A quick overview on eCommerce Shopping Carts

May 15, 2012 – 4:45 am

A virtual shopping cart is an application, which is needed by every eCommerce store. Like an actual shopping cart, this eCommerce shopping cart is needed to complete the shopping process. Online buyers pick what they like and carry the selected stuff in the shopping cart. Depending upon the software application used, a shopping cart performs a variety of functions. It acts as a database which stores the details of selected products. For the customers, it is like a storefront display window which reflects the shopping history. As for the site manager, they know what all things were searched for, what was eventually picked, etc. Then there is the administration section where with the help of shopping cart software applications, the administrators manage the overall functioning of the store.

A shopping cart links one window to another. For example, it passes the goods from store to the payment gateway and so on so forth. Similarly, it features additional products, which are in some way related to the latest purchases. With help of a shopping cart, at any time during the shopping process, customers can check the prices of items they have picked and can review the discount options, etc. So basically, the eCommerce store relies heavily upon the functioning capabilities of the chosen shopping cart.

If you are coming up with an eCommerce website you can either go for a free shopping cart software application or can pick a paid shopping cart. Initially, for a new store, if you are not expecting high traffic, free shopping carts with limited features can help. Eventually however, as the business proliferates and increased numbers of online buyers visit your store, a paid application with additional features will be needed. A free shopping cart usually assists only with the basic functions of buying. A paid one on the other hand executes the various listed and other additional tasks.

Shifting to a full featured shopping cart at any stage is easy and so if you want, you can start with a free option. Eventually, when you consider of the option of buying a shopping cart, you will be offered quite a many choices. The question is ‘how do you select a suitable shopping cart software application’?

Start by picking those shopping carts which are technically sophisticated. The idea is to begin by narrowing down to a few options because an open ended search will be very difficult. An eCommerce shopping cart is a software program and so you buy one, which is regularly updated. Next, you have to focus upon listing features and conducting a relative price comparison. Your store is growing, but perhaps you don’t need everything. So check the features and opt for the relevant ones.

Still, you will be left with more than one option. Others, who are already using eCommerce shopping carts, will now enable decision. Check user reviews and see how satisfied other administrators are. Based upon what they have to say about extended service support, etc., you should be able select the suitable eCommerce shopping cart.

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Are free web hosting service providers genuine?

May 4, 2012 – 3:44 pm

Every new startup has one typical characteristic … the price crunch. There is limited cash and so much to be achieved. Tight budgeting then becomes a priority and given such circumstances, many starting out entrepreneurs play around with the idea of choosing a free web hosting service provider. This saves money and yet enables online presence and so it makes sense. As a web host, we won’t say that there is anything wrong or illegitimate about the free web hosting business. However, we certainly would like to present a clearer picture, so that you can logically decide and chose.

Theoretically, a free web host is supposed to provide you web space and access without any charge. However, a web hosting account, which is free of cost, cannot get as many features that a paid web hosting account can get you. Thus, when you contact a free web hosting account provider, be willing to compromise upon the offer terms. In fact, if the web host promises to extend a very lucrative package with say unlimited bandwidth or complementary domain names, it is time to get suspicious. Essentially so because, while there are free web hosting service providers extending genuine services, a big chunk is out there to fool and misguide you. Take the case of free domain names. Nobody can offer you free domain names because when you pick a name, you are buying usage rights and this cannot happen for free. If somebody still guarantees such free domain names, there will be costlier strings attached; so keep away.

Likewise, a free web host can allot you a certain amount of disk space, but unlimited space is again a myth. For a startup, with basic website, this limited space might help, but eventually when requirements will increase, you will have to upgrade to a paid web hosting account. This eventually is a marketing tactic, where users sign up for a free account, but in a matter of time, they end up shifting to a paid account. Now because transferring to another web host seems complicated, users continue with the original host, even if he is expensive. This is despite the fact that transferring website to another host is free of cost and a completely painless procedure. But quite tactfully the original host presents a picture where this shifting process could lead to loss of information or data pilferage or interruptions and thus the website owner decides to continue with the services.

