There may have been a time when a website was optional if you had a business, but those days are long gone and that’s the plain truth of it. Even businesses that aren’t based in eCommerce are going to need one if they want to have the right level of visibility for prospective customers, but for those that are in eCommerce and selling goods or services online there’s no part of you marketing arsenal that is as essential to the force. All of this is magnified many hundreds of times over if you’re in business in a big city, and as Canada’s capital Ottawa definitely qualifies for that. Websites there need Ottawa hosting solutions.
Easy to make any such statement, but why exactly is it that they’d need them. Let’s double back to what we talked about the value of a website being magnified exponentially when you’re in a big city. The simple fact is that you’re going to have much more competition, with so many other business offering the same as you. Customers find what they need online nowadays, and your website is how they’re going to be introduced to you eight times out of 10 nowadays. Local hosting for online stores needs to be super reliable, and having that reliability with web hosting is reflected in their uptime guarantees.
However, being ‘there’ and online for customers is only half the success equation for an eCommerce website for an Ottawa-area business. SEO is the other part of it and without good SEO for a website the business will not have the visibility it needs with prospective new customers. A site that is not SEO-optimized will probably not be listed in the first or 2nd page of search results, and in many instances the business might as well be entirely invisible if that’s the case. You should be able to turn to you Canadian web hosting provider for SEO help if you need to as well.
Website page load speeds are also included in this, as is better website security. Faster loading pages not only please site visitors, but that factors into site SEO too and for web security it’s never been a more pressing issues for all eCommerce sites than it is right now. Furthermore, businesses will need to be providing every assurance their website is secure if customers are going to feel at ease about making purchases online through it.
That’s going to be true right across the board, and so with all this understood what we’re going to do with this blog entry here today is provide a short guide for how to boost your store’s performance - discover Ottawa hosting plans today.
Continued Growth
One thing that’s certain is that businesses in Ottawa continue to grow and innovate, and with each significant amount of progress there the need to have the right eCommerce website grows right alongside it. Choosing the right web hosting provider will likely make a significant impact on your website’s performance and that will be true for everyone from startups to small businesses to mid-sized companies. As it relates to Ottawa hosting solutions it’s usually fair to state that a local provider is more likely to be the one who can offer unique benefits that can support both local visibility and customer satisfaction.
Of course there need to be more substance to why local web hosting will best for Ottawa eCommerce sites, so that’s what we’ll move to looking at now. It’s always going to be the case that there are many web hosting providers for these businesses to choose from, but deciding on a local hosting service in Ottawa will usually come with some advantages if the business is local as well. This is especially true when looking to engage with a regional audience and have more success with new client generation in the city as compared to outside of it.
Right Speed, Performance
The first notable gain you’re going to have from local hosting for online stores in Ottawa is faster speeds and improved performance for the most important site visitors. Our criteria for most important is going to be ones who are nearby, because they are the ones that may make the first order online but then visit your storefront place of business in Ottawa. All customers are valuable of course, but there’s even more value for those who will find it very easy to be repeat customers and potentially even long-term ones.
A website that is hosted on a nearby server will have less latency as data travels from the server and along to the user’s browser. This is what makes for the faster page load speeds we talked about earlier. One of the big advantages with us here at 4GoodHosting is we made the investment to have 2 major data centers in Canada, one on the eastern side in Ontario (near Ottawa) and the other on the Western side in BC. With Canadian-based servers data doesn’t need to travel internationally and you get quicker load times because of it.
Better Local SEO
Google’s algorithms is always putting different levels of value on different aspects of a site’s performance, but one constant is the value in websites with fast loading speeds and regionally relevant content. With local Ottawa web hosting you can give your website a notable edge in local search rankings, and what this is does is make it so that greater numbers of Ottawa-based customers discover your business.
Being more compliant with data privacy regulations is another benefit you’ll get for local web hosting here. Most providers are like us in that they’ll also be storing site data in accordance with Canada’s data privacy regulations, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) most specifically. This can help businesses maintain regulatory compliance and ensure customer data is handled with care.
Fast-Responding Customer Support
Local web hosting means faster access to a local support team when an issue arises that’s beyond the scope of your understanding. This is the next benefit we need to consider with Ottawa hosting solutions. that understands your region’s unique needs is invaluable. It’s almost certain that when you choose a local web host you’ll have better personalized support and any assistance you need will be provided to you more rapidly. Many times doing this can minimize downtime and optimize operations.
You’ll also want to have options so you can provide your site with the resources it needs. Not all sites are the same, and one of the primary reasons a person will switch to VPS hosting is because the growth and success of the business means the number of visitors to the website is exploding. That’s a good thing, but if you’re on shared web hosting it may be that some of them won’t be able to enter the site. That’s not good, and so you want to have the options. All good Ottawa web hosting providers will offer all of the following types of hosting:
- Shared Hosting: Perfect for small businesses and startups, shared hosting is a cost-effective option delivering decent performance and a suitable minimum of security features
- VPS Hosting: Virtual Private Servers (VPS) offer enhanced performance and flexibility for businesses needing greater control and resources at their disposal
- Dedicated Hosting: This is going to be the best choice for larger businesses or high-traffic websites, as with it you’ll have full server resources and maximum customization options
Each plan is equipped with essential tools and resources to ensure your website runs smoothly, And equally important with good web hosting is the ability to scale as needs evolve and the site is changing.
Superior Performance / Security
We’ve covered the idea of reducing latency for local visitors, and also explained how local businesses can expect faster load times and a better user experience for site visitors that comes when you have the right web hosting provider and you boost your store’s performance and discover Ottawa hosting plans today. You are likely well convinced of that, so let’s put the focus on website security here instead.
Security is a top priority for any business, and 4GoodHosting ensures your website is protected with advanced security features. This is made possible with:
- SSL Certificates – each plan comes with SSL support, which encrypts sensitive data and boosts user trust
- Regular Backups - automated daily backups protect your data to ensure it can be fully recovered in case of accidental deletions or cyber-attacks
- Firewall and DDoS Protection - Built-in firewall and DDoS protection means the risk of malicious attacks that can disrupt your site are minimized
Customer support will be available on the same timeline when you have local hosting too. Our team here is knowledgeable about the needs of local businesses and can provide assistance 24/7 so that issues are resolved quickly. With international web hosting providers you probably won’t have this layer of reliability.
Affordable, Transparent Pricing
This is where we’ll look to conclude our blog entry on Ottawa hosting solutions. Hidden fees are never a part of what you’re going to encounter here at 4GoodHosting and we do insists on having transparent pricing across all our plans for anyone who is looking for a provider here. With affordable rates tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, 4GoodHosting ensures Ottawa businesses can get high-quality hosting without breaking the bank.
What’s more, we often provide discounts and deals for new clients and local hosting for online stores, and for Ottawa businesses that may be just what’s needed to sway them in the decision-making process around their web hosting. We will all agree that we are in an increasingly digital world, and in this world fast, reliable, and secure websites are so important for the visibility of a business and the success that’s connected to that. Anything more you’d like to know with how to boost your store’s performance – discover Ottawa hosting plans today? Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to go into much more detail on any of this.
