Building your e-commerce business: make business hosting work for you

Building your e-commerce business: make business hosting work for you

The work behind business hosting doesn't stop on launch day. All websites require constant maintenance to stay sharp and relevant. But if you're running an e-commerce site, the job is even more important. You'll need extra skills and specific web hosting tools to take your site to the next level.

Analytics

Many business hosting packages come complete with web site analytics software. Learn to use it! This can help you track the traffic coming to your site - where it comes from, when people leave and which pages they visit. The analytics can also help you find out which keywords customers are using to find you.

All of this information can help you develop your future web hosting plans. Which website pages need to be fixed up? Which ones are working well? Which links are people following? This is all great information you'll need for successful business hosting.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a major skill unto itself. Some business hosting packages will include SEO services, but no matter which web hosting provider you select, SEO is important for you to know about, and use to your advantage. SEO can help you rank higher in search engines naturally. This means more traffic and potential customers for you.

It will pay to do quality SEO research. Think carefully about which keywords you are choosing to rank for, write good copy, and use keywords well.



Marketing

Your business hosting package may come with other tools you can use to help market your site and your products. Your web hosting service may submit your website to search engines - if it does not, you must do this in order to be recognized.

Another great marketing tool offered by most business hosting services is the capability to manage a newsletter. Getting people to sign up for a regular newsletter is a great way to build a database of customer contacts, as well as communicating all the latest news with your audience.

Other packages may offer you credits towards different search engine marketing programs, such as Google Adwords or Yahoo. These could prove valuable - but if you're not careful, you'll blast through your credits in no time. Do some research and contact your web hosting service for full details.

Fresh content

Although we've spoken about this before, it can't be repeated enough. If you want repeat visitors, you must keep your business site fresh! Add new products (or at least feature different ones on the front page regularly) and information to encourage client loyalty.

Just like any business, creating and growing a great e-commerce site requires constant work and vigilance. But with a quality business hosting service and a little e-commerce and web hosting know-how, you'll be off and running.

Check our our top 10 business hosting companies today!