There is a vast array of web hosting services available on the internet and frankly, it can be so daunting! Just simply browsing through the websites of web hosting providers can give you an intense headache.
What with shared hosting, vps, dedicated servers, cloud hosting…you’ll be forgiven if you’re truly lost. And especially if you are an entrepreneur just starting out on your business, you would do well to consider carefully the options available on the market so that you can find a plan that is the ‘best’ fit for your business. Well, there is no such thing as a ‘best fit’ per se, as you will probably go through the various cycles of growth in your business. With each cycle, your web hosting needs will naturally change.
For me, when I first started business selling some fitness equipment online, all I wanted was a simple static website, which basically serves as an online brochure. There were pages and pages of information with pictures of my products. And if somebody wanted to make an order, he has to fill in a simple order form, which would then send the details of his order to my email account. And when I opened my email box, voila! there’s my order.
As my business grew, technology also improved. Soon, it was the order form wasn’t enough for my needs. In fact, my shared hosting account does not even support scripts that were so vital for having a shopping cart. And it was then necessary for me to move to another web hosting provider that had features to support my scripts. And then, it was necessary for me to start charging my customers’ credit cards instantly so that I can rush the orders to them. And so, it became apparent that I had to get a dedicated server, so that I could implement greater security to allow my shopping cart to ‘talk’ to my credit card processor’s servers. All this were happening in real time so that within a minute, the my customers’ credit cards were charged and I can process their orders.
In many ways today, things haven’t changed that much. People are still processing orders online and collecting credit card information. However, these days, payment processors like Paypal makes things a lot easier for the smaller merchants. In fact, online shopping has changed so much that it may not be necessary to have a shopping cart installed on your account. Thousands of people are shopping at so-called blog shops, which are basically nothing more than a simple blog with pictures and information online. And if a customer likes what he sees, he can simply make a payment using Paypal, send the unique transaction ID to the seller and that’s basically it. But that would also mean that the web hosting requirements have changed too. So, it would mean that instead of requiring a hosting account with all the bells and whistles, all a blog shop owner requires is simple a blog!
And so, if you’re confused over the various offerings available on the market and how you can choose a web hosting plan, then you’ll want to read on. I am putting together a series of articles here that would hopefully help both the small business owner and enterprise decision maker who prefers to read it in simple English without the technical jargon (hopefully).
Please be patient as this blog will take time to grow (I do have a full-time job, you know.) So, please check back often for the latest update! Thank you!