Web Hosting Box

Choosing an eCommerce web hosting plan can be a very difficult process, especially when one considers all of the aspects that need to be taken into consideration before an informed decision can be made. Perhaps even more difficult than selecting an eCommerce hosting plan, is actually going through the process of becoming acquainted with the hosting account once you have purchased it.

With so many modules and options, it can be difficult to keep your mind on the important issues, such as business expansion and security. The latter of the aforementioned terms (security), may be the single most important factor in creating any business website.

What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is essentially a certificate that is placed on your website that lets your visitors know that your site is in compliance with SSL protocol. SSL is a secure method of file transfer that ensures that any information sent to and from a website is encrypted and completely protected from third-party interception. Even more important than the actual security of a website, is the trust and confidence that visitors place in the security of that website. You can have the most secure website in the world, however if you’re visitors are not aware of the security measures you employ, then they are likely to assume your site is insecure.

Do I Absolutely Need an SSL Certificate?

A website without an SSL certificate will undoubtedly be seen in this light by many of its more knowledgeable visitors, and therefore will ultimately suffer in terms of sales volume. To prevent  this from happening, you’ll need to make sure you not only have all of the proper security measures in place, but that you also make this information readily available in your site’s privacy policy and on all checkout pages. If you’re running a site that does not directly process payments or other critical data that contains financial or personal information, then you will not necessarily need an SSL certificate. However, if you are operating an eCommerce sites that sells items and process payments, then an SSL certificate is absolutely crucial to the success and sustenance of your online business.

Obtaining an SSL Certificate

There are several methods that can be used to obtain an SSL certificate. In some cases, your web hosting provider will offer the SSL certificate as an included feature with a  hosting plan. In fact, many web hosting companies do offer SSL certificates along with their standard eCommerce plans. If you are planning on operating several eCommerce websites, then you’ll need to make sure you have an IP address for each of these sites. This is important to note, as many web hosting companies do not allow you to have multiple IP addresses per hosting account. In most cases you’ll need to buy a separate hosting account for each eCommerce site. Although this may be slightly time consuming, it will help you offer a secure website for your visitors.

The most common security lapses online are usually the result of a faulty or lazy programmer that has left some sort of loophole somewhere. Most of the time, these web designers and developers have very little time to finish a project, placing security last on their last of priorities. For this reason many of the sub sequential errors are not discovered until they have resulted in serious security lapses for the end user or their network.

PHP

One particular programming language that is becoming increasingly popular amongst newer developers is PHP. PHP is perhaps the easiest programming language to use, and therefore often the most erroneously misused by inexperienced web programmers. PHP’s ease of use and minimal learning curve make it an optimal opportunity for any novice web developer to create software that is potentially insecure.

Insecure Web Applications

In the past hackers would infiltrate a network using any means possible, including using phishing techniques, identity theft, and any other method to compromise the security of a server or operating system. Now, the main focus has shifted to infiltrating the administrative interface of a website to gain access to online databases and server files.

The easiest way for most hackers to do this is to find a way in through one of many loopholes that exists in the site’s web applications. Web applications make the webmasters job easier and more convenient, however like many other tools that increase convenience, web applications come at a price.

Hiring Your Own Programmers

Since web applications have direct access to your site’s administrative functions, these web applications can be taken advantage of for nefarious purposes, and used to access your website’s control panel. This could prove to be disastrous, especially if you run an online business. For this reason it is best to avoid any new web applications that are built by unreliable sources. If you are planning on using a web application with a busy business website, you may want to hire a personal qualified developer to assist you in creating some custom web applications.

People open websites for various reasons, however the most common reason why someone would start a website would be to earn money online. When you’re first venturing into the world of online business, it can be difficult to become acquainted with all of the new tasks you have ahead of you, especially if you’re completely unfamiliar with the various processes of building and managing your own website. The beginning of the process will largely be a learning process, and so understandably, you may try to cut costs as much as possible. After all, you don’t want to make a tremendous investment only to lose it all because you are inexperienced.

What do you Need in the Beginning?

Many people have the mentality that they are going to start out slow and once they have learned the basics they’ll upgrade. They do this in an attempt to save money, however in the end it costs them more time and money than if they were to have properly assessed their situation initially.

