Chapter 5: E-Commerce Web Site Creation | Electronic Commerce (Charles River Media Networking/Security)

“If God created us in His image we have certainly returned the compliment.”

—Voltaire (1694–1778)

Your business may be small—but the Internet lets you think big. Whatever product or service your business offers, the Internet levels the playing field and lets you compete with bigger businesses, reaching customers around the world who can conveniently buy from you 24 hours a day.

The Elements of E-Commerce

In the competitive world of the Web, however, growing your business and increasing your profits online requires some careful planning. For every successful e-commerce business, there are dozens that fail by not addressing basic risks and pitfalls along the way. So, to take full advantage of the e-commerce opportunity, make sure you base your Web business on a solid foundation that covers every element of e-commerce:

Establish your identity: The right domain name, or URL, can make the difference between a memorable e-commerce identity and getting lost in the online crowd.

Find the right online home: For brick-and-mortar stores, location is everything. Your e-commerce business needs the right home, too. Purchase and set up your own Web server, or find a home for your site with the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Web host.

Build an attractive storefront: With the right tools, creating a Web site is easier than ever—but following some basic guidelines will help make your site easy and fun for customers to navigate. And that means more sales for you.

Let customers know they can trust you: In the anonymous world of the Internet, customers will communicate private information^[4], such as credit card numbers or phone numbers^[3], to your e-commerce site only if they’re sure your site is legitimate and the information they send you is protected. Make sure your site is secure—and that your customers know it.

Make it easy for customers to pay you: You can set up your site so customers can pay by simply keying in a credit card number. But then how will you process that transaction? Make sure you not only offer customers a variety of convenient payment methods, but that you can process them all.

Let the world know about your site: A memorable domain name, a great-looking design, and top-notch products and services can make your site successful only if customers know about it. Don’t neglect promoting your site to drive traffic to it^[1].

Clearly, building the elements of e-commerce into your Web business is a big job, but it’s too important to ignore if you want your e-business to grow and thrive. Just take the following steps to ensure that your e-commerce business gives you the competitive edge.

Establish your online identity with the right Web address.
Build a user-friendly site.
Set up your Web server—or select an ISP to host your site.
Secure your site.
Accept and manage all kinds of payments.
Test, test, test.
Promote your site.
Now, start selling.

Step 1: Establishing Your Online Identity with the Right Web Address

The first step toward e-commerce is selecting the name of your site. Your Web address (also called an URL—Uniform Resource Locator—or “domain name”) tells customers who you are and how to find you on the Internet. It is the core of your Internet identity—your online brand. And, because no two parties can have the same Web address, your online identity is totally unique.

What’s in a Name?

Quite a lot, actually. Remember that not only does your domain name tell customers exactly how to find your business on the Web, but it also communicates and reinforces the name of your business to every Web site visitor. It can also be used as part of your e-mail address to establish your online identity. Keep these tips in mind before you choose a name:

Make it memorable: “Amazon.com” is much catchier than “buyyourbooksonline.com.”

Describe your business: Another approach is to simply and logically describe your business. “Flowers.com” works perfectly for a florist. In addition, if you are setting up an online presence for an established business, keep the name of your site the same as the name of your business.

Keep it short: The best domain names are those that customers can remember and type into their browsers after seeing or hearing them only once, so complicated strings of words like “onlinecdstore.com” don’t work as well as a simple phrase: “cdnow.com”^[1].

How to Get and Manage Domain Names

After you’ve decided on your Web identity, the next step is to determine if it is available and then register it with a domain name “registrar.” Registering is easy and inexpensive, so do it as soon as you’ve decided on your domain name to make sure you get the name you want. Many businesses register a number of variations, just in case they want to use them later—or to avoid the risk of competitors obtaining similar names. A Scandinavian financial service company, for example, recently spent more than $5 million to register 7,424 domain names. You also may want to register common misspellings so that all customers who incorrectly type your address still find their way to your site instead of receiving an error message.

