Web Hosting for E-Commerce Site
- Thread starter dgphotography
- Start date
Hi David,
We'd be happy to help with this.
Some things to consider would be whether a dedicated IP address and SSL certificate are included, both of which which would be required to deliver secure transactions. Some hosts will include these for free in their reseller/ecommerce packages.
Any decent host will also provide a one click installer so you can get osCommerce up in seconds, and some will even let you select this when you order.
As you've already got hosting, it's also worth looking at whether the account transfer will be done free of charge. I personally believe good smaller hosts will provide a more personal level of service which can really help if you're moving from an existing provider, especially if they're non standard.
I hope that helps.
If you ask this in the web hosting forum or in tenders then I'd be able to suggest a package that should suit you well.
I hope that helps.
If you've got any questions just let me know.
Kind regards,
Dan
We'd be happy to help with this.
Some things to consider would be whether a dedicated IP address and SSL certificate are included, both of which which would be required to deliver secure transactions. Some hosts will include these for free in their reseller/ecommerce packages.
Any decent host will also provide a one click installer so you can get osCommerce up in seconds, and some will even let you select this when you order.
As you've already got hosting, it's also worth looking at whether the account transfer will be done free of charge. I personally believe good smaller hosts will provide a more personal level of service which can really help if you're moving from an existing provider, especially if they're non standard.
I hope that helps.
If you ask this in the web hosting forum or in tenders then I'd be able to suggest a package that should suit you well.
I hope that helps.
If you've got any questions just let me know.
Kind regards,
Dan
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Hi David,
I'm sorry to hear you're unhappy with the price of your current host. May I ask how much are they currently charging you? Are you (overall) happy with their support and quality of service?
Web hosting prices can vary significantly, with those in smaller niches able to charge considerably more, so it's always a good idea to shop around and find the best deal. But be careful, not all hosts are created equal and some charge ridiculously low prices and give a service that is only equivalent, or even less than what you pay for. It's always worth spending that little bit extra to ensure a website as important as an e-commerce site remains online and loads fast for the visitors.
Transferring an osCommerce site shouldn't be difficult, but it does depend on your set up. We can certainly help you with your requirements and even help with the transferring of the site.
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Are you looking for shared Ecommerce Hosting? we offer special Package for Ecommerce Hosting as its really not like normally webfile hosting , Ecommerce Server needs to be powerful with good webserver that can improve the speed of your website.
If you need any help please visit our site we will be glad to help you.
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Or you could get 25% off elsewhere
Hi David, had a look at your own site and that appears to be hosted with hostpapa from Canada. You currently don't have compression enabled, so if you switched to a host that provides that, then you should see a significant improvement in performance, as well as being able to lower your costs:
https://developers.google.com/speed...F_2Fwww.davidgreensmith.co.uk_2F&mobile=false
Not sure if your osCommerce site is hosted with the same host. I imagine your designer is just a reseller, so overcharging for something very standard.
However you'd definitely benefit from switching to a UK host for performance, support and various reasons.
We host a number of UKBF members, and have helped other professional photographers/agencies so we'd be happy to transfer your site for you free of charge and get you up and running as easily as possible.
Kind regards,
Dan
Hi David, had a look at your own site and that appears to be hosted with hostpapa from Canada. You currently don't have compression enabled, so if you switched to a host that provides that, then you should see a significant improvement in performance, as well as being able to lower your costs:
https://developers.google.com/speed...F_2Fwww.davidgreensmith.co.uk_2F&mobile=false
Not sure if your osCommerce site is hosted with the same host. I imagine your designer is just a reseller, so overcharging for something very standard.
However you'd definitely benefit from switching to a UK host for performance, support and various reasons.
We host a number of UKBF members, and have helped other professional photographers/agencies so we'd be happy to transfer your site for you free of charge and get you up and running as easily as possible.
Kind regards,
Dan
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TMD Hosting is a US host, so a terrible idea for a UK site/business, and its reviews aren't great.
Heart Internet isn't the worst of the big UK hosts, but it certainly isn't great. Overcrowded servers, expensive for what you get, and you get treated like a number.
I'm biased, but you can't really beat the personal level of support provided by a high quality small to medium sized hosting company.
It all depends on what you're after, but I find with the larger hosts half the cost goes to their advertising. They get custom through being well known, not from being recommended, and their customers have to pay for it, effectively subsidising their advertising.
That's why a high quality smaller host can offer better hosting at a lower price.
Heart Internet isn't the worst of the big UK hosts, but it certainly isn't great. Overcrowded servers, expensive for what you get, and you get treated like a number.
I'm biased, but you can't really beat the personal level of support provided by a high quality small to medium sized hosting company.
It all depends on what you're after, but I find with the larger hosts half the cost goes to their advertising. They get custom through being well known, not from being recommended, and their customers have to pay for it, effectively subsidising their advertising.
That's why a high quality smaller host can offer better hosting at a lower price.
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How many visitors / how much data transfer ?
Fixed-IP and SSL certificate require ?
Do you take card payment details (or pass off to a processor/gateway and not see the details) ?
All affect the type of hosting (and cost) that you'll need ...
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The OP here asked for host recommendations.
So far I only see three recommendations - two of which were then shot down by another host!
David - what's the renewal fee and what is included? If it includes updates to your site, or hosting on your own server, for example, that should be worth more than if it's a cheap resold hosting account. It's hard for anyone to accurately gauge what to suggest without a little more information
So far I only see three recommendations - two of which were then shot down by another host!
