As with any online business, you are going to need a domain name and a web host. In regards to your domain name, I am sure at this point you have debated over what to call your boutique. Once you have developed a number of potential names for your business, it is imperative to determine whether or not someone is already trading under that brand name. One of the quickest ways to determine this is to use a domain search service (which every registrar provides) to see if it is available. If so, then you can immediately claim it as your own once you pay a small fee (ranging from $3 to $20 per annum). It is important to note that you are most likely going to want to add privacy to your domain name registration so that your personal address is not shown when searches are done about your business. In this overview, we are going to discuss the best registrars and web hosting companies that are available.
Hostgator.com
One of the best aspects of Hostgator.com is their hosting speeds. They offer lightening fast loading as well as ongoing customer support. Their interface is easy to use, and you can seamlessly register your domain with this service as well. In regards to customer service, they provide an unparalleled experience. In any instance that you have a technical issue, you can access the live chat through your customer portal. They are very quick to handle any issue that occurs. For a small business’ web hosting needs, they are first in class. On review websites, they often have a 4.9+ out of 5 star rating for the quality of their service.
Godaddy.com
This business is one of the largest web hosts and registrars on the internet. I am nearly certain that you have seen their commercials. This business used to engage in Super Bowl marketing, which made them a household name very quickly. One of the primary benefits of working with Godaddy is that they provide an immense level of technical support for its customers. In instances where you may find that your website has an issue, you will be able to quickly contact them (via phone). A live person will assist you remedying the issue very quickly. As an internet entrepreneur, I have worked with Godaddy for nearly twenty years. Their uptimes are very good, and they offer a completely integrated suite of tools that you can use to further expand your business. Tools that are available from Godaddy include email, SEO support, website building tools, and seamless integrations with platforms such as Shopify. They also provide immense support for boutique’s that use WordPress.
BlueHost.com
Much like the above mentioned businesses, Bluehost provides a plethora of services that are heavily focused on the needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs. They offer extremely reasonable plans for WordPress based websites and ecommerce stores. They also have services that can assist you with developing a professionally created website. Their online store plans start at $9.95 per month. Similar to that above discussed services, Bluehost offers substantial customer support.
This business offers a number of highly customizable themes that you can use when developing your online boutique or website for your brick-and-mortar store. They also offer a large number of plugins that allow you to integrate PayPal, WooCommerce, Google products, Amazon, and SEO applications into your online platform.
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There are several factors that you should examine when you are determining which web host to use. First, is up time and customer service. From time to time (at this happens to all entrepreneurs) is that your platform may go down. You want to ensure that you will be able to get in touch with your web host right away to remedy the issue. More often than not it is a problem that is occurring with one of their servers and not your website directly. However, certain updates to your website may cause unexpected issues. As such, working with a web host that provide 24/7 customer support via phone or live chat is an absolute must. In the list you will see below, we have only reviewed service provides that can be accessed at any time for help.
The second factor to consider is speed. No one likes it when a web page opens slowly. In fact, if a website takes more than three to four seconds to load then some users may simply close the browser window and go to a different website. For a boutique that uses pay per click marketing, this can be a major issue as even if the page does not load then you are still charged a fee to your account. When you are determining which host to work with, you definitely need to make sure that the speeds that are offered are quick.
The third factor to consider is scalability. When you are first starting out, you are most likely going to choose the most affordably monthly plan possible in order to reduce cost. This is a great move. As you expand your operations and more people are coming to your website on a daily basis, you may need to upgrade your hosting plan in order to accommodate a greater amount of bandwidth. This will ensure that your online boutique’s website is quick to load. A great web host will have the seamless ability to upgrade your account and move you to a different server if necessary.
The final factor is affordability. Generally speaking, as a function of all of the other costs that you will incur as a boutique entrepreneur, the costs of your domain name and web hosting plan will be relatively low. As stated earlier, domain names typically cost $3 to $20 per year and web hosting typically runs $10 to $30 per month depending on the number of features that you want. All of the above mentioned businesses fall into this pricing range. One of the things you should examine when determining which host to use is whether or not your SSL certificate comes automatically with your hosting package. This expense is usually $60 to $100 per year, and it is an absolute must for your website.
It should be noted that if you have already registered a domain name but want to use a different web host, you are certainly free to do so. Once you establish a hosting account with the provider that you want to use, you can link your server with your domain name. As discussed above, any of these companies will be able to help you if you are using multiple services for your online boutique’s domain name and hosting needs.