The Advantages of VPS for eCommerce Websites

The eCommerce industry has been heating up for quite some time now and is expected to hit a volume of $6.5 trillion by 2023. This makes it a very attractive proposition for a foray into especially given the high degree of digitization today.

For those new to eCommerce sites, performance should be one of your top considerations. Data has shown that as website loading speeds increase, conversion rates start to drop. This means that if your site is slow, you’ll be earning a lot less.

A big part of what affects your eCommerce site speed will be the host you partner with and the type of web hosting plan that you opt for.

Why Hosting Type Matters

The cost of web hosting can vary immensely, from free accounts to those that cost well over five figures per month. Typical web hosts offer a spectrum of hosting types ranging from shared to reseller hosting. 

They are usually price-segregated by the way they behave for individual users. Unfortunately, this means that there can be a disproportionate tendency to look towards price as an overweight factor in the choice of hosting.

Shared hosting is usually the cheapest form of web hosting and the most tempting to go for. However, when it comes to eCommerce sites, shared hosting is typically a major no-no. There is a reason the price is low.

Almost without exception, hosting providers packing many (often hundreds) of web hosting accounts onto a single server. All of the websites hosted on shared hosting make use of the pooled resources of that server.

The end result is lower performance, higher potential to run out of resources, and likely security issues as well. While shared hosting may be wallet-friendly, is the potential impact on your key source of revenue worth those savings?

VPS Hosting is Much Better for eCommerce

Technically, VPS hosting is also a type of shared hosting. Similar to typical shared hosting, each server also houses more than one web hosting account. However, fewer accounts are packed into each server comparatively.

Where a shared hosting server may hold hundreds, VPS hosting accounts hold a lot fewer than that depending on the server configuration. More importantly, VPS hosting accounts have other important distinguishing characteristics as well.

Each VPS hosting account is in essence configured as a stand-alone server. This means that you have complete control over the environment of that space. You will run the operating system of your choice, and more.

Since the account is isolated you also gain significant benefits including dedicated resources only accessible to your site and increased security. Since these accounts come at a premium, you’ll also find that the support available to you is often superior.

If you are new to VPS hosting with little or no technical experience, then you Managed VPS hosting is your go-to hosting solution. In managed VPS Hosting, your service provider will take care of all the server related responsibilities. You need not worry about any technical stuff related to your server.

There is Even Better—Cloud VPS

Thanks to the power of Cloud computing, Cloud VPS now offers eCommerce stores a far superior alternative. By nature, Cloud computing makes use of the combined resources of several servers.

Because of this, if you opt for Cloud VPS hosting you will gain access to one very vital element—practically limitless scalability. Since you’re no longer restricted to the confines of a single server, you can grow your site to unprecedented scales much more cost-effectively.

Cloud hosting is also rather specialized and is provided by a few core companies with excellent reputations in the business. They are also readily accessible thanks to a very healthy ecosystem in the industry.

What Makes Cloud VPS Ideal for eCommerce

Earlier I mentioned briefly the benefits of VPS, many of which translate over to Cloud VPS. Specifically, these advantages are especially vital for eCommerce sites. After all, you want happy visitors to buy your products.

Scalable Guaranteed Resources

Not only are the number of processors guaranteed for your account but you can increase those at any time. The same goes for other vital resources like RAM, storage space, and even the amount of bandwidth that’s available to your site. 

With Cloud VPS there is no real limit to how much of any resource is allocated to your account. Even better, provisioning is normally instantaneous and works at the flick of a scale in your account administration.

Account Isolation

To understand what this truly means, think of it as being similar to living in a shared house as compared to living in your own house in a gated community. In the former, you’ll be affected by almost anything others sharing the house do. The latter gives you all your own facilities.

An important aspect of this is a big increase in security. You won’t be affected by Malware or other security effects on other accounts, even if you’re on the same Cloud. Since eCommerce sites often handle financial information, this increase in security is important.

Better Stability

Even though web hosting servers are often protected by redundancies in equipment, problems can still occur. Cloud technology reduces potential instability due to equipment failure or even software failure.

Cloud VPS hosting accounts often guarantee a high degree of uptime – usually in excess of 99.99%. The more available your site is, the more money you’ll make. Sites which go down also often suffer reputation damage far in excess of potential financial loss.

Root Access

There may be times when you need to install your own applications on your server. Root access on Cloud VPS can allow this, meaning you will have far greater flexibility in terms of what you can or cannot use for your own online store.

Of course, you need to be aware that some degree of technical knowledge is required to make use of these features. Rest assured though that most hosts that offer Cloud VPS also offer a high degree of support services as well.

Conclusion

No matter if you are planning to run a fledgling eCommerce site or take over an existing one, your choice in web hosting is vital. Managed VPS is secured, reliable, and cost-effective. It’s a good choice for online stores, but Cloud VPS can be an even better choice.

Aside from the high degree of stability, Cloud VPS hosting is one of the most robust choices available today. This translates into you building an eCommerce business that’s set to win the trust of your customers.