Before you open your online store, there are certain things you have to do to set up your business. The most important thing is to find a reliable ecommerce hosting service for your website. Web hosts or ecommerce hosting services are companies who rent you space in their servers, provide Internet connectivity and related application software.

To begin, do not sign on to the first ecommerce hosting service you find. There are many and it is better to enquire around and ask those who are running online businesses before selecting the ecommerce hosting service for your online store. Narrow down your list of preferred hosts and check out the features each offers. First of all, compare the bandwidth offered by the host. What is the minimum bandwidth offered and is there a provision for providing more bandwidth, as your business grows?

Another important feature is the shopping cart software. Ask the web host what are the different shopping carts offered, shortlist those that are widely used by others and try them out through demos provided by the host. Take time to select the one that is suitable for your intended business and ensure that it is scalable so that you can later increase the number of products or services. Please note that it is often very difficult to change to another shopping cart in mid-stream after your business up and running.

The databases offered by web hosts generally are of two types. Databases could be those compatible with Windows operating systems or those which are open source such as MySQL that are compatible with Linux/Unix operating systems. Verify also the scripting offered by the host is ASP and .NET that are compatible with Windows servers or PHP that is compatible with Unix/Linux servers. Majority of online stores opt for php shopping cart as it does its job competently and is not expensive to purchase.

Other features to scrutinize are adequate disk space, web site design, compatibility with different types of payment gateways, email accounts to take care of both incoming and outgoing mail as well as features like auto responder, help for domain registration and web mail to allow you to check your mail box from anywhere. Confirm the availability of backup resources with the host and ask what happens if his server is down for any reason.

If you have checked the full list of features and facilities offered by each, consider the reliability and competency. Go through the fine print and check out the technical support and payment options. You will naturally want your business set up quickly and it helps to select a host which offers you a package deal that includes everything your business needs in technology rather than opting for several vendors who provide you different parts of ecommerce solutions, as integrating the piecemeal parts into a complete package is bound to be expensive and time consuming.