When you depend on a hosting service to make ends meet, you naturally tend to value reliability above all other considerations. This is why people over-allocate resources and shell out big bucks for services they might not actually need. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to invest in an expensive hosting solution that boasts both excellent reliability and a full-option feature list. So, what can you do to ensure that your website works without glitches, 24/7?

As it turns out, with the right affordable web host, you can have high quality hosting services without breaking the bank. The secret is to ignore all the marketing gimmicks and useless trinkets that providers use to embellish their offerings and focus on what really matters to you: the essential features and services, and the cost. This article will be your guide to selecting an affordable hosting solution that doesn’t sacrifice any essential features for the sake of a lower cost.

Notice the difference between affordable hosting and cheap hosting

Before talking about the actual features you should consider when shopping for an affordable web hosting plan, we should first discuss a common misconception: that affordable hosting is synonymous with cheap hosting.

When it comes to buying a hosting solution, a subtle but important distinction should be made. An affordable host is a solution that offers a full set of features at a reasonable price. For instance, a reasonably priced dedicated server may be considered affordable, though most people wouldn’t call it “cheap.” “Cheap” hosts, on the other hand, have one big selling point: they are inexpensive, sometimes to the point of being “dirt cheap.” Most low-cost hosting services leave much to be desired in terms of physical resources, availability, and quality of service. Cheap hosting plans are usually shared hosting solutions and are unsuitable for anything beyond the most basic uses.

To better understand the difference between a cheap host and an affordable web host, consider the case of an entrepreneur who chooses a cheap plan to host his online store. The deal may seem like a bargain at first, but only until the cheap host begins to backfire. When hosting revenue-generating sites, every minute of downtime costs money, so our entrepreneur quickly finds out that he can’t afford to host his store on the cheap plan anymore.

Pay for what you need and nothing more

We all do it. We buy expensive products or services that we hardly ever use, just because we think we need them – cars, gadgets, clothes, and yes, web hosting. It’s surprising how many people pay more than they need on hosting, for one reason or another. And it’s not only newbies who do it; even experienced website owners commit the mistake of choosing high-end plans, just for the sake of it.

The key to finding an affordable web site hosting solution is to ensure that you get what you truly need without paying for the useless stuff. This sounds simple in theory, but in real life, it’s not always easy to see through the clutter of acronyms, specifications, marketing terms, and tech talk. Do I need a VPS or should I get a dedicated server? Daily backups or hourly backups? 2 GB of RAM or 4 GB of RAM? The list of options goes on and on.

There is no easy recipe for choosing a hosting solution based on a set of needs, because every usage scenario is different. Moreover, the complexity of the problem means that you can only make educated guesses based on your previous experience, rather than clear-cut decisions based on hard facts. If you’re a beginner or if you’re not confident in your skills, it may be a good idea to seek out the advice of an expert. For high-level problems, such as choosing the type of hosting (shared, VPS, or dedicated), a quick Google search can reveal a wealth of knowledge that you can use. However, when you have to decide between complex aspects, or in the case of high-stakes applications, the guidance of a pro is strongly recommended.

Stay away from misleading offerings

It’s easy to fall into the traps of savvy marketers and buy a service you don’t really need. Even worse, you may find that the service you bought does not include the features advertised by the so-called “affordable” hosting provider. There are many questionable and downright misleading tricks that unscrupulous companies use to coax people into buying a hosting solution. For example, some companies claim to offer an attractive feature (Google AdWords credits, free months, domains, etc.) for free with every new signup, but after you close the deal you find out that the offer is limited to certain locales in the world or has other restrictive conditions that you don’t meet.

Check the fees for all of the services related to the solution you plan to buy, as well as the duration for which you can benefit from the advertised fees. Some providers use cheap hosting solutions as bait to draw in new customers, and once the client is captive, they hike prices to make up for their losses. Make sure to read the fine print. This takes some time and patience, but it can really pay off in the long run. As a general rule, double-check the claims made by the hosting provider and never rush the research. Good research can make the difference between a genuine, affordable web hosting service and a complete disappointment.

