How to Choose the Right Magento Hosting Provider 

You have the best products. Your in-house Magento developers, or a Magento enterprise development agency, have designed and developed your ecommerce store.

Your partner Magento development company has handed over the list of Magento hosting providers for your online store. 

But you’re not sure and tech-savvy enough to pick the ideal Magento hosting solution for your store needs. Don’t worry. Whatever your story, we’re here to help you choose. We'll provide all the nitty gritty details about Magento hosting solutions. 

At the end of the blog, we’ll recommend the top 3 Magento hosting providers hand-picked by our team.

What do you say?

Bad hosting service means low storage, slow performance, server management or scalability issues, frequent downtime, and low technical support. To name a few. Your Magento hosting provider might be the reason for it.

Your hosting solutions determine your store's performance, scalability, and overall success. At all costs, you would want to avoid frequent downtime when you're on the brink of a sales frenzy, especially during the holiday season. You wouldn't want to disappoint eager shoppers.

Right?

The hosting provider you choose can be the wind beneath your e-commerce wings. Let's get into the details.

Types of Magento Hosting Solutions

Let's embark on a journey by exploring the various Magento hosting solutions available for your Magento store. Starting with the economical shared hosting, a fantastic entry point for many e-commerce pioneers.

Shared Hosting: The Economical Starting Point

Shared hosting – is a phrase that often evokes hope and hesitation. 

It's the most budget-friendly Magento hosting solution, a lifeline for many new store owners. In this setup, your Magento store coexists with various other websites on the same server, sharing resources. 

It's like renting a cozy, yet slightly cramped, apartment in the bustling city.

Pros:

• Cost-Effective: Shared hosting is often wallet-friendly, particularly appealing for small businesses or startups.
• Ease of Use: Hosting providers handle server maintenance and management. It allows you to focus on building your inventory rather than the technicalities of server upkeep.

Cons:

• Resource Limitations: Multiple websites share the same server resources. Your Magento store may encounter performance hiccups, especially during traffic spikes.
• Limited Customization: Shared hosting plans offer restricted customization options. It can be limiting for stores with specific configurations in mind.

Shared hosting can be a suitable starting point for smaller Magento stores with modest traffic and resource requirements. However, as your e-commerce empire expands, you may need to consider more robust hosting solutions.

VPS Hosting: Balancing Resources and Control

Now, picture a solution that balances shared and dedicated hosting – that's VPS hosting for you. 

With VPS hosting, your Magento store enjoys the luxury of a virtual server, separated from its server neighbors. It gives you more control and resources for your Magento store.

Pros:

• Enhanced Performance: VPS hosting offers a larger allocation of dedicated resources, resulting in better performance than shared hosting.
• Scalability: Scaling your resources as your store grows becomes a breeze. VPS hosting makes it an ideal choice for expanding ecommerce stores.

Cons:

• Limited Scalability: While VPS hosting is more scalable, it may still face limitations, especially during peak hours.
• Technical Proficiency: Managing a VPS requires some technical knowledge, making it less user-friendly than shared hosting.

VPS hosting can be ideal for mid-sized Magento stores that require a balance between performance, customization, and scalability.

Dedicated Hosting: Maximum Control and Resources

You can claim the entire server as your own. Dedicated hosting ensures unmatched control, security, and resources for your Magento store. It resembles owning a grand estate, where you dictate every detail.

Pros:

• Maximum Resources: Dedicated hosting offers the full might of a server at your disposal, guaranteeing optimal performance.
• Complete Customization: You can configure the server to meet your requirements, which is ideal for resource-intensive Magento stores.

Cons:

• High Cost: More control always comes at a price. Dedicated hosting may be costly for smaller businesses or those operating on tight budgets.
• Technical Expertise: Managing a dedicated server requires technical expertise, often necessitating dedicated IT teams for maintenance and security.

Dedicated hosting is best suited for extensive corporate entities and Magento stores with substantial traffic. It provides complete control, superior performance, and high customization.

