SSL and Shared Hosting

An SSL certificate allows you to use SSL protection on your eCommerce site. Once you have SSL protection enabled on your site you can place a seal on your checkout page that let’s your customers know that you are utilizing SSL protocol. Many customers simply will not buy a product or service from you online without knowing that your site is protected via SSL. SSL is a file transfer protocol, and in order to use this secure file transfer protocol you absolutely need an SSL certificate. The problem with shared hosting is that you cannot have several SSL certificates with most shared hosting plans. This means you cannot have more than one secure eCommerce site on your shared hosting plan, even though the plan may advertise “unlimited domains”. In order to secure each online shop you would need a new hosting account for each site, which could become more costly than simply purchasing a dedicated or VPS hosting plan.

Shared Hosting and Dedicated IP Addresses

Another potential downfall to a shared hosting plans in regards to eCommerce is the fact that you are sharing an IP block with other webmasters. This means you have to worry about the actions of websites that you are not affiliated with, as there are some cases when entire blocks of IP addresses can be disabled for spamming and other illegitimate activity. In some cases you may even share an exact IP address with other websites. Even though your sites are not related to these sites in any way, there is a distinct possibility that your search engine ranking could be affected by the action of these sites, since you share an online identity with them. In the world of eCommerce, a lower search engine ranking equates to lower sales and less profit.

Limited Server Resources

Another aspect of shared hosting that makes it generally unsuitable for a successful eCommerce site is the overall lack of server resources. Since you will be sharing a server with other users, your site will not have access to as much bandwidth, disk space and other resources that contribute to the functionality of your site. This means your site’s visitors may have to deal with slow page loading, and you may even have to deal with site downtime.

SEO and Reseller Hosting

One of the most important aspects of running an online storefront is search engine optimization. After all what good is having an online store if no one can find your products or services. The best way to build up your search engine ranking is to build links. Building links means building up a large number of backlinks on the web that point back to your site, and these links give your page a higher PR. The more links you have coming form high PR pages, the higher your PR is going to be. Unfortunately, you can’t just set up a plethoraof web pages on the same IP address and link them back to each other, as Google will see this as spam. Instead you need multiple IP addresses, which a reseller hosting account can provide.

Reselling vs Hording

With reseller hosting you have two options. You can split up the server resources into segments and sell them, or you can horde these resources for yourself. Reseller hosting plans generally offer a good value in comparison to other hosting plans, however there are some hidden advantages that are specifically designed to help you sell your hosting plans. For example, there are tools that help you customize your CMS or control panel, which gives your hosting brand a professional and independent appearance. Selling reseller hosting plans is all about making your site and hosting company look as self-sufficient and professional as possible.

The Advantages of Reseller Hosting With eCommerce

As mentioned, you can use reseller hosting to improve your search engine rankings and you can also use it to generate a substantial residual monthly income. However you can also use reseller hosting to host your eCommerce sites, which is especially beneficial if you’re selling web-based services such as web design. You can add the fact that you are hosting your own sites on your own hosting accounts as an added selling point for your hosting customer. You can even offer free trials of your hosting service through your eCommerce site, by letting people set up blogs on your site with platforms like WordPress MU. Anything that you can do to boost sales, and represent your web hosting reselling company professionally will help you generate residual income in the long run.

The Christmas season ends and next thing we know, Christmas advertisements are showing on television, in the newspaper and on the internet. As an internet merchant, it’s always best to be prepared; even months in advance.

Since the Christmas season is the biggest and most profitable shopping season each year, e-commerce stores must cater to the customer by presenting the products with a holiday spirit. By creating a festive and friendly store, it gives the consumer the same warm feeling of walking in to a brick-and-mortar establishment.

There are a few improvements internet store owners can make including;

• Don’t over decorate
• Ensure an accurate seasonal delivery schedule
• Offer clear and direct contact information
• Utilize customer feedback
• Place the best sellers up front

It’s a nice touch to decorate the online store in a Christmas motif as this leaves the consumer feeling warm and in the spirit to spend. However, don’t overdo it by blocking products with stockings or Santa’s sleigh. The primary goal to e-commerce is presenting the product to the consumer in a manner that’s appealing to their tastes. Also, keep your brand image alive by allowing the customer to see the full name of the store.

Christmas is also the busiest shipping time of the year. Ensure the seasonal delivery schedule is accurate. A sad child on Christmas morning because mom didn’t receive the package in time is not good business. Product shipping problems during this time of year can make or break customer retention.