JaguarPC – affordable hosting that doesn’t disappoint

At JaguarPC, you can find affordable web site hosting solutions for every need. From shared hosting plans that are ideal for the budget-conscious blogger to powerful and well-optimized dedicated machines built for performance, JaguarPC boasts one of the widest ranges of affordable web site hosting plans.

Choose JaguarPC to benefit from the unlimited hosting plans that let you host as many websites as you want with one small flat monthly fee. Regardless of which type of plan you choose, you get the same award-winning support services and high level of customer care. Our attentiveness to the needs of our clients has propelled us to the forefront of the hosting industry. Join the JaguarPC family and see why thousands of clients rely on us for affordable web site hosting.

To find out more details about JaguarPC’s line of affordable web hosting plans or to order your own solution, visit jaguarpc.com or call 1-888-338-5261 today.

At JaguarPC, we like to let our services do the talking. While other hosting providers say, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too,” we firmly believe that good web hosting doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and we price our services accordingly. So, you can have your cake after all.

With prices starting at a low, low price for an unlimited hosting plan, quality, affordable web site hosting is a reality at JaguarPC. Read on to learn how we make it happen and what separates us from the crowd of cheap hosting providers.

Experience – 14 years and counting

Unlike many of the affordable web hosting providers out there, JaguarPC is an established player in the hosting industry. We’ve been an active hosting provider since 1998, which makes us more experienced than most of our competitors.

We have tens of thousands of customers who rely entirely on our services, which range from affordable web site hosting to top-of-the-line dedicated servers. We serve all types of people and businesses, so we deal with a variety of hosting scenarios on a daily basis. As a result, we have the knowhow required to solve problems fast and optimize our hosting environments for superior results.

Unparalleled industry connections

In our 14 years of activity, we’ve created solid business relationships with numerous upstream providers. Our industry connections give us discounted access to technology and services, allowing us to build feature-rich hosting environments with a smaller investment. A high percentage of the savings that we make go directly into your pocket, through the rock-bottom monthly fees that we charge for our affordable web hosting plans.

A good example of technology that we make available to our clients at a discounted price is our R1Soft backup solutions. JaguarPC enjoys a strong, collaborative relationship with R1Soft, an expert provider of continuous backup solutions for the hosting industry. Combined with our high-grade hardware and skilled personnel, the continuous backup technology supplied by our partner lets us offer top-quality backup services for free. The free backups are just one of the many perks that we offer our clients to increase the value of our affordable web site hosting services.

Careful optimization

At JaguarPC, every last bit of resource is utilized to the fullest, allowing us to squeeze more performance out of our infrastructure. The savings that we make in the process translate to smaller hosting fees for our clients.

For instance, our technical experts work hard to fine-tune the performance of our server farm so that we can host more clients without sacrificing the quality of our affordable hosting plans. In contrast, other companies simply rent hosting space from larger providers and sell it to their clients without giving it too much thought. As a result, customers looking for an affordable host receive sub-par services at a price that is unnecessarily high.

Try JaguarPC’s affordable web hosting services risk-free

JaguarPC’s unlimited web hosting plans start at a low monthly fee, with no set-up fees. Whether you are looking for a home for your blog or a quality hosting plan for an online store, JaguarPC can offer you an affordable hosting solution without compromises. At JaguarPC, you get top-notch availability, 24-hour support services (including chat, phone, email, and ticketing), and an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee for all shared hosting clients.

Are you tired of the so-called affordable web hosting solutions that have hidden fees or offer sub-par services? Why not try JaguarPC risk-free to see how a real quality, affordable hosting plan performs?

To learn more about our affordable hosting solutions or to order a plan, visit JaguarPC.com or call 1-888-338-5261 today.

When you go shopping for a secure web hosting solution, you will notice that service descriptions are packed with an abundance of technical terms and acronyms: SSL, SFTP, PCI DSS, IDS, continuous backup, Denial of Service … and the list goes on. While a basic hosting plan can be easily judged in terms of quality and quantity, with a secure web hosting service, you need to determine the importance of each of these terms and decide if you actually need it for your application. To help you make sense of it all, JaguarPC recently published a useful resource titled What Makes a Secure Web Host Secure.

