Can anybody recommend a web host?
i am looking for a web host for commerce. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
i am looking for a web host for commerce. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
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Recommend a Web Host
- Thread starter jusacruiser
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Hi,
Regarding Shopping Carts:
Write down a list of requirements you think you may need, and group them into:
Must have
Would like
Nice to have
Check out some carts on a site like http://www.hotscripts.com - use your checklist to find a few possible candidates.
Regarding Hosting:
Check well if the script you choose runs on a shared hosting. Some scripts require a dedicated server which is more expensive.
Regards
Ben
Last edited by a moderator:
If your main goal is to setup an ecommerce site, I'd have to recommend simply using Shopify. It's a paid ecommerce setup and they host it for you.
Whilst they manage the hosting, you do still get a decent level of control with the ability to edit and customize templates etc.
With that said, my favourite hosting provider right now would probably be DigitalOcean, but they're a KVM VPS host so it's really down to whether or not that's the kind of service you want.
Whilst they manage the hosting, you do still get a decent level of control with the ability to edit and customize templates etc.
With that said, my favourite hosting provider right now would probably be DigitalOcean, but they're a KVM VPS host so it's really down to whether or not that's the kind of service you want.
Honestly I would find it hard to recommend OVH. They're fine if you are happy with a completely unmanaged service but honestly if it's something your business is dependent upon I would find it difficult to recommend them honestly.
I've never found their support to be particularly good either but maybe that's just my experience.
Since its for ecommerce - a few things to keep in mind:
Will you be accepting credit cards directly on it? If so, you need to be PCI certified, have a secure infrastructure, etc - things that cost a lot of $$$ (tens of thousands per year, require dedicated staff, etc). This is assuming you'll be managing things 100% yourself. This would be the "hardcore" approach so you have 100% control over everything.
--- Since it sounds like you're probably not going that way ---
I recommend using something like squarespace or Shopify. You just fill in the blanks, customize the design, and do the products - and they will handle the technical/security side of things. They can handle some amazing traffic spikes too.
The other option is to use a prebuilt shopping cart and use something like paypal to handle all your payments/customer data. If you go that route just make sure you keep your cart up to date!!
In that case pretty much any ol' reputable host will work.
I'm a big fan of using VPSs for everything these days. I personally use Linode, LiquidWeb, AWS, and Rackspace for all my stuff. They are all VPS hosts, which basically give you your own server (easier to secure, dedicated resources, etc), and you can very quickly up/downgrade them depending on traffic.
The other option is shared - which are a lot cheaper but there's 2 things to keep in mind: they are less secure, and you don't have dedicated resources (your neighbor on the server can easily take down the whole darn thing with a traffic spike). Also, don't get fooled by all the "unlimited" crap that hosts list out... it's just marketing speak.
Some of the more popular shared hosts are HostGator, GoDaddy, BlueHost, and 1and1. Quite often they will have "business" packages for a little more and come with free SSL, and in some cases a 800 number.
Unmanaged? When have you used them last? back in 2010 they managed everything, and were very quick to answer any request.
I'm recommending DigitalOcean. It's VPS solution that lets you do anything you want. If you work on Linux or OS X, you can easily map your local development environment on the VPS. I'm hosting sublevel.net with them it works insanely fast.
I don't know where my opinion stands when it comes to web-hosts since I've only created two websites, both of which were hosted on GoDaddy. That being said, I have been using GoDaddy for about 2 years and I rarely need support or encounter issues on my site.
Thank you!! You made a lot of great host recommendations and suggestions!! I have seen 1and1 advertised a lot. I think I will look at that one, among others.
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What about "Wix?" Anybody ever hear of that web host?