valuable in determining whether a company lives up to its hype or anything to the opposite.
You can either type in the name of a hosting company with the word “reviews” appended, or search for reviews overall. Take plenty of time reading reviews. You can often uncover information that isn’t always available on the company’s own site.
The Host With The Most
Hosting is a critical piece of the eCommerce platform building puzzle. It ensures your website is accessible, fast-loading, backed up, and equipped for eCommerce payment processing.
Choosing the right hosting service for your needs is a decision that should be made with your business priorities and budget in mind. Shop around for discount codes and take advantage of free trials when possible to ensure you love what you’re working with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hosting for eCommerce website 2022?
The best hosting for eCommerce websites 2022 are:
- BlueCart
- A2 Hosting
- Liquid Web Hosting
- AccuWeb Hosting
- Hostwinds
What is eCommerce Hosting?
eCommerce hosting involves web hosting platforms that provide services in order to host digital commerce websites. They are responsible for making sure that everything for an eCommerce business runs efficiently and effectively.
What is a VPS?
A VPS or Virtual Private Server is a type of hosting that is responsible for imitating server-based hosting in a virtual setting.