Planning to start an e-commerce business in Sri Lanka?
Then you’ll need a reliable web host. I mean, web hosting is one of the most important things you need to get sorted out when you build an e-commerce website.
There are a lot of web hosts in the country that will tell you they’re the best, they’re the fastest, most reliable, cheapest, you name it.
But the problem is, you need a web host that has all the things an e-commerce business requires. Sure, affordability is there, but there has to be tough security, too.
So who are the best web hosting providers for that?
I’m glad you asked.
Here, I’ll list down the 5 best web hosting providers in Sri Lanka for the year 2023.
What to Look For in the Best Web Hosting in Sri Lanka
If you want the best web hosting, these are the features you should look for:
- Affordability
- Security
- Ease of use
- Customer support
- Reliability
Affordability
As a starting e-commerce business, you want to be able to cut down costs. It doesn’t make sense for you to have a high operating cost when you aren’t even earning profit yet.
Fortunately, there are a lot of affordable options that offer great features and security in their packages.
Security
When it comes to security, you’ll need an SSL certificate. This certificate is a guarantee that your and your customers’ information is encrypted.
For huge savings, go for a web host that offers free SSL on their plans.
Ease of Use
As a business owner, you want to be able to focus on your business - not on web design, web hosting, or technical support. So part of what you should look for is a beginner-friendly web host that requires little to no coding knowledge.
Customer Support
Trust me, customer support should be a big focus, too. What if your site goes down? What if you encounter security problems?
That’s what robust and easily accessible customer support is for. Needless to say, you should only be eyeing 24/7 availability and nothing less.
Reliability
Here’s a word that you should always remember: uptime.
Uptime is the rate at which your site is in operation. And since you’re an e-commerce business, a low uptime is not acceptable. That can cost you a lot of money!
So for a benchmark, try to look for a provider that gives excellent uptime (around 99.9%).
Best Web Hosting Providers in Sri Lanka
Here is a summary chart for the 5 best web hosting providers in Sri Lanka:
STARTING RATE | MAX STORAGE SPACE | DOMAIN | SSL CERTIFICATE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$2.95/month | 50 GB | Free 1 year | Free | |
$2.99/month | 100 GB | Free 1 year | Free | |
$6.99/month | 10 GB | With extra fee | Free | |
LKR 2,490/yr | 1 GB | With extra fee | Free | |
LKR 990/yr | 500 MB | Free | Free |
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Quick facts:
- Free SSL Certificate
- 50 GB SSD Storage (basic package)
- $100 Google Ads credit on your first $25 spend
- Easy set-up with WooCommerce and WordPress integration
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Bluehost is by far the best web host for starting e-commerce businesses.
Why?
It is affordable, user-friendly, and reliable.
Their basic shared hosting plan is as low as $2.95 a month. That already includes a free domain for a year, free SSL, and 24/7 customer support.
Those are just the basic features.
Bluehost is also integrated with WooCommerce and WordPress. You can set up your online store easily. The provider itself will guide you on how to do it.
And if your spendings reach a certain amount, you can get Google Ad credits, which you can use to boost your site’s traffic.
Bluehost is popular for its shared hosting plans which are ideal for businesses that have low traffic. But if you think that your site will exceed the 50 GB storage, you can get a free consultation on what hosting plan works best for you.
Ready to build a BlueHost site? Watch how easy it is to do so here:
Quick facts:
- Free SSL
- 100% (August 2023) uptime
- 100 GB SSD storage
- Faster page loads with A2 Optimized and Turbo Boost
- WooCommerce 1-click installation
You might have heard about A2 Hosting when you were searching for the best web hosting services.
There’s a reason for that - a lot of people just love A2 Hosting. Thanks to their very high uptime rate (100% (August 2023)) and high-speed servers.
However, A2 Hosting is not the most affordable choice if you want upgrades to your website’s speed and protection. For example, their Turbo Boost and A2 Optimized features are not available on the basic plan.
At $2.99 a month, you only get their most basic features, which don’t include the speed optimization capabilities that the web host is known for.
Nonetheless, this web hosting service is still a great option. I mean, you get 100% (August 2023) uptime and 100 GB SSD storage in its basic plan.
Quick facts:
- 100% (August 2023) uptime
- Free SSL certificate
- 100% renewable energy match
- Free installation of WooCommerce, Magento, Prestashop, or OpenCart
- Automatic daily backups
Want a more eco-friendly solution? SiteGround is your guy.
SiteGround’s unique selling proposition is its eco-friendly vision. They match 100% of the energy they produce to renewable energy.
As for its performance, the environmentally conscious efforts of the company have not stopped it from giving a 100% (August 2023) uptime.
SiteGround has several data centers, with Singapore as its hub in Asia. This ensures that your site will have a fast speed in terms of loading content and products.
And if that isn’t enough, you also get access to several e-commerce tools for free.
The only downside of SiteGround is that their monthly subscription is quite expensive. At $6.99 a month, you only get 10 GB of storage.
Quick facts:
- Free SSL
- 1 GB SSD storage
- 100 GB bandwidth
- 2 host websites
- 20 email accounts
The list wouldn’t be complete without adding a home-grown brand like SriLanka Hosting.
When it comes to local web-hosting providers, SriLanka Hosting is one of the most popular as they offer the best customer service.
The company has a lot of shared hosting options, but their most affordable plan is at LKR 2,490 a year. This is very affordable considering that it’s only LKR 207.5* a month.
However, the catch with SriLanka Hosting is that you’re required to subscribe for a full year to get it at that price. Nope, there aren’t any monthly billing options.
This can be forgiven if your priority is strong customer service. As I said, SriLanka Hosting champions this area.
Quick facts:
- 500 MB SSD storage (starter plan)
- Free SSL certificate
- 99.99% uptime
- 2 email addresses
- Weekly site backups
ZirconHost offers the most affordable starter plan for small businesses. But before you get excited, here are the details.
ZirconHost has a starter plan that is just at LKR 990* annually. It’s that cheap. However, this just comes with 500 MB of SSD storage.
To give you an idea, this is too small for an e-commerce business even if you’re just starting out.
You’ll probably be inclined to go for their 2nd cheapest plan which is at LKR 1490* annually. Still not so bad.
What ZirconHost does well is its customer service and uptime.
For a company that just started in 2017, they already gained good reviews from Sri Lankans because of their impressive customer service and reliability.
Web Hosting in Sri Lanka FAQs
Do you have more questions on web hosting in Sri Lanka?
Here are some FAQs that I hope will answer some of your questions.
What is Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where you and several websites share the same server.
The advantage of shared hosting is that you have a lower monthly fee. But the disadvantage is that you don’t have free control of the server and the storage you are allotted is limited.
What type of web hosting should you get?
New e-commerce businesses that don’t expect a lot of traffic and prioritize affordability can start with shared hosting. This will give you a taste of what web hosting does and what features you will need.
Most of the time, shared hosting will suffice, but if you have increased traffic and more products to show, then you can choose a VPS or dedicated server plan.
Conclusion
A reliable web host is one of the must-haves of any e-commerce business.
And when you say reliable, they have to be accessible, secure, affordable, and always operational.
By picking from one from this list, you’ll definitely be in good hands.