eBay has long been known as a premier eCommerce site online, dominating the online auction world since the early 2000′s. In the past decade eBay has quickly grown form one mans; dream to an online auction empire, with tens of thousands of sellers, and millions of buyers, eBay is the largest marketplace online. In fact, there is seemingly no market that hasn’t been touched by eBay! With so many products and services, it seems as if it was only a matter of time before eBay ventured into the web hosting industry. Well not too long ago, they decided to just that -with ProStores.

What Is ProStores?

Ebay’s ProStores is a unique eCommerce solution that let’s you host your eBay store, or any kind of online venue, on your own website with a variety of ecommerce tools. Before offering the ProStores service, eBay offered online stores through stores.ebay.com, however after purchasing the website development software site Kurant.com, and the ecommerce super site shopping.com, eBay then decided to venture into the web hosting industry with it’s very own web hosting solution – ProStores.

What is Special About ProStores?

One of the most interesting aspects of eBay’s ProStores web hosting is the fact that you can host about 10,000 products on your site and uploading your product descriptions is as easy as creating an eBay auction. You can also automatically link your eBay auctions to your eBay ProStores account with ease. This makes creating online catalogs extremely simple, and you can even add special fields to your online catalogs that will help your customers find your products effectively. Your site visitors can easily browse your product selection using the included search function that is similar to a compact version of the eBay search function. The checkout process is also automated by an included shopping cart that lets you easily integrate your merchant account and checkout details. Customers that shop with you through your online ProStores account will feel completely secure as they’ll be using an SSL certificate that is posted on your site for their confidence.

What Kind of Support Is Offered by eBay ProStores?

eBay ProStores offers industry leading support for their eCommerce solutions. It is this support that has lead eBay itself into becoming the largest online auction site in the world. eBay makes using their ecommerce solution super simple by providing a host of setup help wizards that walk you through the process of using every aspect of the hosting solution. You can also instantly contact support at any time of the day using the simple icons that are located in your user control panel. The core of any successful eCommerce solution is competent and readily available support, and judging by the success of eBay ProStores, I think it is safe to say they offer excellent customer support.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a way to set up your online store rather than simply hosting auctions all the time on eBay, then you may want to consider having an eBay ProStores account. By having an account with ProStores you’ll be able to safely and easily link all of your eBay auctions with your online store automatically.

Choosing an eCommerce web hosting plan can be a very difficult process, especially when one considers all of the aspects that need to be taken into consideration before an informed decision can be made. Perhaps even more difficult than selecting an eCommerce hosting plan, is actually going through the process of becoming acquainted with the hosting account once you have purchased it.

With so many modules and options, it can be difficult to keep your mind on the important issues, such as business expansion and security. The latter of the aforementioned terms (security), may be the single most important factor in creating any business website.

What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is essentially a certificate that is placed on your website that lets your visitors know that your site is in compliance with SSL protocol. SSL is a secure method of file transfer that ensures that any information sent to and from a website is encrypted and completely protected from third-party interception. Even more important than the actual security of a website, is the trust and confidence that visitors place in the security of that website. You can have the most secure website in the world, however if you’re visitors are not aware of the security measures you employ, then they are likely to assume your site is insecure.

Do I Absolutely Need an SSL Certificate?

A website without an SSL certificate will undoubtedly be seen in this light by many of its more knowledgeable visitors, and therefore will ultimately suffer in terms of sales volume. To prevent  this from happening, you’ll need to make sure you not only have all of the proper security measures in place, but that you also make this information readily available in your site’s privacy policy and on all checkout pages. If you’re running a site that does not directly process payments or other critical data that contains financial or personal information, then you will not necessarily need an SSL certificate. However, if you are operating an eCommerce sites that sells items and process payments, then an SSL certificate is absolutely crucial to the success and sustenance of your online business.

Obtaining an SSL Certificate

There are several methods that can be used to obtain an SSL certificate. In some cases, your web hosting provider will offer the SSL certificate as an included feature with a  hosting plan. In fact, many web hosting companies do offer SSL certificates along with their standard eCommerce plans. If you are planning on operating several eCommerce websites, then you’ll need to make sure you have an IP address for each of these sites. This is important to note, as many web hosting companies do not allow you to have multiple IP addresses per hosting account. In most cases you’ll need to buy a separate hosting account for each eCommerce site. Although this may be slightly time consuming, it will help you offer a secure website for your visitors.

The search for a good web hosting company can be very confusing, especially with the ever increasing selection. Each company promises they are the best, so who do you believe? Before you can make your decision, you should know that all features are irrelevant unless the web hosting service offers top notch security. Before deciding on a web host you’ll want to make sure they are capable of keeping your website secure. The following terms will help you make your decision by letting you know what you should be looking for.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

SSL is an encryption protocol that keeps all of your website’s communications, both incoming and outgoing, secure from intruders. The incoming information ( credit card numbers, addresses, emails) is the most sensitive information and can be used by hackers to commit fraud with your customers’ information. For this reason SSL is one of the most important security features, and most online shoppers will not buy products or services form you if you do not have an SSL certificate posted on your website.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP is a network security protocol that facilitates file transfer on both internal and external networks.  FTP is an important security feature because it gives the webmaster the ability to manage site accessibility and send files securely.

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)

SFTP is a stronger version of FTP, offering more of a guarantee than standard FTP by using a secure shell to transfer data over the internet and between networked computers. Serious business owners will want to make sure their web host offers this as part of their security package.

Firewall

Nearly every web host is protected by a firewall of some sort, however not all web hosts give the end-user access to the administrative functions of the firewall. If you are serious about the security of your website, then you will choose a host that grants customer access to the configuration of their site’s firewall.

