TL;DR
Small businesses may have lower turnover or volume but their digital presence still represents their brand. Performance helps increase sales while reliability helps bolster image. TMD Hosting and UltaHost are recommended for businesses looking to host a simple info sites; whereas ScalaHosting, Cloudways, and InMotion Hosting are suitable for both simple and complex business sites with high traffic volume.
Note: While our HostScore ratings provide a general overview of host performance, there are other factors you should consider for your specific needs. Our top hosting picks address this by offering tailored suggestions for different requirements, as demonstrated in this article.
ScalaHosting
ScalaHosting Review
Founded in 2007 by Hristo Rusev and Vladislav Georgiev, ScalaHosting has its headquarters in the Dallas, Texas. The company provides various hosting services like shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, and email hosting. Renowned for its innovation, ScalaHosting sets itself apart with proprietary creations like sPanel and SShield, both designed in-house, providing users with intuitive server management and enhanced security.
Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
If we’re being honest, ScalaHosting Managed VPS plans are pretty costly. However, they’re perfect workhorses for any eCommerce platform, whether Magento, PrestaShoop, or otherwise. Even the lowest tier has enough power to fuel the most demanding needs.
Their VPS plans are managed via SPanel, a custom control panel that comes free with the service. That lets you easily handle everything from OS and app deployment to fine-tuning cache handling or other environment parameters.
Aside from performance and stability, ScalaHosting also knows how essential security is for eCommerce sites. That’s why they’ve built a real-time security system to help protect your business. You also get automated backups, brute force protection, and much more!
Key Business Hosting Features
Customer Support Channels
HostScore
ScalaHosting Pros
- Outstanding hosting uptime and speed performance
- Affordable pricing
- Anytime unconditional Money-back Guarantee
- Automated backup with 7 restore points
- Generous offer in server resources – Even the lowest shared plan gets unmetered bandwidth and unlimited emails
- NVMe SSD storage for all shared hosting plans
- Innovative technology – SPanel, SShield, SWordPress
ScalaHosting Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
Hostinger
Hostinger Review
Hostinger traces its origins back to 2004 when it began as Hosting Media, a brainchild of enterprising youth in Kaunas, Lithuania. Their journey of innovation commenced with the launch of 000webhost.com in 2007, followed by the establishment of the esteemed cPanel brand Hosting24.com in 2008.
The pivotal year of 2011 heralded the rise of Hostinger, accompanied by its bespoke hPanel interface. In 2016, Hostinger unveiled its cutting-edge cloud hosting service, marking another milestone in its remarkable evolution. In 2021, the company celebrated a significant milestone with the addition of its 1,000th employee, reinforcing its status as a premier provider of web hosting solutions.
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Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
Since its foundation in 2004, Hostinger has evolved to cater specifically to the needs of online merchants across various platforms. The web host stands out with its specialized eCommerce hosting plans, which are equipped with innovative AI tools designed to elevate your online business. These include an AI-powered image generator, an intuitive AI website builder, and AI Heatmaps to optimize your site’s user experience. With these tools at your disposal, creating an engaging and efficient online store is more accessible than ever.
For those who prioritize sales capabilities, Hostinger allows you to list up to 500 products directly through its platform and supports over 20 payment methods—all with 0% transaction fees. This offering provides exceptional value, especially when compared to platforms like Shopify that typically charge for transactions.
Beyond the robust tools and features, Hostinger is known for its excellent customer support and a comprehensive knowledge base. These resources ensure that help is always on hand, whether you are setting up your store or looking for ways to expand its reach. This blend of advanced features, user-friendly tools, and dedicated support makes Hostinger a top recommendation for anyone looking to launch or grow their eCommerce business.
Key Business Hosting Features
Customer Support Channels
Hostinger Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Nine different data centers in four continents
- Good spread of hosting plans
- User-friendly control panel (hPanel)
- Wide range of payment options accepted
- Git environment available on shared hosting
- Additional 7% discount with coupon code “HOSTSCORE”
Hostinger Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Does not support Windows hosting
TMDHosting
TMDHosting Review
Founded in 2007, TMD Hosting is a web hosting company headquartered in Orlando, Florida, USA. TMD Hosting prides itself on offering a wide range of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, and WordPress hosting. The company operates from data centers across three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), ensuring high performance and reliability for its global customer base.
Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
TMDHosting has a few things we like about its eCommerce hosting. The best point is that it’s covered all the bases. In addition to PrestaShop and Magento, you even have support for OpenCart plans here.
However, note that those plans have been split into two categories. In the first group are OpenCart and PrestaShop, which reside on shared hosting plans. Magento hosting is provided via VPS plans.
The latter gets more power (and a corresponding price bump), but at least you’ll be assured of all the necessary resources. Since it’s on shared hosting, the former leans more towards the “freebies” side with free transfers, access to Weebly site builder, etc.