The article reveals the most important features that should not be absent from any truly secure web hosting plan. From SSL encryption support to the presence of adequate security software, the article describes in a concise manner the top security-related features worth investing in.

Learn about JaguarPC’s feature-rich secure hosting plans

As the above-mentioned JaguarPC article points out, the notion of security is relative. But nevertheless, a number of features are considered essential for any hosting plan that is labeled “secure.” Among them, SSL encryption and SSL certificates are of primary importance, as they enable confidential communication between the secure server and the visitors who make a purchase or exchange confidential information with the server.

Another important security feature that enables protected data transfer is the Secure FTP protocol (SFTP), which encrypts the connection between the server and the FTP client. With the importance of having a safe way to access a web server, all types of web hosting plans – not only secure hosting services – benefit from SFTP.

The other features described in the article include proper and regular maintenance services, good backup systems (preferably, continuous backup), and the utilization of appropriate security software, from antivirus and firewalls to intrusion prevention and monitoring systems.

Grow your online business in the safety of a secure hosting environment from JaguarPC

If you are looking for a secure web hosting solution that provides everything you need to protect your website and your visitors against hacking, data theft, and other threats, you should try JaguarPC’s range of secure hosting services. JaguarPC’s hosting environments fully comply with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. With JaguarPC secure web hosting solutions, you can be sure that every transaction made on your website is safe from any type of threat.

Through a combination of quality, specialized hardware from Cisco and HP, top-notch security software, and the expertise of seasoned web professionals, JaguarPC manages to deliver best-in-class secure hosting services within a reasonable price range. Start out your online business on a sound foundation with JaguarPC.

To learn more about our secure web hosting plans or to order a solution for your business, visit jaguarpc.com or call 1-888-338-5261 today.

We say “surprisingly” because few of us leave our car unlocked overnight or neglect to install locks on our front door. So why do we leave our online properties, and sometimes our livelihoods, at the mercy of hackers and fraudsters?

Once you realize how important it is to protect your website and data, it’s time to take measures to protect your hosting infrastructure against attacks, intrusions, data theft, phishing, and spamming. As with anything, it’s easier to prevent problems than to repair them, so your best course of action in this case is to start right from the beginning with a secure web host. This way, you have the peace of mind that your websites are protected from day one. In addition, it’s much easier to create a secure web hosting environment when you first deploy or move your websites than it is to patch a vulnerability-ridden production web server.

Seeing beyond marketing and unsupported claims

It’s not always easy to identify a genuine, secure web hosting plan over a vulnerable solution that puts your work at risk. Some hosting providers exploit the fact that people actively look for secure web server hosting, and market their hosting plans as “secure,” even when they’re not. Unfortunately, unsuspecting buyers regularly fall into their trap.

So how can a layman know if a secure hosting service is actually secure? Because the concept of security is relative (what’s safe in one scenario may prove precarious for other applications), we’ll only provide a list of features that are absolutely essential for a basic, secure web hosting solution.

1. SSL

No matter how well-protected your server is, if the connection with visitors is vulnerable, you are in severe danger of being hacked. The SSL (secure socket layers) protocol is first on our list of essential secure hosting features because it provides a safe means of connecting the web host with your visitors.

Ensure that you can use SSL encryption on your website – most personal/low-cost hosting solutions do not support SSL or support it for an additional fee. In any case, you will also need to acquire an SSL certificate, which is, essentially, the ID of your website. Using an SSL certificate and SSL encryption is hugely important for ecommerce and for any website that processes confidential data such as credit card numbers or SSNs.

2. Secure FTP

No matter what type of website you have, you will need to securely transfer files between your PC or Mac and the secure web host. This is done via the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), using applications such as Filezilla or WinSCP. The problem with FTP connections is that sensitive information such as passwords is sent in clear text, which makes it susceptible to being stolen.