Spam Filter

You may think spam is just a nuisance, however there are many hackers that use spam to plant nasty viruses on your computer. Among the bad things that can happen because of simple spam is phishing (password stealing), and even data loss caused by malicious software. Spam not only threatens the security of your website and the safety of your computer, it also consumes plenty of bandwidth and it clutters your inbox with unwanted messages. A spam filter will solve nearly all of the potential problems that are caused by spam.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection

A DDoS attack is very well know yet common attack executed by a hacker with access to multiple compromised computers. This attack is particularly dangerous because it can comprise an entire network of computers in short period of time.  Every website on the server, including yours will be affected detrimentally. In fact it is more than likely that the end-users will be affected the most by this type of attack. It is vital that you make sure your web hosting service has protection measures in place to prevent this kind of attack.

Once a web site has been established and is ready to roll, an important piece of software that might make the road to success a bit easier is a good control panel.  Control panels allow web site owners the ability to administer their accounts via a web interface.  Of the many programs available, DirectAdmin is one control panel that is easy to use, stable and is competitively priced.

User Features

On the user end of things, DirectAdmin has a number of helpful features that make administering a web site a thing of ease.  Five different menus are presented – e-mail, ftp, dns, statistics, and sub-domains.  FrontPage extensions can be easily enabled or disabled by clicking a button.  Instead of using ftp, users can opt to use the built in file manager to upload files and create new directories.  DirectAdmin also has an advanced tools section where users can install SSL certificates, view server information and even enable site redirection and domain pointers.

Reseller Features

For resellers, DirectAdmin is an administrative gift.  New hosting accounts can be created instantly and current accounts can be modified or deleted as needed.  Predefined account packages can be created allowing even quicker account creation.  The built in ticket support system is designed to allow resellers to contact all resold account owners in case of system wide messages.  IPs can be allocated and name servers can be personalized.  All in all, DirectAdmin works well for resellers.

Administrator Features

Server administrators benefit greatly from DirectAdmin as well.  Resellers and admin accounts can be created quickly, predefined reseller packages can be set up, and IPs can be easily allocated all within the administrator’s portion of the DirectAdmin program.  Every aspect of server administration is controlled through the control panel making the life of an administrator just a bit less hectic.

Overall Features

DirectAdmin comes bundled with a ticket support system.  When logging into the system, administrators and support staff will be greeted with how many messages are waiting to be attended to.  The ticket support system can be configured to send e-mail notifications when a ticket has been created.  DirectAdmin is set to update live which means no more having to manually download and install new versions of software.  A quick click on the “licensing/updates” button performs the update without hassle.  The control panel program is also completely customizable allowing web hosting providers to make their “premier” control panel unique and part of their web site theme.

Cost

Pricing for DirectAdmin is split into several options.  For $29 each month, web hosting providers can opt for a monthly license.  To save a bit of money, providers can go with the yearly option offered at $200 per year.  The most economical over time is the “Lifetime License.”  For a one-time fee of $299.00, web hosts can outright own their own copy of the control panel software.  This last option also comes with 90 days of technical support.

Final Thoughts

Administrating a web site, reseller site or an entire server should not be a chore.  DirectAdmin is one control panel that takes the hard work out of being a web site owner and makes it fun again.

You don’t have to be all that familiar with the internet to be aware of online credit card fraud and identity theft.  Just like you, consumers grow more weary with each publicized security breach. This added consciousness results in more shoppers who are reluctant to provide their credit card details online.  Unfortunately, this reality also has a direct impact on any business with an online storefront.  Consumer confidence is declining rapidly but you can help maintain it by incorporating SSL into your site.

What is SSL?

SSL (Security Sockets Layer) is a security protocol used to enable secure communications online.  With an SSL certificate, you get the benefit of a proven method that creates an encrypted tunnel between the customer’s web browser on the client side, and your website on the server side.  Therefore, instead of traveling over the insecure internet in vulnerable plain-text, credit card numbers are encrypted and scrambled so they can’t be read by intruders.  Right now, 128-bit encryption is the standard for SSL certificates as previous versions have been rendered insecure.  The algorithm used to form this security level of security is virtually impossible to break, ensuring that the communications between you and your customers are safe.

Where to Get a Certificate

In order to get an SSL certificate, you must go through a company known as a CA or Certificate Authority.  Verisign is the most popular and trusted authority with GeoTrust and Thawte making up the next reputable options.  At the basic level, all SSL certificates provide the same type of security.  A 128-bit certificate from GeoTrust will encrypt the communications between the server and client just as one from VeriSign would.  This is good news for smaller needs as basic certificates are more affordable and provide adequate security.  You will find that the price soars when adding on additional services that you may or may not need.  Because some authorities will try to sell you whatever they can, it is important to do some investing before you go spending beyond your requirements.

Installing Your Certificate

In most cases, installing an SSL certificate is relatively easy regardless of your technical abilities.  Most hosting providers offer certificates as add-on products and generally provide guidance for installing it.  This process is usually a simple one that can be performed through an advanced control panel interface on your own.  If not, a good host will be more than happy to install the certificate for you.  Once installed, the certificate is immediately activated and starts protecting your website transactions right way.  Do yourself a favor by finding a provider that allows you to incorporate your own certificate should you choose not to purchase it from them.

Keep the Internet Criminals at Bay

There are some features your e-commerce site can do without but an SSL certificate isn’t one of them.  Consumers grow more conscious about shopping online everyday as internet fraud is at a record high.   Gather some information about the most reliable certificate authorities and choose one that can provide the best level of security for your site.   Remember this: your inventory will collect a lot of dust if no one feels safe purchasing it.