Choosing the best hosting solution for your eCommerce website can be intimidating, especially if you are not a technical person. Probably you are considering between having a shared hosting or a VPS hosting.
Most people will start off with a shared hosting plan for many reasons. Because it is quite inexpensive, it is the hosting plan most advertised and sometimes because you are not expecting a high number of customers on your site. If you wish to know more about shared hosting for eCommerce, the article Is Shared Hosting Good Ford eCommerce websites? can give you a deeper understanding.
However, as the business starts to grow, you will notice that the site could start to experience slow response. In this case, you will need to find a more scalable hosting plan. One option is VPS hosting.
Firstly, it is important that you understand what VPS hosting is. VPS is short for a Virtual Private Server. It is one of the most popular hosting services you can choose for your website. It uses virtualization technology to provide you with dedicated (private) resources on a server with multiple users.
VPS is a more secure and stable solution than shared hosting where you do not get a dedicated server space. It is usually chosen by eCommerce owners who have medium to high-level traffic.
Now, we will discuss the reasons you should go for a virtual private server:
Better Performance:
VPS hosting still uses the principle of hosting several websites on one server. Nevertheless, a VPS account uses sophisticated technology to completely isolate the different websites from each other. Each website is assigned dedicated resources. You get your own operating system. This means that you get your own slice of the CPU, RAM, bandwidth, and disk space.
Root Access
If you are technically strong, you might need root access to install some programs. You will never get root access in shared hosting since different websites are stored on the same server, granting one user root is a security threat to the other websites. While VPS hosting offers root access since you are the only one using the given resources so there is no risk of harming other websites. In the end, VPS is the way to go for a serious eCommerce Startup.
Better Speed
No matter what anyone else is doing on another VPS hosted on the same machine, you are guaranteed your speed. That is because the CPU allocated to you is only accessed by you. VPS hosted websites will always load faster than those hosted on a shared hosting service. If you use shared hosting, you must know that the speed varies on the time of the day and the amount of traffic on the websites of other users. Your resources are distributed on a first-come-first-served basis. This never happens on VPS services. Your resources are dedicated to your eCommerce website.
Handles High Levels of Traffic
Traffic translates to more conversion opportunities in every eCommerce website. This means more income for your company. However, if you are in a shared hosting plan, a huge spike in traffic may lead to an exhaustion of your bandwidth. This could end in a disaster because your website may go offline.
This is one of the most important reasons you should host your eCommerce website on a VPS. Since you have dedicated resources, you do not have to worry about other websites competing for resources on your server.
Conclusion
Are you starting an eCommerce company? Is it running and starting to pick up speed? Either way, a VPS is a right way to go. We know that VPS costs more than shared hosting, but the cost-benefit is totally worth it. At BlackSun we have different packages to satisfy every budget and need. At BlackSun we ensure you a high level of performance, security, affordability and flexibility on your VPS hosting plan to make it the perfect option for your online store.
In case you have questions, do not hesitate to ask for a consultation with our team of hosting experts. We will be happy to resolve your inquiries.