The gold standard in secure hosting data transfer is Secure FTP (SFTP), an encrypted version of FTP. With SFTP, you can safely connect to your server and transfer files. Not all hosting providers offer SFTP with every hosting account. If you need a truly secure web hosting service, do not settle for any solution that doesn’t offer SFTP right out of the box.

3.  Maintenance

Depending on what type of hosting solution you choose, you may be required to do regular server maintenance yourself, or, if you choose a managed service, an employee of the secure hosting company will do it for you.

Keeping a hosting solution protected is a 24-hour-a-day job. Because new threats and vulnerabilities appear every day, you must make sure that your hosting environment (hardware drivers, operating system, antivirus software, applications, and development frameworks) is updated and patched as regularly as possible. Note which operations are included in the SLA (if available) and which tasks fall under your responsibility. If you’re not confident that you can properly maintain your server, choose a managed service pack that includes updates and patches for all important software components.

4. Backup

No secure web hosting solution is worth its salt without a comprehensive backup plan in place. Backup is, unfortunately, an afterthought for many website owners. But sooner or later, a good fallback plan will prove its importance. For online stores and other business-critical applications, you should, at the very least, look for daily backups, although we recommend choosing a continuous (or near continuous) backup solution that saves data on a remote storage unit every time it is changed on the production server (or every few minutes).

Proper backup solutions are important not only for secure web server hosting plans, but for any sort of hosting solution where it’s important to ensure data integrity. If your website’s defenses are breached and your databases are compromised, the only form of damage control at your disposal is to restore from backup. Our advice: don’t skimp on good backup.

5. Defenses: firewall, antivirus, antispam, and IPSs

The software used by your secure hosting company can make the difference between years of incident-free functioning and an utter disaster. You probably know about firewalls and antivirus software, but a good, secure web hosting provider uses a variety of other defensive applications and hardware, all meant to prevent attacks, virus contagions, and data theft. Intrusion prevention systems (IPS), intrusion detection systems (IDS), DoS (Denial of Service) protection applications, load balancers, and intelligent routers are just a few of the components that comprise the infrastructure of a truly secure web hosting company.

Creating and maintaining a safe hosting environment is not easy or cheap. When you opt for an ultra-low cost plan, you will probably get a hosting solution with subpar protection systems. Keep this in mind when choosing a hosting plan.

JaguarPC: secure web hosting without compromise

At JaguarPC, we take security seriously, both online and in the physical world. We understand the importance of keeping private data for your eyes only and we know that you invested too much in your website to risk it in an unprotected environment. This is why we provide truly secure hosting solutions – and have the track record to prove it.

For private customers, SMBs, and enterprises, we provide secure hosting plans with adequate defense measures against all forms of threats. Our infrastructure is protected with multiple layers of software and hardware security appliances. We also work with a best in class continuous data backup system from industry leader R1Soft. In a sentence, your data is in good hands with us.

Learn more about our secure hosting services or order your own plan in just a few minutes by calling 1-888-338-5261 or visiting jaguarpc.com today.

What brought you to JaguarPC?
I knew someone who worked here previously and they brought the company to my attention. Once I started looking at the company, I liked what I saw. It is a solid growth company that has good communication with customers, an active forum, and an excellent knowledge base.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I come from a large family of nothing but computer geeks. My two sons are also a bit on the computer geek side. If you don’t know much about computers and want to be bored to death, come eat dinner with us! I am an Air Force veteran and I started on the Internet before there really was an Internet. I loved the old BBS days! I was running a computer shop at that time and I was learning how to build and repair them.  I worked for another hosting provider for 8 years before coming to JaguarPC.

What is the best part of your job?
I enjoy being part of a very dynamic company with lots of great future plans and helping customers any way I can. I have always liked helping people and I am really looking forward to helping improve our support for both our customers and our staff.

What challenges are you planning to overcome here at JaguarPC?
My job here is to improve support and manage the support staff. I am looking at improving communication with customers further when there are server issues, improving the handling of some issues, and we are currently looking at ways to increase the speed of full server restores and testing those options.

