E-Commerce Hosting: Must-Have Features

Page Loading Speed

This is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing an e-commerce web host. Customers are wary when spending money online, and a slow-loading website is seen as a red flag in terms of reliability. You should also factor in that e-commerce websites include tons of product images, which naturally affect loading time. This is why you need reliable web hosting that supports high-speed loading consistently. Customers should have a seamless experience loading different product pages, adding items to their cart, and payment processing. 

Security

Security is something you can’t compromise with an e-commerce website. You need to protect your customer’s personal and payment information as well as critical internal data. For starters, your hosting should include SSL certification to secure the connection between shoppers and your website. Make sure your payment processing tools are PCI compliant – this is the highest security standard. Also, make sure you have the best firewall and anti-malware features protecting your website from external threats. Most hosting services will include this, but if you are handling your own software stack, then make sure you have these tools and that they are regularly updated. 

Supported Apps

Depending on the products you are selling, the number of sales channels you have, and the overall scale your website is operating in – you’ll probably need third-party apps. These apps support various e-commerce functions such as inventory management, payment processing, marketing, shipping, customer management, and SEO. Some hosting platforms have their own native apps for these purposes, but they may not match the functionality offered by top-tier third-party apps. Avoid a hosting platform that is too closed-off and doesn’t support the apps that you may need for your online business to thrive. 

Automated and Secure Backups

Automated backup is another must-have feature for an e-commerce hosting service. An e-commerce website is highly customised in terms of layout and includes so many unique types of data such as your product list, product photos, inventory, customer information, sales data, and order history. This is without mentioning the different software, apps, and third-party plugins that you need to support customer purchases. You can’t afford to be offline because you have accidentally deleted important information, or an update has crippled your site’s functionality, or if you’ve been hacked. With automated backups, your website data is stored securely and can be retrieved in the event your website has been compromised maliciously or accidentally.

Conclusion

To set yourself up for success, your e-commerce hosting should deliver fast loading speeds – even for pages with multiple product images. You should have security features such as SSL certification, PCI compliance, firewall, and antimalware software for a safe shopping experience. The platform should support the third-party apps and plugins that you need and automatic backups should be included in your plan.