Hosting provider solutions (eCommerce Series)

A hosting provider stores your website on their servers and gives it a unique address. This makes it possible for your site to be found and viewed on the internet.

Hosting plan options
Hosting providers generally offer more than one plan to get your site up and running. Choosing a basic hosting plan should be sufficient for your website. However every company will offer you more expensive plans that include additional bells and whistles, for example, dedicated servers. We recommend sticking with the basic plan to keep from spending money on features that your website probably does not require. Even so, you will want to review the options presented in this tutorial and pick the plan that best suits your needs.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates can be purchased through your hosting provider or through WebAssist. Go to Online Payment Solutions to to learn when SSL certificates are necessary for eCommerce sites.

To compare SSL certificate providers and buy an SSL certificate, go to SSL Certificates: Secure your website and customer data.

Operating system options
We also recommend choosing Linux over Windows for your operating system if you are using PHP, Perl, or MySQL languages.

1&1 is a hosting provider tested by WebAssist tools to successfully display PHP pages and store MySQL databases. 1&1 offers three hosting plans, Basic, Unlimited, and Advanced.

1. Basic is sufficient for most website projects with high memory requirements.
   1. 100 GB Webspace
      
   2. Over 140 Apps
      
   3. NetObjects Fusion 2013 - 1&1 Edition

   
   

2. Unlimited offers maximum performance for sites with interactive or dynamic content.
   
   1. Unlimited Webspace
      
   2. Over 140 Apps
      
   3. NetObjects Fusion 2013 - 1&1 Edition
      
   4. 1&1 Mobile Website Builder
      
   5. Content Delivery Network

   
   

3. Advanced guarantees performance for resource-intensive web projects.
   
   1. Unlimited Webspace
      
   2. Over 140 Apps
      
   3. NetObjects Fusion 2013 - 1&1 Edition
      
   4. Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5
      
   5. 1&1 Mobile Website Builder
      
   6. Content Delivery Network
      
   7. App Expert Support
      
   8. 2 GB RAM guaranteed

1&1 hosts websites across multiple servers in two different data centers and geographic locations. With My Website, you can also choose from hundreds of customizable templates and have your website online in minutes. Many open-source applications work with 1&1 as one click installations, for example, Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, Type3, and Magenta. Domain registration and professional email solutions are included in the packages.

Read more about 1&1 and sign up for their services.

GoDaddy is a reliable hosting provider that offers three hosting plans, Economy, Deluxe, and Ultimate.

1. Economy
   
   1. 1 Website
      
   2. Unlimited Bandwidth
      
   3. 100 GB Disk Space
      
   4. 10 MySQL Databases (Linux OS) / 1 MS SQL Database (Windows OS)
      
   5. 100 Email Addresses
      
   6. Google AdWords Credit
      
   7. Bing Ads Credit
      
   8. Facebook Ad Credit

   
   

2. Deluxe
   
   1. Unlimited Website
      
   2. Unlimited Bandwidth
      
   3. Unlimited GB Disk Space
      
   4. 25 MySQL Databases (Linux OS) / 2 MS SQL Database (Windows OS)
      
   5. 500 Email Addresses
      
   6. Google AdWords Credit
      
   7. Bing Ads Credit
      
   8. Facebook Ad Credit
      
   9. Customizable Mobile Site

   
   

3. Ultimate
   
   1. Unlimited Website
      
   2. Unlimited Bandwidth
      
   3. Unlimited GB Disk Space
      
   4. Unlimited Databases
      
   5. 1000 Email Addresses
      
   6. Google AdWords Credit
      
   7. Bing Ads Credit
      
   8. Facebook Ad Credit
      
   9. Customizable Mobile Site
      
   10. Website Accelerator
       
   11. Premium DNS
       
   12. SSL Certificate
       
   13. Restrictions apply to SSL Certificate
       
   14. Malware Scanner

With GoDaddy's Website Builder, you can easily create your own professional website. Also included are domain registration, professional email solutions, and integration of social and business applications on to your site. Many open-source applications also work with GoDaddy as one click installations, for example, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Zen Cart, and Simple Machines.

Read more about GoDaddy and sign up for their services.

HostGator is a world-wide hosting provider that offers three hosting plans, Hatchling, Baby, and Business.