As a support manager, is there anything you would like to let JaguarPC customers know?
Yes! I see all feedback that comes back on tickets so please do leave feedback there and I also see any suggestions in our feedback forum. We do want to hear from you all! Feel free to ask to have a ticket sent to me if you feel it is not being handled correctly or in a timely manner. You can also find me in the forums as JPC-Katrina.

What activities do you enjoy when you find some leisure time?
I’m out running around on my little scooter chasing the wind or I’m geocaching ( a game which uses a GPS device to find thousands of hidden caches all over the world full of “treasures” or just log books to sign).

JaguarPC is delighted with the addition of Katrina to our stellar support team. We know you will be too!

But the Internet differs from traditional utilities in one major way: with a minimum amount of resources and enough willpower, virtually anyone in the world can pull the plug on our online universe. From website takedowns to stolen confidential information, we are more vulnerable to virtual threats than we realize, and increasingly, the virtual attacks have palpable consequences in our real lives.

At JaguarPC, we know that it’s critical to ensure the uninterrupted protection of the web servers that host the online presence of thousands of customers. We provide top-notch defense mechanisms for every customer, regardless of the type of service purchased. Our secure hosting solutions are especially designed to withstand an incredible amount of hammering without failing. To this end, we employ only the best protection solutions, both online and off. Here’s how we do it.

Secure web hosting starts in the data center

The first step we take to protect our secure web hosting solutions is to make our data center tamper-proof. People often underestimate the importance of keeping servers safe from unauthorized access. But for a truly secure hosting plan, you have to make sure that you are protected at all times against accidents, theft, negligence, and malevolence.

To achieve such a level of protection, all of our hosting equipment (fully owned and managed) is located within state-of-the-art data centers, placed at strategic points across the U.S. and Europe. The first protection measures that we employ are less high-tech, but nevertheless effective – 10-foot security fences, armed patrols, and fully-lit perimeters. To access our data centers, every visitor must pass through secure checkpoints outfitted with biometric scanners and PAC card locking systems. Finally, each individual server rack is locked and secure. No matter what type of secure web hosting plan you choose, JaguarPC guarantees that your servers will stay away from prying eyes.

Comprehensive security technology and standards compliance

For applications such as ecommerce and business hosting, secure web hosting services are absolutely necessary, and in some situations, even mandatory. Our secure hosting plans were designed to meet the demands of business-critical applications, ensuring data integrity, antivirus protection, intrusion prevention and mitigation, and spam protection. JaguarPC fully complies with the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) rules – the standards used across the industry to ensure that security incidents are prevented, detected, and acted on appropriately.

We use top of the line routers, intrusion prevention systems, and load balancers from Cisco, HP, and other top companies in the industry. We also have software protection measures in place, such as powerful antivirus solutions, anti-spam software, and intrusion monitoring systems. If anything goes wrong with our infrastructure, our 24-hour technical team is alerted immediately and can intervene in minutes.

No secure hosting plan is worth investing in without a powerful backup system in place. We have a close relationship with industry-leader R1Soft, and we provide the DataLockBox continuous protection system as an optional add-on to our clients. DataLockBox allows you to create an unlimited number of restore points, provides bare-metal disaster recovery, and offers many other features. With DataLockBox, you get the peace of mind that comes when you know that your secure web hosting service includes a comprehensive plan B in case of disaster.

Let JaguarPC secure your online universe

Your online properties are too important to risk their security with under-protected web hosting solutions. Opting for a secure web hosting service from JaguarPC is money well-spent. You get complete protection against security threats, both on the physical level and over the Internet. JaguarPC is PCI DSS compliant, giving you a guarantee that we respect the strictest security policies in the industry.

Whether you are looking for a secure web hosting plan for your online store or need a custom, secure, server hosting service, contact our friendly support staff and we will set up your solution as soon as possible. Don’t let viruses, hackers, and spam bring down your business – let JaguarPC protect it for you!

To learn more about how we protect your business or to order a secure web hosting plan, visit jaguarpc.com or call 1-888-338-5261 today.

