If you run an eCommerce brand, you rely heavily on your website to keep your company in business and profitable. Unfortunately, all it takes is one negative experience on your site to scare away potential customers, which can result in lost revenue. So, what are some of the most common mistakes eCommerce website owners make – and how can you avoid them? Let’s take a look. 1. Overlooking Security Think about it: You wouldn't feel comfortable submitting your credit card or other financial information on a site that didn't look secure. If you haven't taken time to beef up security on your eCommerce website (and make this obvious to your potential customers), you could be missing out on some serious sales. Make sure, for example, that you have a legitimate Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate on your eCommerce site (and that it is clearly displayed for customers to see). 2.

Whether you're dabbling in video editing as a hobby or pursuing a career in the field, having access to a reliable server is a must. When it comes to video editing, there are two main hosting options to consider: cloud or shared servers and dedicated servers. In almost all cases, a dedicated hosting plan will be the better option for video editing. Once you understand the inherent limitations of cloud servers from a video editing standpoint and the benefits of dedicated hosting, you'll see why. Limitations of Cloud Servers for Video Editing There are many potential drawbacks of using a cloud or shared hosting plan for your video editing needs. For starters, video editing software tends to require a great deal of computing and processing power. Unfortunately, cloud and shared hosts cannot reliably deliver this performance, especially when your central processing unit (CPU) and other resources are shared with other

Those who take their gaming seriously need to have access to the fastest and most powerful equipment, and sometimes this can even include gaming servers. If you've been looking to improve your gaming experience, or want to host your own tournaments or games with friends, perhaps you've been considering the option of building your own gaming server at home. Before you decide to go this route, there are some important factors to consider. Ultimately, you may end up deciding that you're better off purchasing a dedicated server for gaming instead. Why Do Gamers Host and Build Their Own Servers? Many serious gamers will build servers to be used specifically for running certain online games. That way, they don't need to share resources with other players over a public server and internet users in their homes. This, in turn, allows them to optimize their speed and reduce lag. Optimizing speed and reducing

When you have an eCommerce site, your customers rely heavily on its security each time they purchase. Unfortunately, with the countless threats lurking around the web, it’s more difficult than ever to keep your customers' payment data safe. If you're not already following these eCommerce best practices for handling your customer payment information, it's about time you start. Specifically, these precautions can keep your clients' payment information safer and give them more peace of mind each time they check out. Don't Store Payment Data After Transactions As convenient as it may seem to give your clients the option of saving their credit card data for future use, the reality is that storing this information can lead to security issues. To enhance safety, make sure that your eCommerce platform does not hold onto payment data after each transaction. At the very least, card verification value 2 (CVV2) codes and other card

With more than 126 million users across the globe, Minecraft remains one of the most popular multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). However, if you've ever tried to play Minecraft over your home internet connection, you've probably experienced just how frustrating lag and other connectivity issues can be. Fortunately, you always have the option of switching to a dedicated server for gaming, which you can use exclusively to host your Minecraft world. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the many benefits of having a dedicated Minecraft server – and consider bringing your gaming experience to the next level! 1. Control User Access When you have your own dedicated server host, you also have total control over who can access your Minecraft world. This makes it possible to pick and choose which players are able to take part in your game, whether you want to keep it limited to just a

Podcasts have become an increasingly popular form of entertainment over the last several years. In fact, about 32 percent of Americans listen to at least one podcast per month! If you've been thinking about launching your own podcast or already have one in the works, you've probably realized that there are a lot of logistical challenges to overcome. One of the most pressing issues you'll need to figure out as a podcaster is how and where you'll host your podcast files and website. Below, we’re discussing everything you need to know about hosting your podcast with a dedicated server.  Podcast Hosting Needs While there is a relatively low barrier for entering the world of podcast publication, the reality is that once your podcast's audience begins to grow, so do your hosting needs. In the beginning, you may only have to worry about hosting your audio files (which will likely not be very large if you're using basic recording

When you're in the process of launching a startup, few things are more important than your company's digital presence. In many ways, your business’s online reputation can make or break your success, and this is especially true when you're first starting out.  There's a lot to keep in mind as you begin building a website for your new brand. One of the more important aspects that you won't want to overlook is your web hosting plan. Let’s take a closer look at the best hosting options for startup businesses. The Importance of Choosing the Right Web Host Deciding on a web hosting plan may not be the most exciting aspect of launching your startup (far from it, actually), but it's vital, nonetheless. This is because your web host will be responsible for making sure your site is accessible to your target audience at all times. The right hosting provider can keep the

Website uptime is something that's easy to take for granted – until, of course, you run into unexpected downtime. One of the most common causes of this issue is a sudden increase in traffic. As more people visit your site, your server's resources become depleted, which can result in slow page-loading times and dreaded downtime. Of course, when your site is inaccessible (even for just a few hours), it can affect your brand’s reputation and deter visitors from returning down the road. Fortunately, you can avoid unexpected site downtime by preparing for sudden traffic spikes. Below, we’re breaking down a few best practices to keep in mind. Let’s take a look! DO: Make Sure Your Hosting is Scalable When your site sees an increase in traffic and resources are stretched thin, the last thing you want is to be "stuck" with your current hosting plan. Being able to easily and

Your website relies on its hosting provider to make sure it remains accessible to users at all times. What many people don't realize, however, is that it's quite common to "outgrow" a hosting plan as your website expands. The web hosting plan that worked so well when you first launched your site might not cut it a few years down the road. By knowing how to identify the signs that you've outgrown your web host, you can make the changes you need to best serve your website and its visitors. What Are Your Page-Load Speeds? Page-loading speeds matter for a number of reasons. For starters, visitors become quickly and easily frustrated by slow-loading pages on a website. Therefore, if your site's speeds are too slow, you could be driving potential customers away. Site speeds also affect your search engine optimization (SEO) results, as Google ranks faster websites higher on their

If you thought dedicated servers were only for large organizations, think again. These days, more and more small business owners have begun moving from shared and cloud-based hosting services to dedicated server hosting. Is it time for your small business to make the switch? Ultimately, you'll be the best judge of that, but there are some key reasons that other small business owners have decided to use dedicated hosting. If any of these apply to you, then it's probably wise to consider a small business dedicated server. You're Handling Sensitive Data If your hosting needs involve the exchange or storage of sensitive data, then you need to make sure that information is being protected properly. Sensitive data could include anything from your customers' payment information to Social Security numbers, medical records, and more. And of course, if your business is in the medical field, you may actually be required by HIPAA law to