Magento Hosting is an especially well-liked ecommerce solution, so it’s perfectly understandable that folks want hosting plans that are optimized accordingly. The same way how specialized Joomla hosting companies, vBulleting hostings companies and others have managed to create subniches as far as hosting is concerned, “Magento web hosting” will likely be a term more and more people shall be using.
There are quite a few cpanel hosting companies, for example, with hosting packages which are optimized for Magento and if that’s the case, you will likely locate a descriptive sales page on their site which does the explaining. If the web hosting company does not have a hyperlink to a Magento hosting package on its homepage, you can still determine if it could represent a Magento hosting solution by:
Analyzing Magento’s System Requirements
First of all, you need to grab a Linux box, this much is certain. Magento commerce supports Apache 1.3.x, Apache 2.0.x as well as Apache 2.2.x, so most hosts would be eligible from this perspective. Now as far as PHP is concerned, there are specific things that you need to hold in mind.
Magento is compatible with PHP 5.2 (make sure you have a memory limit of 128 Mb at the minimum) but remember to make sure that Safe_mode is off. There are also certain required extensions which you may want to remember about: iconv, SOAP, GD, simplexml, PDO_MySQL, DOM mcrypt, has and cURL.
Your server needs to be able to run cron jobs but it also needs to be able to override options as far as the .htaccess file is concerned. And eventually, on the subject of SSL, you need to know that it doesn’t support self-signed certificates.
Which Hosts Meet the Criteria?
Most companies which offer Linux hosting (i.e. cpanel web hosting, reseller web hosting, unlimited domain hosting , etc.) solutions will be able to cater to your needs, but it’s extremely vital that you ensure that your package supports Magento before making the payment. In the event you’re not 100% sure, contact the sales department of every host and ask them.
A great deal of companies have a live online support interface, to make sure you’ll be capable of finding someone who can answer this question instantly and without even using the phone. If an online support interface isn't available, you can still simply email them or (if you want a response ASAP) give them a call. Most good reseller hosting companies and even unlimited domain hosting companies offer 24×7 support, so getting in touch with someone really should not be complicated at all.
It’s extremely vital that you choose only companies with whom you’re 100% comfortable. On the one hand, it is true that cheap web hosting packages will always be tempting, but in relation to Magento hosting, going with providers who have proven themselves time and time again is unquestionably the perfect long-term solution.
In the end, would you rather save a few dollars here and there but face the risk of your web site being offline a whole lot? The consequences are more than obvious: less traffic, ultimately fewer sales, you’d probably end up losing considerably more assets than you’ve managed to save by going with the least expensive option. Better to pay a bit extra money but know that you’re working with true professionals.
Magento Hosting Errors?
Unfortunately, there are many mistakes affiliated with Magento hosting which could cost you. Leaving the previously mentioned mistake aside (always going with all the cheaper options), there are several other things which could cause problems.
To begin with, not monitoring your site daily is definitely not a recommended practice. You never know what could go wrong, so keeping track of things will definitely not hurt. Maybe your hosting companies will upgrade one thing or another and that may interfere with Magento, you just never know. When you notice a problem, contact your web host ASAP and don’t forget to say you’re running Magento. A good Magento Web hosting support representative should be able to determine the cause of the situation quickly and will make the necessary changes within moments.
Don’t forget to be aware when installing other applications on your server. You will find instances where certain scripts or applications can interfere with Magento. It’s not uncommon to switch your settings in order to have the ability to run a particular application, only to realize the new settings caused problems with Magento afterwards. Anyone makes mistakes and, again, that’s why always monitoring things is recommended. Any time you follow these simple guidelines, finding a great Magento Hosting company and running a profitable Magento website is going to be a piece of cake.