However, the nature of shared hosting means that the performance of server hardware is outside of individual control, and is instead dictated by how the other people on your server – your neighbors – are running their web hosting accounts. Simply put, if one shared hosting account places an extra strain on the capabilities of the server hardware, performance for every user will suffer. In some cases, customers unknowingly stretch system resources including RAM and CPU as their traffic increases over time. In other instances, servers become crippled by misuse or malice. Whatever the cause, the actions of your shared web hosting neighbors have a direct and potentially serious impact on the functionality of your hosting account.

At JaguarPC, we are committed to providing shared web hosting services that consistently perform at their best. We achieve this, due in part to our strict “no overselling” policy, which limits the number of hosting accounts on each hardware server to maintain good performance. Additionally, JaguarPC is pleased to announce the roll-out of the CloudLinux operating system across all Linux shared web hosting plans, making our shared hosting services even more dependable for every user.

The benefits of CloudLinux for shared hosting services

A variant of Linux, the popular open-source operating system, CloudLinux was developed from the ground up with web hosting in mind. At the kernel level, CloudLinux is a responsive and reliable OS that makes effective use of hardware resources and helps applications perform correctly. However, the most significant benefit of using CloudLinux for Linux shared hosting services is the strict division of hardware system resources.

Additionally, a shared web hosting account can make use of any hardware power necessary, with web hosting providers working on the assumption that each account will use resources equally. However, as shared hosting users know, this is not the case – and when a single account starts to overuse resources, the consequences are felt by every single user. CloudLinux imposes strict resource limits on each individual user, thereby completely removing the possibility of unexpected resource overuse, even during traffic spikes.

In addition, CloudLinux can help reseller hosting customers improve their web hosting business. With the assurance of fixed resource limits, those with reseller web hosting plans can confidently sell more accounts on their servers without the fear of performance degradation or overstretched hardware. Reseller hosting users can build their web hosting business quicker and improve their return on investment (ROI).

Best of all, CloudLinux achieves all of the above without changing the fundamental usability and reliability that Linux has become renowned for. CloudLinux looks and works just like every other major Linux build, providing the same user experience with improved reliability.

Order dependable CloudLinux web hosting from JaguarPC today

With the addition of CloudLinux to our existing “no overselling” policy, JaguarPC is able to offer shared web hosting at the same affordable price, with performance that you can depend on.

JaguarPC calls on more than 13 years of experience as a web hosting provider to offer shared web hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting, dedicated server hosting, and hybrid server hosting plans, all deployed on a high performance network with a 100% network uptime guarantee. Alongside CloudLinux shared hosting services, JaguarPC matches quality hosting services with customer support including 24/7/365 proactive server monitoring.

For more information on CloudLinux web hosting from JaguarPC, visit jaguarpc.com or call 1-888-338-5261 today.

One very lucky JaguarPC affiliate became the proud owner of a sleek and shiny new 32GB iPad 2! Every member of our affiliate marketing program that made a successful referral over the course of November had a chance to win our iPad 2. JaguarPC sends congratulations to Scott Buehler as the winner of our November affiliate iPad 2 giveaway. Scott simply signed up for our affiliate program, made a successful referral, earned an entry into the contest and was randomly selected as the winner. Scott was kind enough to send us this picture to let us know how happy he was with his newest technology tool.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the affiliate program contest and spread the word about JaguarPC’s affordable shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting solutions. Your efforts have substantially helped our affiliate program become more successful. Keep those referrals flowing to achieve the highest payout levels at $110. You can improve your own referral numbers by using your signature on forums and blog posts or if you participate in online communities then use your influence to spread the world about our affiliate marketing program.

With payouts ranging from $65 to $110 per referral, JaguarPC offers one of the highest paying affiliate programs in the industry. When compared to other hosting affiliate programs, you get a handsome reward regardless of what type of plan you refer. And you benefit from an incredible 90-day referral period. Combined with the uncompromised quality of JaguarPC’s hosting services, the extensive referral period ensures top conversion rates, which translates to more money in your pocket.