Another common practice is to offer free web space and in return, trade rights to post whatever advertisements on the website. This implies that the web page which you have created with so much effort will also be flooded with sponsored ads. The web host does provide you space, but in turn sells your content to attract sponsors. If you are fine with the deal, no issues, but at least you should know!

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Aspects to be considered while renewing the web hosting agreement

April 30, 2012 – 9:53 am

Requirements change with time and it is possible that now your website needs more. Perhaps the allotted disk space is not enough or you might not be very happy with the number of email accounts that you have. It is time for a new plan. When going for an alternate web hosting plan, few imperatives demand special attention. Although with a professional web hosting company, the transition should be seamless, but it is important that you pay attention to associated details.

Disk space is required by every website. It is possible that with expanding operations you may find a need to increase the number of web pages and thus the call for increased disk space. However, just because you have to add another few pages, a plan which permits limitless disk space is not really the call of the hour. A few extra pages can be accommodated in a little extra space and thus you need not buy a plan that advertises limitless disk space. Gauge your requirements before you spend. Likewise, when it comes to data transfer capabilities, just because the requirements have increased, it does not mean that you need a plan which enables limitless data transfer. You pay for whatever you buy, so pick a plan that fulfills your requirements.

With email accounts, before applying for higher number look at your current accounts. It is possible that many of the existent accounts could be redundant. Often, when employees leave or there is a change in management, many email accounts remain disused. So when you are renewing your hosting account, do check the usage pattern of your current quota and thereby, define future requirements.

Instead of continuing with the current web host, if you are transferring to another web host, make sure you pick a web hosting company which is totally reliable. Flashy advertisements and tempting offers often attract. However, if you are buying web hosting space from another web host, make sure you carefully read through the offer terms. For example, a classic situation is where the web host commits to provide extra number of email accounts, but restricts the number of emails that can be received on hourly basis. For a corporate account, with reasonable traffic, this kind of plan is a big mistake. Eventually, when the web host is contacted for increasing the email limit, an extra charge is levied.

The stated is just an example, there could be bigger hassles. Naïve web hosting setups claim that they are completely safe and reliable and they have the requisite safety infrastructure installed. But usually this is peep talk and only when the website is actually attacked, the problems crop up. Thus, when you renew your web hosting plan or shift to another web host, spare a little time and indulge in research. Mistakes could be costly!

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Commonly used web hosting terms– 4

April 25, 2012 – 5:21 am

Linux Web Hosting / Operating System: To host a website and for applications to access various computer related devices, an operating system is needed. This operating system is a software program, which helps perform various functions and Linux is one of the various available options. Basically, it is a platform which supports the hosting mechanism and amongst the various types, Linux is most commonly used. This is essentially so because, Linux operating system is quite easy to operate and additionally is very reliable. In fact, in the last few years, Linux has really worked up. Graphical controls have been added and it has made a special effort to keep things simple. Linux operating system can be downloaded for free.

Windows Web Hosting / Operating Server: If Linux is the popular choice, Windows operating system is one of the well known options. In fact, not very long ago, when Linux had its strings of complications attached all preferred Windows. Especially, for single users, Windows has been the first choice. Also, the Windows hosting package supports different technologies like PHP and MySQL and it works with even those that Linux is not in sync with like ASP, FrontPage, etc. But this operating system is a paid one, while as mentioned earlier, Linux is free of charge. But of course, when you consider these operating systems as hosting options, other factors play in and thus from cost perspective, you get a comparable quote.

Unix Web Hosting / Operating System: Unix, like Linux is available without any charge and thus a web host might offer comparatively cheaper Unix web hosting plan. However, this operating system is just not easy to use. Especially, in comparison to the graphical interfaces offered by Windows, Unix is like a foreign language, where one really needs to learn quite a bit. In comparison to Linux, Unix has kind of aged out and thus it cannot support some of the latest technologies, which Linux is comfortable with.