David - what's the renewal fee and what is included? If it includes updates to your site, or hosting on your own server, for example, that should be worth more than if it's a cheap resold hosting account. It's hard for anyone to accurately gauge what to suggest without a little more information
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Surely you agree with my comments?
But yes, some more information would certainly help.
It sounds like a reseller/ecommerce package, that comes with a free SSL certificate and dedicated IP address would probably be suitable though. Obviously scaling up to a VPS or even dedicated server depending on traffic and budget.
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Any US host is a bad idea if you're looking to host a UK site or a site for a UK audience. You have opposing time zones, lower performance, and more to deal with.
Godaddy itself is a pretty poor host. So there are certainly better US hosts to choose from, but choosing a US Host for a UK site is a bad idea in itself.
I hope that helps.
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Gosh, well you could always look to switch, you certainly shouldn't have to put up with database errors. If you're running an online business it's important that your site is backed by a host that you can depend on.
If you're looking to target the UK then you'd certainly benefit from switching to a UK host.
David, the OP also has his photography site hosted from Canada.
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to have the wrong hosts in completely the wrong location, perhaps not realising the impact this can have on your visitors, site performance, and as a result perception of your business.
If you're looking to target the UK then you'd certainly benefit from switching to a UK host.
David, the OP also has his photography site hosted from Canada.
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to have the wrong hosts in completely the wrong location, perhaps not realising the impact this can have on your visitors, site performance, and as a result perception of your business.
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Websitehandyman - strange, sure you didn't post in another thread?
I am aware of people who've had issues with Heart, but I'm also aware that Heart is one of the most successful hosting companies of the past few years, hosting an order of magnitude more sites than you or I, and I know lots of people are also happy with them.
I'm sure what you said had good reason but I generally think it's a good idea to show people why your service stands out, rather than to bash competitors, especially in a thread where recommendations have been asked for. None of us are perfect unfortunately.
Just my 2p!
I agree with the US one but the poster did mention that they were for non-UK things.
I am aware of people who've had issues with Heart, but I'm also aware that Heart is one of the most successful hosting companies of the past few years, hosting an order of magnitude more sites than you or I, and I know lots of people are also happy with them.
I'm sure what you said had good reason but I generally think it's a good idea to show people why your service stands out, rather than to bash competitors, especially in a thread where recommendations have been asked for. None of us are perfect unfortunately.
Just my 2p!
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Godaddy are good value for money for basic sites but I would never put a site I hope to earn my money on such a host. It's far better to pay a little extra for personal good support service. That little extra might only be a pound or two a year.
As for UK hosting, yes you would want to go for closer hosting to your customer if in UK. It's debatable if the is any adverse affect from UK to most EURO hosts. In fact you can get far better ping rates in Europe then from some UK hosts I've found and I host in UK, Holland and Germany, used to have a server in the USA too.
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@Dom
Ahh, I only saw mention of Heart for UK Hosting. Perhaps I should have inferred that they recommended the US host for US sites.
They have been very successful. However, I personally don't equate rapid growth/success with a good host/service. In fact, that often runs contrary to providing a good service in my opinion. Part of their growth is surely due to their reseller focused strategy, which enables them to much quicker host a large number of sites.
Personally I think beyond a certain size a host simply can't provide the personal level of service some people want. The only truly large host I can think of that delivers good service is HostGator, but then their servers are overcrowded and they claim "unlimited" hosting. In fact, we had a client move from HostGator to us because they'd reached their inode limit, which meant they couldn't add any more files. Once they switched to us they only used a fraction of their bandwidth limit, and about a third of their 30 GB webspace allowance, which goes to show what "unlimited" claims are, but that's another topic.
I don't go for bashing competitors, but if people are asking for recommendations and I see some poor suggestions when there are so many hosts out there to choose from, then I'll chip in.
I'd love to say how we're different, are a social enterprise and offer a personal level of service that you won't find elsewhere, and come highly recommended by a number of UKBF members, but unfortunately as I pointed out to the OP, this thread wasn't posted in tenders so I can't go into detail in how we can help.
Anyway, I hope David find the responses useful when we gets a chance to read them.
Ahh, I only saw mention of Heart for UK Hosting. Perhaps I should have inferred that they recommended the US host for US sites.
They have been very successful. However, I personally don't equate rapid growth/success with a good host/service. In fact, that often runs contrary to providing a good service in my opinion. Part of their growth is surely due to their reseller focused strategy, which enables them to much quicker host a large number of sites.
Personally I think beyond a certain size a host simply can't provide the personal level of service some people want. The only truly large host I can think of that delivers good service is HostGator, but then their servers are overcrowded and they claim "unlimited" hosting. In fact, we had a client move from HostGator to us because they'd reached their inode limit, which meant they couldn't add any more files. Once they switched to us they only used a fraction of their bandwidth limit, and about a third of their 30 GB webspace allowance, which goes to show what "unlimited" claims are, but that's another topic.
I don't go for bashing competitors, but if people are asking for recommendations and I see some poor suggestions when there are so many hosts out there to choose from, then I'll chip in.
I'd love to say how we're different, are a social enterprise and offer a personal level of service that you won't find elsewhere, and come highly recommended by a number of UKBF members, but unfortunately as I pointed out to the OP, this thread wasn't posted in tenders so I can't go into detail in how we can help.
Anyway, I hope David find the responses useful when we gets a chance to read them.
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