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What Is E-Commerce Hosting?

E-commerce hosting is hosting suited to online shops. This guide explains what a shop needs from its hosting.

Web Hosting2 min read7 steps

What is e-commerce?

E-commerce means buying and selling things online. An online shop shows products, holds a basket, takes payment and sends orders. Hosting is the always-on computer space where the shop lives.

Why shops need more care

A blog only shows pages. A shop handles money and personal details, such as names and addresses. If it is slow or broken, you lose sales. If it is unsafe, you lose trust.

What to look for

  • SSL certificate. A digital lock that hides data between buyer and shop. Shops must use https.
  • Speed. Shoppers leave slow pages. Caching, which saves finished pages for reuse, helps.
  • Uptime. The share of time your shop is online. Shops want this as high as possible.
  • Enough resources. Shops use more memory and power than simple sites, especially during sales.
  • Backups. Orders and customer data change all day. Regular backups protect them.
  • Support for shop software. Examples are WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, OpenCart and Shopify-style tools. Check the software's own requirements, such as PHP version and memory.
  • Safe payments. Use trusted payment gateways. A gateway is a service that handles card payments for you, so card numbers do not sit on your server.
  • Email. Order emails should reach customers. Use mailboxes on your own domain.

Security points

  • Keep the shop software, themes and plugins updated.
  • Use strong admin passwords and two-step login where offered.
  • Learn about PCI rules if you handle card data. PCI is a set of security rules for card payments.
  • Watch for odd orders and strange log-ins.

Steps to get ready for launch

  1. Pick your shop software.
  2. Read its hosting requirements.
  3. Ask Hostvento support whether your plan meets them.
  4. Install the software and an SSL certificate.
  5. Connect a payment gateway.
  6. Place a test order yourself.
  7. Set up automatic backups.

You can reach support by opening a ticket.

Tip: Plan for busy days. If you expect a big sale, ask support in advance if your plan can cope.

Quick recap

  • E-commerce hosting runs online shops.
  • Shops need SSL, speed, uptime, backups and enough power.
  • Check your shop software's requirements.
  • Use a trusted payment gateway and keep everything updated.
  • Test an order before launch.