E-commerce businesses most often register a name with “.com” as the domain name suffix (the letters after the dot; also called a top-level domain, or TLD), but often also register their names with “.net” and “.org” (for “organization”). Other suffixes include “.tv” and “.edu” for schools and universities. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently announced seven new TLDs—.biz, .info, .name, .pro, .museum, .aero, and .coop.

Tip

Network Solutions is one of the leading domain name registrars. To search for an available name and register it with Network Solutions, go to http://www.networksolutions.com/catalog/domainname, enter the Web address you’ve chosen in the designated box, and click “Go!” In seconds, you’ll know if the name is available. Registering a name costs as little as $30 per year; furthermore, registering with a domain name registrar also automatically lists your site with leading search engines, and is a great way to promote your site (see step 7 later in this chapter).

How to Buy an Existing Domain Name

What happens if the domain name you want is already registered? You can either choose another name or buy your first choice from whoever got it first. The fact that the name you want has already been registered doesn’t necessarily mean it is not available for sale. You can easily find out whether a domain name that has already been registered is for sale by checking out the domain name marketplace site at http://www.greatdomains.com.

How to Register Domain Names Worldwide

The Internet is global—shouldn’t your business be, too? Registration of multiple domain names for use around the world protects your intellectual property, brand name, and trademarks against infringement by global cybersquatters. If you plan to do business in other countries, you can register country-specific Web addresses (in country-specific TLDs, such as .ita for Italy and .uk for the United Kingdom) with Network Solutions’ idNames search and registration service. But as your business grows, you may find that registering and managing multiple domain names is a complex, time-consuming process. IdNames can also consolidate worldwide domain name management into a single centralized account if you have 50 or more domains. After you’ve established your Web identity by selecting and registering your domain names, it’s time to build your site.

Tip

Go to http://www.networksolutions.com/catalog/idnames for more information.

Step 2: Building a User-Friendly Site

With a domain name in place, you’re ready to start building your e-commerce storefront. But, before you begin, take some time to plan.

Planning Your Site Carefully

You must first identify clear marketing goals for your site, such as generating leads, building a database of potential customers’ names and e-mail addresses, or putting a product catalog online to save the time and expense of printing and mailing. Now, you need to quantify your objectives (such as increasing sales by 15 percent), so you know whether or not your site is successful.

Next, you need to figure out what your potential customers need to know before buying your products and services. This might include:

An overview of your company, its products and services, and their applications
Complete product or service descriptions, including features, key benefits, pricing, product specifications, and other information, for each product or service
Testimonials, case studies, or success stories so customers can see how similar individuals or organizations have worked with you
A frequently asked questions (FAQ) section that anticipates and answers customers’ common issues^[1]

You also need to plan the structure of your site, focusing on making it easy for customers to learn what they need to know, make a purchase decision, and then buy quickly. In addition, you need to create a site map that outlines every page on your site from the home page down and how customers get from one page to the next. Furthermore, you also need to use tools that quantitatively measure site activity (where customers are clicking, how often, and whether they end up purchasing), and then compare the results with your goals.

Choosing the Right Web Site Building Tools

With a solid plan in hand, you’re now ready to start constructing your e-commerce site. Many e-commerce businesses turn to professional design studios to create their Web sites. But, if your budget is limited, many Web site building tools make it fast and easy for you to create a polished, professional-looking site—with no in-depth HTML knowledge necessary. For example, Image Caf from Network Solutions, is one of the easiest. It’s an online Web site building tool that lets you choose from a variety of professional-quality templates and then customize them with your own identity and information. You can preview your site online while you are building it, and when your site is finished, you can instantly send it to an Image Caf hosting partner to publish it on the Web (see step 3 later in this chapter to learn more about site hosting). The entire process can put you on the Internet in less than 24 hours at convenient and affordable monthly prices.

E-Commerce Site Design Tips

Now, let’s look at the following basic guidelines. They will help make your site not only attractive, but also easy for customers to use—and that means easy for customers to buy from you:

Carefully examine your own favorite e-commerce sites.
Your home page is your site’s (and your business’s) online front door.
Make it easy for customers to explore your site.
Keep things simple.
Keep download times short^[1].