Always be accessible or having someone available to respond to phone calls or emails. Also, ensure that the contact information is easily found on the site and accurate to address any issues that may arise. Additionally, post business hours of when customer service will be available to answer emails or phone calls.

Customer feedback and reviews are gold. If a customer didn’t like a specific aspect of the web store, listen to them and fix the issue. Make sure to get all the kinks out before the Christmas season begins.

Finally it’s favorable to place the best selling products on the first page. Many make the mistake of burying the consumers in pages of product when they are simply looking for the most popular good of the season. Customers want fast and convenient service, so provide it to them.

The basic premise to remember is; give the customer what they want. Make the site easy to navigate, position the most popular products where they can easily be found, offer excellent customer service and accurate shipping times. Following these easy tips can improve a web store’s profit and customer retention rate.

The following information should help you understand why eCommerce accounts are ideal for online business, especially retail businesses.

Bridging the Gap

eCommerce hosting accounts bridge the gap between the customer and the online business, providing the convenience needed to facilitate a smooth transaction on both ends. Tools like the shopping cart for example bring a real-life feel to the virtual storefront, letting the customer buy several items at once with ease, calculate shipping costs and even compare prices between products. While a regular website would use contact forms and other less automated methods of communication, an eCommerce site is specifically design to provide 24 hour customer service that is maintained automatically. Without the solid features of an eCommerce hosting account, most online businesses would undoubtedly fail to prosper.

Accepting Payments

Perhaps the most important attribute of an eCommerce hosting account is the merchant services that are provided with the plan. Merchant services are financial gateways that let the business owner collect payment through a variety of methods without having to deal with the headache of accepting each payment method individually. For example, the business owner can collect fund from Paypal and all major credit cards without owning a point of sale device, or even owning a Paypal account. While the eCommerce itself cannot do this automatically, it does provide easy integration with such services.

Building Online Shops

Another aspect of eCommerce hosting that is unique is the ability to create online shops quickly, by setting up product catalogs that are fully interactive and fully indexed within a searchable database. In these product catalogs the site owner can import pictures of products, and create a feedback system in which their customers can submit reviews, rate products, and even comment on their experiences with the products. The free input provided by previous clientel is a powerful selling point for prospective customers, as it shows the site owners willingness to keep their business practices transparent.

Keeping it All Running Smoothly

To keep the above features operating optimally eCommerce accounts come with adequate server resources, capable of storing massive product catalogs and transferring data with hundreds of site visitors simultaneously. eCommerce hosting plans also include special security features such as SSL certificates, which ensure the secure transfer of confidential financial information during purchases. If a security lapse were to occur, the consequences could be devastating for both the online business and the customer. Good security practices are absolutely essential when operating an online storefront in any market. The aforementioned features and attributes make eCommerce hosting the ideal solution for online shop owners.

EPages is a piece of e-commerce software that targets enterprise clients as well as hosting providers. They are a market leader in Europe and are just beginning to break into the United States marketplace. With the European Seal of e-Excellence award in the 2008, EPages continues to offer an innovative product.

This software is perfect for small to mid-sized businesses looking to sell their products and services online. It is extremely user-friendly so it can be utilized by all abilities; from beginners looking to start an online store, to an expert searching for a new platform.

Beginners have the luxury of pre-configured virtual shops that can actually be leased for a specific monthly cost. The user selects from one of many templates and just adds the store’s name; it’s that simple. Also every feature of the store can be customized including:

• Buttons
• Colors
• Images
• Media
• Links
• Newsletters
• Statistics
• Selling features

Epages gives its users every feature they need to setup and maintain an impressive and effective website. Since the presentation of products and services is a vital aspect to online stores, Epages covers this with attractive and appealing pre-coded templates.

For web hosting providers, Epages has proven to be an excellent method for expanding business. The Epages system allows web hosting clients to create and maintain an unlimited number of e-shops that they can in-turn lease to their customers. This allows hosting providers to expand and offer a niche product that is appealing to those looking to start an e-commerce business.

Given the number of web hosting providers currently available, this allows new providers to break into the industry with a new product that differentiates them from the many other hosts. Web hosting providers simply offer their clients a vast selection of e-commerce packages available for lease, all created through the Epages software system.

Epages is an appealing and economical product that can help individuals, small to mid-sized businesses and even web hosting providers start and improve their business. With the ability to customize everything, Epages is at the forefront of online shopping website innovation.