There are a lot of things to put in place when creating an e-commerce website, from choosing a domain name to uploading your product catalogue, but you must pay attention to choosing the right web hosting company for your business.
This is especially important because it has a significant impact on your customer experience and can determine the overall success of your online business. So, in this guide, we will see the best web hosting company for e-commerce business and what they have to offer you.
See also:10 Businesses to Start with ₦50k budget in Nigeria
What is a Web Hosting Company?
Web hosting companies lend space on their servers to e-commerce businesses. They help online businesses store images, texts, and codes that make their e-commerce website visible online. This is the only way customers can access the e-commerce sites through their browsers and get all the information they need.
Best Web Hosting Company for eCommerce Business
Here are the 8 most reliable and efficient web hosting companies for eCommerce business you should consider.
Bluehost
Bluehost is an excellent web hosting company; it tops our list because it is WordPress-friendly and budget-friendly for small businesses. It offers web hosting with an entry-level shared plan of just $2.95 a month and specific hosting plans for as low as $9.95 per month.
When you sign up, you will get access to a domain name, tech backups for data protection and site analytics. With a Bluehost mid plan, you can get unlimited domains, unlimited SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
This is truly one of the most generous offers you can get from any web hosting company. Bluehost also supports a click WordPress website setup; it is flexible, simple and ideal for newbies, even if it is your first website. In addition, you will get hotlink protection, a free SSL certificate, SpamAssassin protection and secure shell access.
Pros
- 24/7 phone and live chat support.
- Free CDN.
- Robust security features, including site lock, SSL, and spam protection.
- Free domain for the first year.
- Simple setup.
- Fully managed WooCommerce hosting.
Cons
- US-only data centres.
- No monthly plans.
- Significant price spike upon renewal.
TMD Hosting
TMD Hosting is the perfect web hosting provider, especially for business owners who are not tech-savvy. It offers a simple web hosting setup with fully managed Linux and Windows shared hosting plans starting from $2.99 monthly.
The shared plan features unlimited websites, an SSL certificate, the Weebly builder, a domain, and custom email accounts. This plan has impressive security features like firewalls, in-house server monitoring, and reinforced DDoS protection.
In addition, the hosting plans include a free Cloudflare CDN, a premium caching feature, and multiple server locations, so you will be sure to enjoy optimal website speed.
The best part is that you will get a 30-day money-back guarantee if this web hosting provider doesn’t suit your business needs.
Pros
- SSH access on request.
- Fully managed website, including installations, consultation, migration and so on.
- Weebly integration.
- Multiple web hosting security features.
- Suitable for beginners with minimal technical knowledge.
Cons
- You can only have up to 30 backups and can only restore them through customer support.
SiteGround
If you are looking for one of the best e-commerce web hosts for WooCommerce, Magenta and Prestashop integration, SiteGround is an excellent option. It offers a one-click installation and takes only a few minutes to get your store running. You will get access to many fantastic customisation options, suitable templates for your business and more than 2 million domains and subdomains with reliable web hosting to suit your online store needs.
This web host also features a full PCI complaint system, daily backups, a free encryption certificate and a 24-hour customer support service. It is very easy to gain e-commerce functionality and install apps with SiteGround, and that is one of the main reasons they have so many satisfied customers with successful e-commerce businesses.
Pros
- 24/7 customer support.
- WooCommerce, Magento, and Prestashop hosting integration.
- Constant security monitoring.
- Cloudflare protection is included.
- Free daily backups.
- Out-of-the-box caching.
- Free SSL certificate.
Cons
- No free domain name.
- High renewal rates.
- Limited storage with entry-level plans.
- The PCI-compliant system only comes with premium plans.
A2hosting
This is another fantastic web host with a wide range of packages for e-commerce business owners. If you are a beginner, then the A2hosting shared plan starting at $2.99 per month will be a great starting point for your business. As your e-commerce business grows and gets more traffic, you can upgrade to the managed VPS hosting plan, which starts at $10.99/month and will give you access to 99.9% uptime commitment, 250 GB of SSD storage space, a free SSL certificate, default fast loading speed, and integration with PHP platforms like Drupal, Magento and Joomla.
One amazing thing that differentiates A2hosting from many other web hosts is its commitment to renewable energy to prevent climate change.
Pros
- Cloudflare CDN.
- Website builder.
- Unlimited data transfer.
- Unlimited emails.
- Free SSL certificate.
- Supports Magento, Drupal, and Joomla integration.
- Fast load times.
- Four server locations
- 24/7 phone service and live chat
- Robust security features.
Cons
- No free domain name.
- No free website builder.
- Pricing increases upon renewal.
- Only one website is on the base plan.
- No Windows hosting options.