Even though the contest has ended there is no reason to stop promoting the affiliate marketing program at JaguarPC. Keep taking full advantage of our hosting affiliate program by using our newest banners and tracking tools to maximize your efforts and maintain your momentum. Thanks again to all of you who participated and made November one of our most successful affiliate referral months yet.

To learn more about JaguarPC’s free affiliate program or to become an affiliate, visit jaguarpc.com today.

But ecommerce is not only for mammoth Internet companies. Ecommerce is a great option if you want to start your own business, and contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to pay a small fortune to become the owner of a successful online store. All you need (besides a knack for sales and a sound business plan) is a good home for your web store — in other words, a quality ecommerce hosting solution.

If you need a crash course on ecommerce website hosting, the latest article published in the JaguarPC resource center may be a good place to start. In the article, titled What You Need to Start Your Own Ecommerce Website, you can learn about all the important elements that you will need to build your store, including an ecommerce server, a payment processing service, and a shopping cart.

Make it easy for customers to shop at your web store

As the recent article from JaguarPC shows, it’s vital to create a seamless shopping experience for your customers. In online commerce, the slightest inconvenience may cause shoppers to give up on your site. You have only seconds to capture the attention of a potential buyer and guide them toward the final goal: the purchase.

To achieve great conversion rates, you must ensure a smooth, glitch-free user experience, which is only possible if you invest in a quality ecommerce website hosting service. No matter what type of ecommerce server you choose (VPS, dedicated, or cloud-based), make sure that you provision adequate resources. If you’re not sure what kind of resources you need, your ecommerce hosting provider can advise you on resource requirements, based on your current traffic and on the growth that you expect over the next year.

Your choice of shopping cart depends on your specific needs and budget. Regardless of your choice in this area, you should select an ecommerce hosting solution that supports multiple shopping carts, such as X-Cart, Agora, osCommerce, and others. The same goes for the payment processing system. Note that some ecommerce hosting companies can give you access to good deals on a merchant account and processing system. Read more in What You Need to Start Your Own Ecommerce Website.

Get an all-inclusive ecommerce website hosting solution at JaguarPC

By opting for the ecommerce web hosting services provided by industry-leader JaguarPC, you get a powerful hosting solution that is specifically tailored for the particularities of the ecommerce industry. Your ecommerce server will come configured out-of-the-box to support the most popular, free, and commercial shopping cart applications. Plus, you get access to an Authorize.net merchant account with 250 free transactions, no application fees, and low transaction fees.

Start today with ecommerce website hosting or learn more about our affordable and reliable hosting solutions by visiting jaguarpc.com or calling 1-888-338-5261 today.

To succeed in the ultra-competitive ecommerce business, you will need more than a bright idea. With online stores, it’s vital that you do things right from day one. The slightest inconvenience to the smallest kink in the user experience may cause shoppers to leave your web store and never come back.

To build an appealing, trust-inspiring website that impresses shoppers and seamlessly guides them toward checkout, a few elements are absolutely crucial. In this article, we name these elements and explain them in detail, providing you with the entire knowledgebase you need to succeed in setting up your own ecommerce site. You will see why it’s important to invest in a good ecommerce web server, learn about the various shopping carts available, and get a quick overview of the technical aspects that you will need to know before setting up your first ecommerce web hosting account.

Get a good ecommerce website hosting plan

In the real world, one of the first steps you would take to set up a new shop would be to find a suitable location: one with great traffic, a nice appearance, and a reasonable lease. In online commerce, the location of your store is the ecommerce hosting account.

Make sure that your ecommerce web host has the physical resources needed to run an online store without problems. And the last thing you need when you run a store (or any website for the matter) is glitches and downtime. Unpredictable website behavior will drive away potential buyers and ultimately hurt your bottom line.

To prevent downtime and error messages, invest in an ecommerce hosting plan that gives you plenty of processing power, RAM, and disk space. Even if you start small, be sure to take into account the growth that you project over the next year or two. Also, consider that you may experience unforeseen traffic spikes. Accommodate for these situations, too, and not only for regular traffic.