Key Business Hosting Features
Customer Support Channels
HostScore
TMDHosting Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Choice of global data centres in six continents
- Easy-to-use centralized dashboard
- Free white glove migration
- Host unlimited websites in Business or Enterprise plans
- Outstanding customer support
- Reinforced DDoS protection for all shared hosting accounts
TMDHosting Cons
- Lowest shared plan does not support automatic backup
- Free domain has no privacy protection
- Price increase during the renewal
LiquidWeb
LiquidWeb Review
Founded in 1997 by Matthew Hill, Liquid Web has carved out a significant presence in the hosting and managed cloud services market. Located in Lansing, Michigan, Liquid Web has been recognized for its high-quality customer service and powerful hosting solutions tailored to businesses and professionals.
Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
LiquidWeb has always been known as a provider of premium hosting services, and that remains true when it comes to eCommerce. Plans capable of hosting these are plentiful, from private VPS servers to managed platform plans and dedicated servers.
One notable divergence, though, is the Magento Cloud offerings sold via its sister brand, Nexcess. These are supremely robust and come with a minimum of 25 PHP Workers. More interestingly, they also come with Elasticsearch.
Most eCommerce plans at LiquidWeb are easily scalable via 1-Click scaling or auto-scaling. The plans are also primarily built on Cloud, which makes them incredibly robust and reliable. However, don’t expect them to come cheap.
Key Business Hosting Features
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HostScore
LiquidWeb Pros
- Powerful enterprise hosting solutions with great scalability
- 100% network uptime, backed by detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Excellent customer support – 59-Second support response guarantee
- Self-operated data centres – Higher degree of security and data integrity compared to providers renting space from third-parties
- PCI-Compliant and HIPAA-Compliant hosting servers available
LiquidWeb Cons
- No standard shared hosting plans
- No Asia-based data center
InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting Review
InMotion Hosting, established in 2001 by Sunil Saxena and Todd Robinson in Los Angeles, California, has grown to become a well-regarded name in the web hosting industry. The company’s foundation by industry veterans is reflective of its deep commitment to offering reliable and user-friendly hosting solutions.
Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
Most eCommerce websites need robust and reliable hosting, which typically translates into VPS plans. InMotion Hosting hits a high note here, with VPS plans starting at reasonably low prices. The lowest tier is packed with 4 vCPU and 8GB of RAM for less than $15/mo.
However, the catch is that these plans are relatively barebones. Once you start adding options like a control panel or backup manager, the cost might skyrockets.
But then again, regardless of your preference – Magento, PrestaShop, or anything else, the speed and flexibility that InMotion offers are excellent. You are paying what you get for. If you are making money from your online store, we don’t see the reason why you should sweat on something that directly influences your customer experience at your site.
Key Business Hosting Features
Customer Support Channels
HostScore
InMotion Hosting Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Lowest shared hosting plan supports Python, Node.JS, Ruby and GIT version control
- Choice of data center locations in the United States and Europe
- Free AutoSSL
- Built-in hack, DDoS, and malware protection
- 90-day money back guarantee
- Free website migration services
InMotion Hosting Cons
- Lower shared hosting plans lack speed optimization
- Price increase during the renewal
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks Review
Trey Gardner, a veteran of the web hosting industry since 1999, founded GreenGeeks in 2008 in Santa Monica, California, with a pioneering vision for environmentally sustainable web hosting. Alongside Trey Gardner, COO Kaumil Patel, with his extensive experience in hosting operations, plays a critical role in the company’s success.
GreenGeeks distinguishes itself by its commitment to the environment, utilizing wind power credits to offset triple the energy consumed by its clients’ websites. This innovative approach not only defines GreenGeeks as a leader in eco-friendly hosting but also reflects its dedication to making a positive environmental impact.
Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
GreenGeeks is undoubtedly not the cheapest host for eCommerce. For example, if you intend to run a Magento or PrestaShop site, there are many cheaper options. But none are as powerfully equipped as GreenGeeks.
You could run an eCommerce site using its shared hosting plans, but we generally don’t recommend doing so. That leaves us with Managed VPS, and the lowest tier is packed with 4 vCPUs and 2GB of RAM.
However, the two key components are the managed support and the 300% green energy match. After all, the entire company is eco-friendly, which extends to its products. It’s ideal for those who have company charters or governance mandates to meet.
Key Business Hosting Features
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GreenGeeks Pros
- Returns 3x power consumed with renewable energy credits
- Affordable pricing
- Free daily backup for all shared hosting plans
- All plans support Perl, Python and Git
- Free website migration assistance
- Root access, control panel and cPanel/WHM included in reseller hosting plans
GreenGeeks Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Slightly lacklustre customer service
- Non refundable setup fees
SiteGround
SiteGround Review
Established in 2004 by a group of university friends led by Ivo Tzenov, SiteGround has flourished into a prominent web hosting entity based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Boasting a workforce exceeding 600 employees, SiteGround proudly hosts almost three millions domains worldwide. With a powerful infrastructure spanning 11 data centers across 8 countries, the company offers an array of hosting solutions including shared, cloud, and enterprise hosting, alongside domain registration services.
