New to E-Commerce?

Whether you are starting a new business or already have a bricks and mortar store that you're ready to take online, here are 5 key things to consider before starting.

Select a great domain name . Don't just include the name of your business in your domain name, but also include the names of your products or services. For example, if you sell watches, add the word "watchess" to your domain name. Also, if your domain name ends in ".com", consider registering multiple domain extensions like ".net, .biz and .info".

In order to sell products on your Web site, you need to be able to describe your business, build a catalog of your products, collect payments, and manage inventory and shipping. There are a few question you need to ask yourself when choosing which e-commerce solution best meets your needs:

• Does the solution include an integrated shopping cart so that I don't need additional software?
• Does it connect to accounting software like QuickBooks® so that I don't have to manually keep track of all purchases and payments from customers?
• Is everything included that I need? (Website hosting, e-mail boxes, free customer service, etc.)

In order to accept credit card payments directly on your site, you need what is called a "merchant account." Before you apply for a merchant account make sure it works with your e-commerce software. Your merchant account links to your online store through a "payment gateway". Ask your merchant account provider which payment gateway they use to ensure it is compatible.

In addition to accepting credit cards, consider offering PayPal®, Google Checkout™ and e-checks. When a customer is ready to buy your product or service you want to make as easy possible for them!

Our primary focus when designing your storefront is to make it easy for customers to find what they're looking for and to make customers comfortable in transacting business at your store. To do this, keep in mind these design guidelines:

As an online merchant, you are responsible for ensuring that your customer's financial data is protected and secure and that you meet credit card company security requirements. The e-commerce solution you select must support these industry security standards for privacy and security. Look for references to Payment Card Industry (PCI) and Cardholder Information Security Program (CISP) compliance.

You'll also need a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate to encrypt transactions and to display the "https" and padlock symbol that customers look for when shopping online.

Finally, prominently display your store policies regarding refunds, exchanges, cancellations and shipping. The more secure your customers feel while shopping on your site, the more inclined they will be to make a purchase.

Your online business won't succeed if customers can't find it when searching the Internet. Consider buying our Search Engine Optimization solutions in order to rank your Web in the search results when a user enters a keyword related to your product or service. This is known as search engine visibility, search engine optimization or SEO.