Hosting for online stores: speed, security and growth
An online store that loads slowly or is temporarily unavailable can cost you customers. You also need to handle customer data carefully and be prepared for busy periods during a promotion or a growth phase.
What kind of hosting makes your online store fast?
Speed starts with a hosting environment that has enough capacity for your online store. Every product page, image, shopping cart and order puts demand on the server. For a simple online store with only a few products, a shared environment may be sufficient. The advantage is that this option is often straightforward and affordable. The disadvantage is that the available capacity is shared with other websites.
A more powerful hosting environment gives you more room for visitors and processes in your online store. This is especially useful if you have a large number of products, extensive filters or many simultaneous orders. The downside is that you often pay more. So don’t choose based on the lowest monthly price alone, but look at what your online store needs now and what it may need later.
Maintenance also affects speed. These factors can slow down your online store, regardless of the hosting you choose:
- Outdated software, such as an old version of your ecommerce platform or plugins
- Heavy images that have not been optimised for the web
- Unnecessary extensions that add loading time and server load
Read more about secure and fast web hosting if you want to know what to look for in a hosting environment.
How do you protect customer data in your online store?
An online store processes personal data, such as names, addresses and contact details. The GDPR requires organisations to take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. Which measures are appropriate depends on the organisation, the processing and the identified risks. In other words, there is no single security solution that is sufficient for every online store.
A good starting point is a risk assessment. This includes looking at the likelihood of unauthorised access, loss, alteration or unlawful processing of personal data. You then decide which measures fit those risks. This doesn’t only require attention when you launch your online store. Security should be an ongoing point of attention within your organisation.
A secure connection is a basic requirement. If you collect personal data through your website, you must at least use HTTPS so that unauthorised parties cannot read the traffic to your website. Access management is important too. Multi-factor authentication uses at least two different types of authentication factors to grant access. This means a password alone is less decisive for the security of your admin environment.
What security should you expect from your hosting?
Hosting can contribute a lot to a secure online store, but it doesn’t take over all responsibility. The hosting provider manages the technical environment. You remain responsible for how users gain access, which data you collect and how your online store is set up. A clear conversation about this division prevents confusion if something goes wrong.
Ask your hosting provider at least these questions:
- How often are backups made and how quickly can you restore a previous version?
- Who takes care of updates to the server software?
- Which security checks are carried out?
- How are access rights managed?
A fully managed environment often gives more peace of mind, because technical tasks are handled for you. The downside is that you have less freedom to decide everything yourself. A more self-managed solution gives you more control, but you need to set aside more knowledge and time yourself.
Security also requires checking your online store itself. An internationally recognised overview of key risks for web applications is intended as a starting point for reducing risks in web applications. There is also an extensive testing guide for developers and security professionals that focuses on testing web applications. So don’t just have your online store hosted technically, but also check regularly whether its setup is still secure.
How do you make sure your online store can grow?
Scalability means your hosting can grow along with your online store when it needs more capacity. Think of a temporary promotion, a newsletter or a period in which your product range expands. You don’t want visitors to see an error message because the available capacity is too limited. At the same time, it doesn’t always make sense to pay for maximum capacity all year round.
A flexible online infrastructure can make resources available quickly and release them again with little management effort or contact with the provider. That is an advantage if your demand fluctuates. The downside is that flexible capacity can sometimes be harder to keep track of. So ask in advance how scaling up works, when it is needed and what costs are involved.
Also consider the longer term when making your choice. Data centres account for around 1.5 percent of global annual electricity consumption. Their energy use is projected to more than double, to around 945 terawatt hours by 2030. Hosting is therefore not just a technical choice. Also ask how a hosting environment deals with energy consumption, efficiency and the design of its data centres.
Frequently asked questions about hosting for an online store
When is my online store ready for different hosting?
That moment usually comes when your online store becomes noticeably slower, is unavailable more often or runs short of capacity during busy periods. Don’t wait until customers report problems. Regularly review your performance, growth and technical requirements.
Is cheap hosting always a bad choice?
No, not necessarily. For a small online store with limited technical requirements, an affordable solution can be a good fit. The downside is that you often have less room, support or flexibility as your online store grows. So always compare what you get, not just the price.
Do I need to do anything about security myself?
Yes. Hosting helps with the technical foundation, but you also need to handle access, updates and personal data carefully. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) states that every organisation must determine for itself which security measures are needed based on the risks of the processing.
Good hosting gives your online store a solid foundation for speed, security and growth. Want to discuss what suits your online store? Feel free to get in touch. We take a practical look at what you need and what you don’t.