HostGator
HostGator is a more flexible web host for optimising specific platforms; it has dedicated WordPress and Magento hosting plans, and you will enjoy a one-click installation feature for WordPress-compatible systems like WooCommerce, but it doesn’t have dedicated plans for other systems.
With HostGator, you get unlimited file transfer protocol (FTP) accounts, so you can easily move files between your computer and a network. However, HostGator doesn’t have PCI complaints for all plans; you can request the feature with the help of the HostGator team, which also offers excellent 24/7 phone and live chat customer service.
This web hosting provider is indeed one of the best, especially for beginners. You can get your e-commerce website up and running with minimal confusion because there’s more than enough support from the team.
In addition, HostGator is very effective and scalable, and it offers a free SSL certificate, free domain for every plan, 99.9% uptime and unmetered bandwidth for migration support.
Pros
- Instant backups and encryption.
- 24/7 server monitoring.
- Dedicated IP addresses.
- Unlimited email accounts.
- Unlimited MySQL databases.
- 99.9% uptime guarantee.
- Unlimited disk space.
- Host unlimited domains.
- cPanel Interface.
Cons
- Slower customer support response times.
- It is not the most economical option for business hosting.
- Restore from backups requires an additional fee.
See also:100 Online Business Ideas to Start in Nigeria
Ionos
Ionos is undoubtedly a fantastic web hosting company for e-commerce businesses because it combines beginner-friendly and advanced features that make the platform suitable for all users to create their online stores. It has a template-based design, which is quite appealing and can be customised to suit your brand style.
Ionos offers an entry-level plan starting at $1 per month; this plan supports a free domain, up to 5000 physical products, an SSL certificate, website analytics, and many other image features.
The top-tier plan allows you to sell on Amazon and eBay marketplace, along with many other improvements and upgrades. You will also get an advanced product and website SEO support coach. The top-tier plan starts from $75 per month, but you will get a discount for the first 6 months.
Pros
- 99.99% uptime guarantee.
- A support assistant for each customer.
- Free Wildcard SSL certificate.
- Low-cost intro price.
- Daily backups and easy recovery.
- Tons of third-party integration.
Cons
- Significant price spike upon renewal.
- No free website migration.
- Custom control panel.
Liquid Web
Liquid Web is a web hosting provider that delivers reliability, high speed, and efficiency for all e-commerce businesses. It offers so many high-end features that let you integrate WooCommerce and WordPress, and you will get sales-boosting iconic WP premium plugins, auto-scaling to keep your online store running smoothly, and caching to optimise speeds. You can easily share your tasks with as many colleagues as possible, and you will enjoy unlimited support from the Liquid Web team via phone calls, emails and live chat.
This web host is also very affordable, although more costly than some other web hosts; its starting price is $17.50 per month; however, if you consider the speed, support and reliability you will enjoy, then the price is worth it, it even promises compensation if the customer service team doesn’t respond on time.
Pros
- Plenty of plans to scale your business.
- 24/7 server monitoring.
- Hundreds of responsive themes.
- Robust and reliable platform.
- Packed with high-performance features.
- Bold 100% uptime guarantee.
Cons
- No free trial.
- The slight learning curve with advanced features.
- More expensive than most alternatives.
IPage
Ipage is the last on our list, but definitely not the least; it offers a simplified and easy-to-use web hosting service. The entry-level plan has many features which can help you quickly set up your e-commerce store and drive traffic to your business.
Ipage is a template-based website builder, and you can integrate some payment platforms, such as PayPal, to support payment with your choice of shopping cart (Prestashop, Agora Cart, OSCommerce, Zen Cart, etc).
Ipage offers a free domain for one year and 24/7 customer support with phone calls and live chat. However, it is preferably for smaller sites and businesses because the website builder only allows a maximum of 6 pages, but it is incredibly cheap, with prices starting from $1.99 per month for up to 36 months.
Pros
- Free SSL certificate.
- 24/7 customer service.
- Free domain for one year.
- Extensive e-commerce features.
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth.
- Intuitive user interface.
- Poskate-friendly entry-level price.
Cons
- No free backups.
- Hugh renewal rates.
- Us-based data centres only.
- No monthly billing with most plans.
- Additional fees for some features.
See also: 40 Cheap Business to start in Nigeria (2023)
E-commerce has become a lucrative platform for entrepreneurs to easily reach prospective customers. However, the quality of the web hosting service you use for your e-commerce business can either make your customers happy and satisfied or disappointed with their experience.
So, it is believed that a bad website can do more damage to your business than having no website at all. That is why the importance of a good web hosting company cannot be overemphasised. So, make your choice from the efficient web hosts we have discussed in this guide to give your customers a better experience shopping from your online store.