Your choice of ecommerce web hosting plan will also influence the other important elements that we cover in this article. For example, most ecommerce website hosting providers only offer a few features such as a merchant account and a shopping cart (more on this later). The bottom line? Do your due diligence, ask questions, and make sure you get a good package right from the beginning. It’s much more difficult to fix things once you have turned down a wrong path.

Choose a merchant account services provider

A merchant account is a special type of bank account that allows you to receive payments from your buyers. Basically, a merchant account is what you need to process debit and credit cards on your website.

When a shopper makes a transaction, the money does not move instantly from the buyer’s account to your merchant account. More accurately, several complex verification and processing operations take place in the background, all in a matter of seconds. To enable these operations, you will need to sign up for a payment gateway. Think of the payment gateway as a virtual tunnel that is created between your merchant account and the account of the merchant bank. All communication and data transfer is made through this tunnel, which is encrypted to ensure privacy. Typically, you will purchase the merchant account and the payment gateway services as part of a single package.

There are many providers of merchant services, and all of them will process payments for you, in exchange for a fee. When selecting a service, take into account what type of cards are supported – for instance, some services only accept MasterCard and Visa cards, while others also support American Express or other brands. Operation fees (including setup fees, minimal fees, operation-specific fees, and transaction fees) are obviously just as important, especially for a newly established business.

Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to opt for a reputable payments processor, such as Authorize.Net. Working with a well-known provider will give you the peace of mind that you are protected from fraud and erroneous transactions, and that the company will not go out of business in a few months, leaving you high and dry.

The shopping cart

In ecommerce hosting, the software used to create the actual virtual store is called a shopping cart. The shopping cart handles everything required to process the selling of a product or service, from displaying the catalog of products, to calculating the total amount of a purchase, collecting information about the buyer (name, credit card number, etc.), and finalizing the order.

There are many types of shopping carts available, both proprietary and open source. Although proprietary solutions have their benefits, such as good support and maintenance services, you can find great solutions for your ecommerce web host, free of cost. Usually, your ecommerce web host will come with a few shopping carts preinstalled. Some of the most commonly offered ecommerce applications are X-Cart, osCommerce, Magento, and Agora.

The choice between various shopping carts is complicated and beyond the scope of this article. If you are having trouble deciding, it’s better to consult a professional or to ask the advice of your ecommerce web hosting service provider.

Ensure that you have SSL support

When you’re dealing with credit card numbers and other sensitive information, you need to go the extra step for safety. Without adequate security, it’s only a matter of time before hackers target your ecommerce server, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Secure Sockets Layer certificates are used to encrypt the connection between your ecommerce website host and the customers that visit your site. When SSL is used, nobody can eavesdrop on the data that is being exchanged, which ensures the safety of the transaction. SSL certificates are a kind of virtual ID for websites which communicate to the browser that the visited website is authentic and secure.

Make sure that you choose an ecommerce web hosting solution that supports dedicated SSL certificates (which you will have to acquire separately), or at the very least, shared SSL certificates (which are issued to the ecommerce web host provider, who, in turn, makes them available to you).

Simple, secure, and affordable ecommerce web hosting with JaguarPC

JaguarPC provides integrated ecommerce website hosting solutions that provide everything you need to establish your own successful online store. It all starts with the quality infrastructure – JaguarPC works with carrier-grade Supermicro servers that are designed from the ground up to provide the reliability and performance needed for ecommerce hosting.

Next, JaguarPC puts at your disposal a rich set of ecommerce hosting-oriented features, such as SSL support and preinstalled shopping carts. Opt between X-Cart, Agora, Zen Cart, and osCommerce, or bring your own solution. No matter what you choose, your shopping cart will get the best hosting environment possible.

JaguarPC’s ecommerce web servers support many merchant account services. You can even get a great deal by buying an Authorize.Net service package directly from our site. And, if you ever require support, our team of skilled technicians is available 24/7.

Learn more about our ecommerce website hosting plans or order a hosting solution by visiting jaguarpc.com or calling 1-888-338-5261 today.