Where to start? Let’s talk about website hosting for your store.

Is your store running WooCommerce?  How good of a job is your current website host doing for your online store?  The performance of your host has a tremendous effect on your online store’s performance and ultimately your bottom line.  Since launching your store you’ve likely noticed performance challenges that a great website host can improve right away.  Now, of course, that isn’t a silver bullet but I’m sure you can appreciate migrating to a managed website host can benefit your WooCommerce store.

Now for a basic WordPress website, the requirements are a bit different than they are for using the WordPress WooCommerce plugin for your online store. Before we dive into reviewing a few great hosting options, let’s look at some of the key requirements for hosting in general that you should look for with any hosting solution:

• Strong Uptime: Hosts that provide good uptime are important as you don’t want your site to have downtime, which will result in lost traffic – and potential sales. Ask for some sites that are hosted by a vendor and visit them a few times at different times of the day to check their uptime and performance.
• SSL Encryption: For an eCommerce store, SSL encryption will ensure secure checkouts. Make sure your SSL issuer complies with PCI (Payment Card Industry) standards to protect customer data during all transactions. SSL encryption provides security between your online store and a user’s browser. If a web host does not offer SSL encryption, you can still use that host, but it’ll be a bit of a hassle as you’ll have to find a third party for it.
• One-Click WordPress Installation: Since you need WordPress to use WooCommerce, a web host that offers one-click WordPress installation will make your setup process a lot easier.
• Server Security: This one’s obvious, but it’s important so worth mentioning. Make sure the host for your online store is on a secure server. You want to protect your site from hackers, crashes, malware and data loss.

Now that we’ve gone through the obvious features your store needs, let’s take a look at a few great companies to consider.

Bluehost – For basic WooCommerce stores

Bluehost deserves to be a viable option for these very reasons:

• They offer a variety of hosting options, including low-cost plans, starting at $3.95 per month.
• They are one of a handful of hosts recommended by WordPress.org specifically for WooCommerce.
• One-click WordPress installation.
• Ability to scale as your storefront grows from shared to virtual private to dedicated hosting.
• 24/7 technical support.
• SSL encryption at the higher price-tiered options.
• Secure WooCommerce websites with a positive or positive wildcard SSL certificate and supports PCI compliance on all accounts.
• Automated backup on optimized WordPress plans.
• You’ll be all set with both WordPress and WooCommerce hosting with them.

Now, of course, you’ll want to consider Bluehost as a good option for basic stores.  They also have great options for larger stores.  Make sure to get in touch with them if you’re concerned about larger-scale performance.

WP Engine – for larger volume WooCommerce stores

WP Engine is a good choice as they offer managed WordPress hosting exclusively. You’ll know from day one that your WordPress site will be optimized for automatic plugin updates, security backups and faster load times. Here are some other things to consider with WP Engine:

• Hosting plans are more expensive than with other options and are offered on shared or dedicated servers.
• A fast and scalable solution as your storefront grows.
• SSL encryption available.
• Security features that include malware scans, firewall protection, and daily backups.
• Automated updates for WordPress and all its plugins.
• Free site migration.
• Live chat and phone support during business hours.
• EVERCACHE, a proprietary caching technology for massive scalability and speed.
• CND ready for fast load times for globally-accessed content.

At Mode Effect, we trust WP Engine with some of our larger mission-critical online stores.  Get in touch with them and see if they’d be a great fit for your online store today!

Kinsta – a STELLAR option for WooCommerce hosting!

Pressable – another great option for WooCommerce hosting

Pressable also offers managed WordPress hosting and is a good choice for multiples sites; whereas Bluehost will work well for single sites and WP Engine can scale to enterprise sites. Here are things to consider with Pressable.

• Recommended by WooCommerce as one of four hosting solutions (including Bluehost).
• Sites hosted on Pressable automatically optimized for peak performance, making them super fast.
• Daily backups.
• 24/7 support.
• Automated security updates.
• Reasonable pricing starting at $20.83 per month for 1-5 sites.

Honorable mention – Liquid Web

Our friends at Liquid Web are hard at work on a managed WooCommerce hosting plan.  They’re about to release a beta inside of 2017.  Be sure to get in touch with them here to find out when it’s releasing and find out if they’re a good fit for your WooCommerce store.

We hope you found this article on WooCommerce hosting solutions helpful. At Mode Effect, a website development firm specializing in WordPress and WooCommerce, we specialize in building WordPress and WooCommerce sites. We can help you navigate hosting options and select an option that is right for where you are now and that you can scale with as your eCommerce storefront!

Cody Landefeld

co-founder at Mode Effect. ECommerce consultant. Coram deo.

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