You may feel as if you do not need any complex tools just yet, however you’ll soon find out the truth is – the less experience you have, the more you’ll need these tools. The tools I am referring to are broad in nature, ranging from site management software to hosting accounts. Every good website owner has an arsenal of tools at their disposal, and it is these tools that keeps their business functioning optimally.

Cost vs Effectiveness

One term we often hear in the online business industry is “cost-effectiveness.” It is often used to describe whether or not someone is “getting what they pay for.” However, cost and effectiveness do not go hand in hand. In general, you’ll get what you pay for, which means if you pay less you will get less. If you pay less for web hosting, then that lowered cost is almost undoubtedly going to result in lowered efficiency on your end. The fact is, web hosting companies make investments too, and when they do they spend lots of money to bring you the resources you need. These resources aren’t free, so it would be impossible for a web hosting company to give you a  cheap plan without sacrificing some of the quality of that plan.

The True Cost of Cheap Web Hosting

In the end, you’ll actually pay more for cheap web hosting, especially if your business begins to expand. After all, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Once your business does begin to expand, you’ll inevitably need to upgrade, at which time you will spend more money. If you would have started out with a plan that offered enough resources, then you would have actually saved money! Instead, you’ll be losing time and money trying to upgrade unnecessarily. If you decide not to upgrade in another attempt to “save” money, then your site’s performance will suffer, and therefore so will your profits.

Before you consider a “cheap” web hosting plan, you need to analyze what you;re trying to do with your online presence, and how much are you really willing to pay for the convenience of saving a few dollars temporarily.

Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, Michael has been with us since 2006.  Mike started with us in our DarkStar Communications brand and switched his focus to Ubiquity in late 2007.  Mike is our lone sales rep and account manager.  He is responsible for all things sales related.

Mike attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH. (Go flyers!)  He is an Eagle Scout and an electronics enthusiast.  Mike enjoys spending his free time playing with electronics, camping, barbecuing (he makes ribs for us in his smoker), and grilling.  He can woo women with his sensuous trombone playing, he can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and he cooks Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. He is an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Contact Mike at 312-281-5101 x 500 with all your sales questions.  Stay tuned for another staff bio next month!

Dedicated web hosting ha become the standard for many small and medium-sized online businesses, due to its enhanced performance, functionality, reliability, security and support. While dedicated hosting plans are generally better than shared web hosting plans, not all dedicated hosting plans are the same. Each web hosting company offers different solutions for different customer needs, and each web hosting plan should be examined thoroughly before you decide to go forth with a plan subscription. Knowing the features of each web hosting plan provided by each company will ultimately help you make a more informed decision.

Inmotion Web Hosting

Perhaps one of the most renowned dedicated web hosting providers is Inmotion. Inmotion offers a variety of plans to accommodate all of their customers needs by providing dedicated IP addresses, friendly customer service, and easily expandable web hosting packages.

InMotion Support

Having a good support staff on call at all times is extremely important in the web hosting industry, as problems can occur at all ties of the day and night. Inmotion takes this into consideration by offering 24/7 support, 365 days out of the year. The Inmotion support staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and the company has an incredible track record of 99% uptime. That is very impressive, as it means your site stands a very small chance of experiencing downtime at any point. The support staff at Inmotion will go beyond what is asked of them, even helping you set up your websites firewall, add new PHP modules, and aiding in the completion of other extracurricular server configurations.

Inmotion Servers

Inmotion uses nothing but Dell servers, which are known for being reliable servers. Instead of offering low-end servers like many web hosting companies, Inmotion is known for giving its customers access to premium technology and hardware. It is this commitment to quality that has made Inmotion one of the most recognized web hosting companies in the industry.

Inmotion Security

The bandwidth and diskspace offered by Inmotion is virtually unlimited as their network is one of the most reliable in the industry. Each user receives there own dedicated IP address which lets them conduct online business with absolute assurance that their site is safe from the actions of other  irresponsible websites. By owning their own dedicated IP address, users can rest assured that the responsibility of  running a professional and trustworthy website is left in no ones hands but their own.

Inmotion Guarantee

Aside from the above features, Inmotion also offers a money back guarantee on all of their web  hosting products, which gives you a good idea on how much they believe in their ability to please and support their customers with quality services. Any web hosting company that does not offer such a guarantee is most likely not confident in their ability to offer the same level of service. By knowing that you are opting into a risk free endeavor with no obligations, you can be assured that your money is being used to fund a quality service that will provide your website with the resources needed.