The Consequences of a Wrong Hosting Plan

Being an ecommerce store owner, it's paramount to address the critical implications of choosing the wrong hosting plan. You've likely encountered various roadblocks.

Storage Limit

As your Magento store evolves, so does its appetite for storage space. Most web applications, especially dynamic ones like Magento, expand over time. Even if you don't intentionally increase the size of your site, it may inevitably outgrow your hosting limits. It's like trying to contain a river within a narrow stream; eventually, it bursts its banks.

Slow Performance

Magento, a potent e-commerce platform, demands significant system resources to operate smoothly. This necessity becomes even more pronounced as your website's traffic volume escalates. Sadly, some hosting providers compromise on crucial resources, such as memory, severely throttling Magento's performance. It's akin to driving a high-performance sports car with low-quality fuel; it just won't run at its best.

Server Management

While Magento is less reliant on environmental factors than other applications, it still has prerequisites. Managing these prerequisites, from installation to keeping them up to date, can be resource-intensive and time-consuming.

Not all hosting providers offer managed hosting plans. If you don't want to manage your server on your own, you can opt for managed hosting plans. It will save you a ton of time as you focus on growing your ecommerce business.

No Scalability

Your online store is not going to stay in the same place forever. You surely have growth objectives. You want to ensure your store can handle enough sales, high traffic, and extensive online operations.

Scalability issues may arise with shared hosting plans. Magento site owners often need hosting solutions that are not only reliable but also highly scalable. Your hosting plan should accommodate your store's growth to any level.

Downtime and Unreliability

Suppose your hosting solution is prone to frequent downtime. In that case, your Magento store may become inaccessible, causing potential revenue loss and damaging your brand's reputation.

Security Vulnerabilities & Insufficient Support

Inadequate security measures can expose your Magento store to cyber threats, data breaches, and potential theft of customer information. Bad customer support and responsiveness during technical issues can leave you struggling to resolve problems. It can quickly impact your store's operations.

Incompatibility with Magento Features

Some hosting services may only partially support Magento's features and extensions, limiting your store's functionality and customizability.

8 Things To Consider Before Choosing the Hosting Provider for Your Magento Store

Selecting the right hosting provider is a decision that can significantly impact your online business's success. Consider the following factors as you evaluate hosting providers:

Performance

Your hosting provider's performance directly impacts your store's loading speed and overall user experience. A website that loads slowly can determine the difference between a successful sale and a lost customer. 

Reliability

A reliable hosting provider ensures your store remains accessible to customers without frequent downtime. Unexpected shutdown often damages your brand's reputation and revenue.

Scalability

As your business grows, your hosting solution should be able to grow with it. 

Consider the scalability of your hosting plan, as your store's product range and traffic may increase over time. A hosting plan that can scale with your business is essential to prevent outgrowing your infrastructure.

Security

Security is paramount for any eCommerce store, especially those handling personal and financial data. 

Choose a hosting plan that offers robust security features like:

• Firewalls
• Malware Scanning
• Regular security updates
• SSL Certificates

Right hosting plan protects customer data and your online store. A breach in security can lead to severe consequences for your business.

Support System

No matter how well-prepared you are, issues can arise anytime. 

Having 24/7 support from your hosting company can be crucial. Especially when facing critical issues or needing assistance with technical matters. Ensure your hosting provider offers responsive support through email, phone, or live chat channels.

Pricing

While cost is a factor, it should not be the sole determining factor. 

Balance the cost of hosting with the features and performance it offers. Sometimes, investing in a slightly higher-priced hosting plan can save you money in the long run by preventing downtime and lost sales. 

Consider the value that the hosting provider offers along with its pricing plans.

Magento-Specific Features

Magento Commerce is a unique platform with specific requirements. 

Your hosting provider should have experience with hosting Magento stores. It should offer features optimized for the Magento Commerce platform. Features like

• Cache management (Redis, Memcached, Varnish),
• Support for the latest PHP versions (such as PHP 7), and
• Magento-specific optimizations

Can significantly enhance your store's performance.