1. Hatchling Plan
   
   1. Shared Domain
      
   2. Unlimited Disk Space
      
   3. Unlimited Bandwidth
      
   4. Shared SSL Certificate

   
   Baby Plan
   

   1. Unlimited Domains
      
   2. Unlimited Disk Space
      
   3. Unlimited Bandwidth
      
   4. Shared SSL Certificate

   
   Business Plan
   

   1. Unlimited Domains
      
   2. Unlimited Disk Space
      
   3. Unlimited Bandwidth
      
   4. Free Private SSL & IP
      
   5. Free Toll Free Number

With HostGator's Easy SiteBuilder by Weebly you can easily create your own professional website in minutes. Also included is domain registration and options for transfer of an existing domain. Many open-source applications also work with HostGator, for example, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Wiki, and Magenta.

Read more about HostGator and sign up for their services.

Network Solutions is a hosting provider with two hosting options, Small and Large.

1. Small
   
   1. Free custom domain
      
   2. 5 GB storage space
      
   3. 10 emailboxes

   
   

2. Large
   
   1. Free custom domain
      
   2. 300 GB storage space
      
   3. Over 50 emailboxes

Network Solutions features email marketing powered by Constant Contact and Facebook marketing solutions by North Social. Network Solutions will even build a custom website for you.

Read more about Network Solutions and sign up for their services.

DreamHost is a hosting provider who describes their company as WordPress on steroids. DreamHost may cost a little more, but look what you get.

1. Classic 1-Click WordPress Installation
   
2. Managed VPS Web & MySQL servers
   
3. Highly scalable, tuned servers
   
4. Optimized WordPress configuration
   
5. Robot-assisted WordPress migration
   
6. Easy Control Panel interface
   
7. Expert WordPress Support included
   
8. Use any theme or plugin you want
   
9. Optional Backup to DreamObjects Cloud!

Additionally, DreamHost offers three hosting plans.

1. DreamHost Shared
   
2. DreamHost VPS
   
3. DreamHost Dedicated

Read more about DreamHost and sign up for their services.

With eCart technology as the cornerstone of the WebAssist eCommerce series, these in-depth tutorials will walk you through the steps of building an eCommerce site: product catalogs, shopping carts, product options (both static and dynamic), and checkout including payments. Completing the eCart portion of the series is help for setting up a back-end administration to manage your eCommerce business. Additionally, to be used with or without eCart, you will learn about payment gateway providers, hosting solutions, and online shipping accounts.

1. Introduction to the eCommerce series: An overview of the WebAssist eCommerce series including a detailed description of each tutorial.
   
   
2. Create a product catalog: Learn to create a dynamic product catalog for an online store.
   
   1. In Create a product catalog I, you will learn if a dynamic product catalog is appropriate for your online store and how to complete the initial set-up.
      
   2. In Create a product catalog II, you will learn how to create product administration pages, product catalog pages, and order pages for your dynamic product catalog.

   
   

3. Add a shopping cart: Learn about using eCart to create a responsive shopping cart for selling your products online.
   
   1. Create an eCart object to define the structure of your shopping cart.
      
   2. Place an Add to Cart button on a product catalog which your customers can use to select items to purchase and add them to their shopping cart.
      
   3. Design a responsive shopping cart page that holds informational details about the products a customer is purchasing.

   
   

4. Add dynamic product options I: Learn how to add dynamic product options to your website's online store using eCart's shopping cart functionality.
   
   
5. Add dynamic product options II: Learn how to add dynamic product options, which include options within themselves (for example, incremental pricing), to your website's online store using eCart's shopping cart functionality.
   
   
6. Add static product options: Learn how to add static product options to your online catalog store.
   
   
7. Add checkout and administration: Learn how to manage checkout, payments, and the back-end administration of your eCommerce site using the seven tabs in the eCart Checkout Wizard - Settings, Payments, Shipping, Tax, Orders, Email, and Form Design.
   
   1. In the Settings tab, you will choose the general settings for your site and checkout pages.
      
   2. In the Payments tab, you will set up payment provider and checkout options.
      
   3. In the Shipping tab, you will choose shipping providers and set charges.
      
   4. In the Tax tab, you will set the rules for sales tax or VAT.
      
   5. In the Orders tab, you will configure your order storage options.
      
   6. In the Email tab, you will enter your email server settings.
      
   7. In the Form Design tab, you will select your checkout form from preset designs.

   
   

8. Online payment solutions: Learn about online payment solutions including seamless checkout, remote checkout, and various PayPal checkout options.
   
   
9. Hosting provider solutions: Learn about and choose between five hosting providers, 1&1, GoDaddy, HostGator, Network Solutions, and DreamHost.
   
   
10. Online shipping solutions: Learn where and how to set up free shipping accounts with FedEx, UPS, USPS, and Australia Post.

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