The CNMC (National Commission of Markets and Competition) is clear: the E-commerce has already exceeded 84.000 billion euros in Spain. E-commerce in our country has been experiencing a gradual but constant growth. According to this public body independent of the Government, Spanish consumers They acquire, above all, online products and services related to travel and fashion.
Although this last year the GDP has decreased quite a bit (the closure of many businesses has been one of the factors that have generated such a decrease), there is still SMEs that stay afloat thanks, precisely, to the online sales that they carry out. The direct communication that social networks, such as Facebook and Instagram, encourage between their users and the brands themselves has driven the digitization of companies. In fact, the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business has had to extend until December 31 the application period for financial aid that the Program grants to establishments that want have a presence on the Internet.
In this article, we explain What does it take to create an online store? attractive and functional with a cheap hosting.
e-commerce, a two-yolk egg
To create an online store, apart from having an electronic device (computer, tablet or mobile) with an Internet connection and a from software that allows its configuration (today there are platforms for Create web pages in just a few clicks), it is also necessary hire a domain and a service of hosting Domains are names that identify websites in such a way that customers can locate the company's online store without any effort. loading has been registering domains and providing web hosting for over two decades.
Who owns the domain?
Every domain is made up of two parts: the website name properly speaking (in the case of an online store, it is the name of the store) and the domain extension, preceded by a dot: .es .com .net .org .info are some very common examples. When it comes to choose a domain For an online store, simplicity is the most advisable: the name must be short, eye-catching, memorable and easy to write.
On the other hand, when it comes to selecting the domain extension, it is advisable to choose one of the above. Since they are so common, the customer will easily remember them. For online stores specifically targeting consumers in a particular geographic region, it is recommended to choose an extension related to that country: .es (Spain), .eu (European continent in general), .cat (autonomous community of Catalonia), .mx (Mexico), .gov (US Government), etc.
El owner of the online store domain is the one who registers it in the company that sells domains. loading allows you to choose between several extensions: .es, .com, .net, .org, .cat, .eu, . Info, .biz, . Us y .name. The time it may take for the domain to become effective depends on the payment method. If the transfer is immediate (credit/debit card or PayPal), The online store will have its instantly active domainIf it is by bank transfer, it may take up to 48 hours.
Buy hosting quality
The Spanish equivalent of hosting es web hosting. Apart from the domain, the online store needs a place where all the information that composes it (text, images, audio, hyperlinks and any other kind of files) is stored correctly. services hosting that Spanish companies like loading The hosting services they provide can be classified into several types. Depending on their specific features, these accommodations can be more or less economical. For online stores, the types of hosting most recommended They are dedicated servers, VPS, hosting WordPress and the hosting PrestaShop.
However, regardless of which of them is chosen, it is advisable that they have the following characteristics:
- El hosting must provide the free SSL certificate. In this way, without having to pay an additional amount, the self-employed person or entrepreneur would have an online store officially recognized as a reliable website. The acronym SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer, They apply only to websites that encrypt your information, which is essential to ensure a safe shopping experienceThe SSL certificate is, in short, a sign of quality and security for the client.
- It is recommended that they be servers in SpainIn this way, aspects such as data processing or the conditions of contracting services would be subject to the legal regulations of the country.
- It is also very important that the supplier of hosting offer a 24/7/365 technical service, so that the online store remains active at all times. In addition, loading offers the website migration free of charge. In this way, if the company has a online store already created (even with its own domain), and wants move the hosting a loading, you can do this without having to pay any more money.
- It is key that the hosting have security systems and a filter spam advanced, to avoid cyber attacks and massive advertising bombardments. In this way, the website is protected against malicious codes (malware).
- Finally, it is advisable for the supplier to use NVMe drives and ensure the periodic implementation of Backups o backup.
Types of hosting for online stores
All the services we describe below are available at Loading.
Dedicated server
Services of hosting dedicated server They are the most expensive. The advantages they offer over other web hosting classes are very significant. Its exclusivity is manifested in the fact that the company's online store is the only page hosted on the server, which means that it does not have to share web hosting with any other e-commerce. This makes the virtual stores hosted on these servers load very quickly.
VPS
El hosting VPS (Virtual Private Server) It is a middle ground between the dedicated server and the shared server. It combines the more affordable budget of the shared server with the efficiency of the hosting dedicated. Although the websites that hire hosting VPS If they are hosted on the same server as others, they have exclusive resources for themselves. Each online store thus has its own RAM and a reserved space of disk storage.
WordPress y PrestaShop
So much WordPress as PrestaShop his own platforms to create personalized online stores. Both offer pre-designed templates that can be adapted to each particular case, plugins which provide extra features to the website (for example: subscription buttons to content), compatibility with the most common payment methods among customers, etc. The main feature of the hosting WordPress and hosting PrestaShop is that the professionals responsible for hosting are specialists in both content management platforms and e-commerce management.
Cloud hosting
Although its characteristics are similar to those of the hosting VPS, the cloud web hosting services They are easier to scale. This means that the person can, on their own, modify some aspects of the service hosting without having to contact your supplier directly.