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Need Help Choosing e-Commerce Hosting

jayme28jayme28 subscriber Posts: 3
edited July 2011 in Building A Website That Works
I am an e-entrepreneur wanna-be. In my research, I have found that good web hosts companies are not so great at hosting e-commerce. Talk about confusing add-ons.  I have currently narrowed down the list to West Host, GoDaddy, Lunar Pages, Yahoo!, and Network solutions.  I need a what-you-see-is-what-you-get company.  This is why I have chosen these companies. Loads of easy to find info with price tags.
Anyone have any opinions?
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  • NuevolutionNuevolution subscriber Posts: 30 Bronze Level Member
    Jayme28,
    My advise would be to first research which ecommerce solution you want to use and then choose your web hosting company.
    Remember a web server can handle almost every e-commerce software out there provided that it meets the shopping cart`s specifications. What you need to do is first figure out what type of features you need and that are important to your business.
    Once you figure out what your needs are, then you can choose your web hosting company. Makes it easier!
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  • infiltainfilta subscriber Posts: 8
    If you want a hosted solution - go with Volusion
    I meant to say, these guys have a ready to use e-commerce solution, this is NOT a web hosting company.
    As far as web hosting, I would recommend Liquidweb, Elief or Lunar Pages.infilta6/17/2008 5:54 PM
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  • jayme28jayme28 subscriber Posts: 3
    @nuevolution: I hadn`t thought about choosing the software first then the hosting. Makes sense though.  Any suggestions on which software to look for? I need a shopping cart, merchant account, and customer account stuff (login/password, make comments, shopping list/shopping list, e-mail this to friend, etc). Thanks for you time in responding!
    @infilta:  I will definitely check out Volusion.  Haven`t seen Liquidweb or Elief in top hosting reviews but will check out.  Lunar pages is on my radar for sure.  Thanks for the suggestions!
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  • infiltainfilta subscriber Posts: 8
    Jayme,
    Elief is kinda small and I guess it`s pretty new. It`s here in L.A. and I host my studio`s web site there: http://logistetica.com/. It`s fast and I get great service. Plus it`s cheaper for me then the same package with Lunar Pages. Liquidweb might not be in the charts as well as some other higher end hosting companies because what I see in the Top ratings is usually those big guys like GoDaddy or Bluehost or Host Gator who have like a million accounts and no real customer service. I`ve had (and still have) a managed dedicated server with Liquidweb and I am really happy with them. When I call tech support I wait 1-2 minutes and sometimes I get a rep almost immediately. And if I ask them to do something they do it very fast and I never paid anything on top of the monthly fee. These guys have shared and VPS hosting too but it`s just a bit more expensive then average. By the way, I have all of it here: "Choosing a good web hosting company" - I mention some of my good and bad experiences with the mentioned companies and some others.
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  • infiltainfilta subscriber Posts: 8
    Btw I don`t promote any of them, I recommend them `cause I used them and I think they are good.
    Also, here`s a useful link - better then top hosting ratings (I don`t know how objective they are, I suspect a lot of them get a commission when they refer new clients). Here you can talk with IT people who discuss hosting as well as reps of a lot of these hosting companies: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/infilta6/17/2008 9:31 PM
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  • jayme28jayme28 subscriber Posts: 3
    @infilta: thanks again for the great information.  I wondered about the top hosting lists.  I will check out your references and do more research on what software I want for e-commerce.  Are you into the NBA finals? The Lakers are getting their butts kicked.
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  • infiltainfilta subscriber Posts: 8
    Nope, I`m not into NBA. I`m into water spots and aerobatic planes
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  • VideographyVideography subscriber Posts: 401 Silver Level Member
    Jayme - I have been hosting all my websites on GoDaddy and I have only very high marks for their customer service.For me, I have a very small and closed market for my products, so the PayPal  product suits my sales very well.  It`s free, but the per-transaction is slightly higher than you would pay for a merchant account.  (Which typically has a monthly service charge).Do the math on your projected sales volume and decide if you will need the services of a big e-commerce company with direct banking connections, or a smaller e-commerce provider like GoDaddy.Either way, you still have to qualify for a merchant account.  Not unlike a credit application.Things to avoid: Long-term contracts."Required" hardware purchases.  If the e-commerce company requires that you buy or lease their terminal equipment, go somewhere else.  (Unless you also have a storefront).  They are just pushing the $15 terminals marked up to several-hundred dollars.
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  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    I am an e-entrepreneur wanna-be. In my research, I have found that good web hosts companies are not so great at hosting e-commerce. Talk about confusing add-ons.  I have currently narrowed down the list to West Host, GoDaddy, Lunar Pages, Yahoo!, and Network solutions.  I need a what-you-see-is-what-you-get company.  This is why I have chosen these companies. Loads of easy to find info with price tags.
    Anyone have any opinions?

     
    This sounds like you are considering a host that provides a all in one solution... a shopping cart program where all you need to do is add your products? Such ecommerce solution have limitations and are usually proprietary so you can not change hosts and keep the shopping cart.
     
    I would not recommend an all in one solution, and while GoDaddy`s hosting is fine their all in one solutions are not the best.
     
    So, the first question to answer is do you want a host that provides an all in one solution - ecommerce program, hosting, and merchant features...where you pay $xx per month to the host which covers hosting and merchant fees? Example: yahoo stores.
     
    Most web hosts (like my hosting) can handle/host any web site... and have some open source / free programs available for ecommerce, CMS, and other needs.
     
    I would recommend going with Linux rather than windows based hosting.
     
    ~Roland
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  • jayme28jayme28 subscriber Posts: 3
    @videography:  Thanks for taking the time to respond to my request.  Good to hear that GoDaddy has treated you well.  The "things to avoid" is extremely helpful!
    @vwebworld:  I hadn`t thought about what happens if/when I want to switch hosting companies.  I remember reading some people ranting about the troubles of switching and that it could have been b/c of the shopping cart issue.  Good to know ahead of time!  I thought the all-in-one solution was the best avenue but you have definitely given me incentive to keep researching and not jump to the most "convenient" hosting company. 
    Have a great day!
    Jayme
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  • infiltainfilta subscriber Posts: 8
    Jayme,
    Ordinarily if a web site is hosted on the same host (both files, scripts and database) then switching shouldn`t be difficult. So don`t worry about that for now. Pretty much all you do if you "move" is copy files and database to a compatible server and change DNS settings for your domain. But in any case, you`d have to let your IT person do all that.
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  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    Jayme,
    Ordinarily if a web site is hosted on the same host (both files, scripts and database) then switching shouldn`t be difficult. So don`t worry about that for now. Pretty much all you do if you "move" is copy files and database to a compatible server and change DNS settings for your domain. But in any case, you`d have to let your IT person do all that.

     
    ....Unless she uses Yahoo stores or another such proprietary ecommerce solution, which can not be moved. She may be able to salvage the database files, but making them work with another ecommerce program would be a challenge.
     
    ~Roland
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  • infiltainfilta subscriber Posts: 8
     Right, if it`s a HOSTED solution. In this case Jayme would have to think a few years down the road, if she plans to use a hosted solution such as Yahoo! for a long time or it`s something temporary.      infilta6/18/2008 4:15 PM
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  • jayme28jayme28 subscriber Posts: 3


    Thank you infilta and vwebworld!
    This is what I have decided to do. Basically find an e-commerce solution that is not proprietary, then find a host that will allow the software.  Some other people have said to ask about charges for bandwidth overage and adding items to your catalogue.
    You guys have been a great help!  Good luck this year in all of your ventures.
    Jayme
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  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    Jayme, I sent you a PM.
     
    ~Roland
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