Selling Directly from Your Business Site?
The SiteGround brand is generally associated with excellent performance and world-class customer support—with a corresponding price tag. That makes it debatable whether many would take up its services. However, for eCommerce, SiteGround’s stability and speed give it an edge.
It doesn’t offer dedicated “eCommerce” plans, but you can run any eCommerce platform on Siteground Cloud hosting. These come with incredibly abundant resources, so whatever you choose, be it PrestaShop or an alternative, it will be blazingly fast.
However, prepare to pay as the cheapest Cloud plan at SiteGround starts at a jaw-dropping $100/mo. For that you get 4 CPU cores and 8GB of memory, with a paltry 40GB of SSD storage space tacked on as if an afterthought.
Key Business Hosting Features
Customer Support Channels
HostScore
SiteGround Pros
- Outstanding hosting uptime and speed performance
- Excellent customer support
- Choice of server locations in 11 countries
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- Specialized WordPress support staff
SiteGround Cons
- Very expensive renewal pricing
- Limited storage in shared hosting plans
- Limited developer options on some plans
- NVMe storage not included
What is a Business Web Hosting?
Business Web Hosting is a specialized web hosting service designed to meet the needs of businesses online. It goes beyond basic hosting by offering scalable solutions that support the demanding requirements of business websites, such as higher traffic volumes, security measures, e-commerce functionalities, and the need for uptime reliability.
This type of hosting typically includes enhanced security protocols to protect sensitive data, dedicated customer support to address issues promptly, and scalability options to accommodate growth. Advanced features might also include Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant servers, dedicated IP addresses, business email accounts, and add-on services for search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing.
Why A Good Hosting Matters to Your Business Website?
For businesses, the website serves as a digital storefront. Business websites often tend to have slightly different requirements when it comes to web hosting. Although inexperienced business owners may view web hosting to be similar, the very nature of businesses increase requirements for hosting.
This is true even when it comes to running very simple, static websites. As a business your brand and reputation are on the line. Your choice of web host can affect the reliability of the site, which is essentially your digital presence.
From another aspect, the performance of your web host can also affect your website performance, brand and even more importantly, your potential to convert web traffic into paying customers. Slow websites have been shown to lower customer conversion and affect sales.
There are other factors at play as well but the general rule here is that web hosting for business need to be of a higher caliber. This doesn’t always mean paying a premium though as there are often good fits depending on your exact requirements.
What Makes A Good Business Web Hosting? Key Features to Look for
When we talk about business web hosting in this article there is an emphasis or corporate style websites rather than for retail businesses. Most larger businesses will have their own technical support teams to manage websites and hosting for them, so this guide will focus on the small to medium segment.
Features to look for in a business hosting include:
1. Range of Hosting Types – From Shared to Dedicated Servers
There is often a greater onus on businesses to maintain the reliability of their websites even if it doesn’t support a mission critical function. For businesses, websites represent their digital brand and the performance and stability of the website reflects upon them.
For this reason, some businesses may opt for more expensive but better-quality plans such a Cloud/VPS hosting or even perhaps their own dedicated server. Ideally, look for a web host that can offer a broad range of option for you to choose from.
2. E-Mail Hosting
Communications are one of the core aspects of a business having an online presence and email is an absolute necessity.
It allows easy communications with customers and even internally. Ideally, find a web host that includes email services with your hosting or at the very least can handle email hosting.
3. Easy DIY Web Buidling Tool
For businesses which may be looking to restrict investment in their web presence, finding a web host which comes with rapid web design features can be invaluable. Some may include basic website building tools, but others offer access to top-notch website builders such as Weebly.
Another option would be to go for a host that is built around a dedicated website building tool such as Shopify and Wix. These offer businesses the capability to quickly build and launch fantastic looking sites.
4. Server Location
Even though the Internet is essentially border-less, some businesses may still need to target local customers. For example, if you were a locksmith serving only a specific geographic area due to travel constraints, you might opt for a business web host with a data center relatively near your area.
Businesses who are looking to target international traffic would be better off looking for a host that has a data center in a more centralized geographic area.
5. Reputation of the Web Host
Although not technically a feature, business will want to host their site with a reputable service provider. Remember that you are relying on your host to keep your website and customer information safe. Opt for a host that’s been in the business for some time and has a well-known reputation.
This will save you from potential issues which might crop up with fly-by-night companies. If your host disappears or goes out of business, all you files are likely to go with them as well!
Wide Range of Options for Business Hosting
The business web hosting landscape is a highly competitive playing field which means only good things for customers. Web hosts who are in this market must be at the top of their game in order to catch any part of the market share.
For customers this means that no matter your needs, it is very likely that you will find a business web hosting provider that fits your exact needs, be it extreme performance, high scalability, or even help you target a very specific market location.
The seven hosts on this list are the cream of the crop and can handle almost anything you need. All you have to do is fit your needs with what they have and you can jump on board fairly quickly.