Reputation

Research the hosting provider's reputation and look for reviews and testimonials from other eCommerce store owners. 

A hosting company with a good track record will likely offer reliable and quality services. Choosing a hosting provider with a proven reputation can provide peace of mind.

Top 3 Magento Hosting Providers Recommended by Webpoint

1. Cloudways

Cloudways stands out as a versatile Magento hosting provider. It suits diverse users, from merchants to startups, agencies, and developers. Offering a tailored content delivery network for accelerated cloud hosting, Cloudways ensures optimal performance for Magento eCommerce stores. Here are the key features:

Infrastructure Flexibility

Choose from DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, Google Cloud, or AWS, providing a single server for unlimited Magento applications.

Performance Optimization

Utilizes ThunderStack, a powerful amalgamation of Nginx, Memcached, Varnish, Apache, New Relic, MySQL, and PHP-FPM for enhanced server and application performance.

Security Measures:

Prioritizes security with free SSL certificates, IP whitelisting, 2FA authentication, database security, firewall, and application isolation.

Scalability

Introduces Vertical Scaling, enabling seamless adjustments to server size through a user-friendly GUI interface.

Pricing Plans

Starting at $10/month, Cloudways's adaptable Pay-as-You-Go plans include 25GB storage and 1TB bandwidth. It extends to $80/month for 160GB storage and 5TB bandwidth.

2. HostGator

As a global hosting giant, HostGator stands tall among Magento hosting providers.

It offers various hosting solutions tailored to different business scales. HostGator has a reputation for extensive features and advanced security. It provides a robust foundation for Magento-powered online stores. Here are the key features:

Hosting Variety

HostGator offers Shared, Managed WordPress, VPS, Dedicated, and Cloud hosting. It allows users to choose based on their specific requirements and business scale.

Free SSL and Domain

All plans come with a free SSL certificate and unlimited bandwidth. Its shared hosting plans offer unlimited storage and a complimentary domain for the first year.

Email Marketing

HostGator includes a standout feature in the basic plan with free access to Constant Contact. It is a powerful email marketing software for building newsletters and automated campaigns.

Affordability

Shared Magento web hosting starts at $2.75/month, while VPS plans, recommended for Magento 2 hosting, range from $19.95 to $39.95/month.

3. A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting has earned its place as a reliable Magento hosting provider. It has a unique any-time money-back guarantee and offers in-house security initiatives.

With a focus on security, A2 Hosting offers various hosting types. It includes Shared, WordPress, VPS, Cloud, Dedicated, and Reseller hosting. Here are the key features:

Perpetual Security Initiative

Implements a multi-faceted security approach, including a dual hosting firewall, limited server access via keys, server hardening, and reinforced DDoS protection.

Scalability

Offers shared Magento hosting on Turbo Boost and Turbo Max plans. VPS plans range from $43.99 to $65.99/month, catering to varying performance needs.

Unlimited SSD Storage

All plans include a free cPanel control panel, SSL certificate, site migration, and unlimited SSD storage and transfer.

Shared Hosting Affordability

Turbo Boost starts at $6.99/month.  Turbo Max has additional benefits, hence costs an extra $6 per month.

Cloudways, HostGator, and A2 Hosting emerge as reliable choices, each bringing unique features and strengths. Evaluate your business requirements and preferences to decide on optimal Magento performance.

Time to decide:

Choosing the right Magento hosting provider is a critical decision for the success of your eCommerce store. 

You can make a well-informed decision by evaluating performance, scalability, security, support, and pricing. This will ensure your Magento store runs smoothly, securely, and efficiently. The right hosting plan leads you to a positive customer experience, increased sales, and business growth.

Armed with this knowledge, my fellow e-commerce entrepreneur, you can confidently navigate the intricate world of hosting. Your success in the e-commerce realm awaits.