Launching your eCommerce store requires a lot of decisions. If you don’t want to lose your sales or have your users dropping off, you need to ensure that your store runs smoothly.
And, one of the most crucial factors that will play an important role in making this happen is hosting. So, if you are unsure whether or not shared hosting is the best eCommerce hosting for your online store, read on.
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What is shared hosting?
In shared hosting, your eCommerce store will be one of the many accounts on a server that is maintained by a third-party hosting provider. It is a low-cost solution that helps people with minimal tech knowledge to manage their entire website. However, before you consider shared hosting for your eCommerce store, you need to understand its capabilities and limitations and how it is different from cloud hosting. It is advisable to take up an Azure Architect certification which will guide you to choose the best hosting services for your business.
Pros
- Solid security – As an eCommerce store owner with your website in shared hosting, you will be able to rely on the security offered by the hosting provider. So, if you do your due diligence and find the right hosting company that offers server monitoring, you will be able to save yourself from a lot of troubles in the long run.
- Affordable price – In the initial stage of any business, infrastructure is one of the major costs. By opting for shared hosting, you can save a lot of money and invest in one of the several other costs associated with an eCommerce store.
- Enhanced performance – The performance of your website will be impacted by the hosting provider you select and the type of plan you have signed up for. Regardless of the type of plan, you have selected, the hosting providers usually guarantee a level of performance. The different hosting plans offered by the hosting company are available at different price points and offer a varied level of reliability, scalability, and flexibility.
Cons
- Shared IP addresses – When you are using shared hosting, you might be affected by someone else’s mistakes. For example, if someone sends out a SPAM email resulting in temporary blocking of IP by Google’s servers or if someone is a victim of a cyberattack on their website, the damage might spill over to you in a matter of time.
- Shared resources – With the shared hosting server, you are sharing your web hosting memory, space, CPU processing power, and bandwidth with other users. Your website will be at the mercy of your neighbor’s resource utilization. Some hosting services limit the overusing account but this doesn’t solve the resource sharing problem. So, shared hosting is not suitable for someone with higher traffic, dependencies, and resource requirements.
- Less consistent performance – When you are running an eCommerce website, its speed will have a direct impact on your sales. There is a correlation between the speed of your website, your conversion ratio, and your visitor bounce rate. Having a slow website today is unforgiving. Having low speed can affect SEO and result in Google demoting your page.
- Lack of security – Even though SSL provides some level of encryption, it does not make your server secure. With a shared hosting environment, you won’t have any control over the security parameters. Instead, you will be separated by a long series of configurations.
It is important to note that when it comes to business, cheap doesn’t always mean better. In order to decide between shared hosting and private hosting, you need to analyze the requirements of your business. Weigh the pros and cons and choose the best eCommerce hosting for your business.