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Commonly used web hosting terms– 3

April 13, 2012 – 10:21 am

Reseller Hosting: Reseller hosting works like any other business plan. Herein, an intermediary buys web space and in smaller chunks, sells it further. There are various permutation and combinations here. The reseller for instance could be an agent with the main web hosting company. While such sales get him commissions, for the company, it is all about work proliferation. Also, in such cases, the agent acts like a marketing medium, thus eventually benefiting the web host. There also is a possibility where reseller web host has no such connections with the web hosting company and he is simply involved in the process of buying and selling. In business terms, because he makes bulk purchases, he is able to enjoy volume discounts. Reseller sells smaller chunks of web space at competitive rates. Often website designers also indulge in reseller hosting. This helps them sell their offerings in an attractive package.

SHOUTcast Hosting: SHOUTcast Hosting is for those who intend to broadcast their audio selection to online listeners. It is like opening up a new radio channel, which connects via World Wide Web and thus for it to smoothly function or rather for it to exist, a web host is needed. A SHOUTcast radio is also referred to as streaming audio and it works on the software program developed by AOL. AOL however does not offers hosting services and thus web hosts are needed. SHOUTcast hosting takes your passion for music to the next level.

Shared Web Hosting: Shared web hosting is a hosting service, wherein the web host allots you web space on a server, which is being shared by various other websites. Unlike a virtual private server, now there are no virtually dedicated servers. This, of course is the cheapest web hosting alternative. Essentially, you are sharing your server with others and thus, when it comes to maintenance costs, you all pool in. This web hosting plan is also known as virtual hosting or derive hosting. Basically, for a new setup or a small website with limited needs, this plan works fine. Shared web hosing gives you the option of hosting more than one website.

Colocation: Colocation is an option where you buy storage space for your equipment. It is like renting out a garage for your car. In this case, you colocate your equipment at a data center and the people at this place, for a fee, run and maintain your equipment. Needed stuff like internet connection, physical security, cooling, power and all are extended by the data center or collocation center managers. So you make one time investment in buying the equipment and the application part is outsourced. Many companies operating in IT domain really benefit from this service. Buying basic equipment saves them money and outsourcing the task to a colocation center saves time and energy.

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Commonly used web hosting terms – 2

April 8, 2012 – 6:11 am

• Dedicated Hosting: As explained in the previous entry, web hosting is a service wherein web host sells you server space. This space essentially assists with the endeavor of putting up a website on World Wide Web. Now when you lease out this space, you have the option of leasing out an entire server. In other words, dedicated hosting is a web hosting service plan, wherein, you pay monthly rent for a server, which is dedicated only to you. Thus, with this hosting plan, you buy unlimited flexibility. In this case, because you own the server, you decide everything with respect to the hardware, operating systems, etc. There is no need to adapt as per the whims and fancies of other websites which are sharing your server expense. This plan is naturally expensive than other alternates. You are individually availing all resources and thus you have to pay a higher usage amount. So when you discuss the dedicated hosting plan with your web host, make sure that you are clear upon your requirements. Perhaps, you might not require as many resources and thus there is no point shelving as many pounds.

• Managed Dedicated Hosting: Managed dedicated hosting is an extension to dedicated web hosting. A web host charges higher amount in this web hosting plan and in return offers you a dedicated server and additionally, commits to manage the server and associated hardware and software programs. Thus, while you buy increased storage space and ensure utmost security, you also avail the benefits of hassle free server management. With the web host looking at the web server maintenance and management related nuances, you can devote all your time and attention towards your core businesses. Typically, when you will discuss the managed dedicated server hosting plan with a web host, a list of management tasks will be presented. Though there is no fixed rule here, but industry standards are followed. When you will go through this list, you will come across various items like server monitoring, firewall services, application updates, etc. In the list, there will be technical terms and in this blog series, you can find relevant details on the terminology used.

• VPS Hosting: VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. In this case, you buy access rights to a partitioned server. Basically, a physical server is divided into several servers and depending upon the requirements, these virtually segments servers are allotted. Thus, the flexibility element is intact and the website is secure and importantly, for you this package comes at a much cheaper price. The difference between dedicated and VPS hosting is easy to understand. In this case, you are moving from a bungalow, to an apartment. Now you share your building with others, but your residence is separately demarcated. If your family does not requires the space for an entire house, you pay less and buy a smaller, but independent space. Now you install whatever software you want, you reboot your system whenever and others are not bothered.

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