Examining Your Favorite E-Commerce Sites

You need to carefully examine your own favorite e-commerce sites. By creatively adapting the most compelling marketing and design techniques, you will enhance your site’s effectiveness.

Your Home Page Is Your Site’s Online Front Door

It’s essential that your home page makes a good first impression on visitors. You need to make sure it clearly presents the following basic elements that customers are always likely to look for:

Your company name, logo, and slogan should be prominently displayed. Take full advantage of the opportunity to showcase your brand identity.
A link to an “About the Company” page should be available for customers to quickly learn who you are and what your business offers.
A site menu listing the basic subsections of your site should be in the same place on every page throughout your site to make it easy to navigate.
A “What’s New” section for news, announcements, and product promotions should be frequently updated to encourage customers to return often.
Your contact information should be easy for visitors to find your phone number, e-mail address, mailing address, and fax number.
Your privacy statement, clearly describing your business’s policy for protecting customer’s personal information should be easily found^[1].

Making It Easy for Customers to Explore Your Site

As you build your site, try to minimize the number of clicks it takes the customer to go from your home page to actually being able to click “Buy” and check out. Four to six is a useful rule of thumb. You need to make sure links make sense, so customers know what to click to find what they’re looking for. Don’t make your navigation buttons or links too dominant an element in your site design: instead, focus on product information.

Keeping Things Simple

You should not fill up your site with graphics, animations, and other visual bells and whistles. Instead, you need to stick to the same basic color palette and fonts your company uses in other communications, such as your logo, brochures, and signage. It’s important to ensure that images and graphics serve to enhance, not distract from, your marketing goals. Make sure your text is easy to read—black letters on a white background may not be terribly original, but they are easier on the eyes than orange type on a purple background.

Keeping Download Times Short

You should also test pages to make sure they’re not too overloaded with graphics that slow load times, and you should minimize the size of your images when possible. According to the Boston Consulting Group, nearly half of online shoppers surveyed said they left sites when pages took too long to download. For example, Zona Research estimates that most Web pages take anywhere from 4 to 12 seconds to load, depending on the user’s modem and Internet connection (remember: many e-commerce customers shop from home using slower connections). Most users click away to another site or log off if a page takes more than eight seconds to load, costing e-commerce businesses billions in lost potential revenue.

You’ve now completed step 2. You’re now ready to put your site on the Internet.

Step 3: Setting Up Your Web Server—Or Selecting an ISP to Host Your Site

Your Web site is a series of files that reside on a special computer, called a Web server, connected to the Internet. For customers to visit your site, they must actually connect to that Web server via the Internet and view the files. Web servers and the Internet connections that link them to visitors must be fast and powerful enough to quickly respond to all the visitors’ requests to view your site.

Many businesses prefer the complete control of purchasing, setting up, and managing their own Web server hardware and software. Other small- and medium-sized e-commerce businesses prefer to turn to an ISP or Web hosting company, instead of investing in the hardware, software, and infrastructure necessary to get online. For a monthly fee, ISPs and Web hosting companies will connect your site to the Internet at high speed via one of their Web servers, allowing the site to be viewed by anyone with an Internet connection and a Web browser. The host provides your site with space on a server, and also offers Web server software, access to its high-speed Internet connection, tools for managing and maintaining your site, customer support, e-commerce features, and more.

There are hundreds of ISP and Web hosting options to choose from, so look for one that can meet all your needs. You should look for the following in a Web hosting company:

Shared hosting vs. dedicated server
Hard-disk storage space^[2]
Availability
E-mail accounts
SSL encryption
Support^[1]

Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Server

Shared hosting is an arrangement in which your site is housed on the same host server with several other Web sites. This is an economical solution for smaller sites. Paying the host for your own dedicated server, a solution used by larger and busier sites, provides faster access and ensures that your site will be accessible to visitors 100 percent of the time (instead of sharing Web server speed and power with other sites). Does your ISP or Web hosting provider offer both options?

Hard-Disk Storage Space

Smaller sites may need only 300–500 MB (megabytes) of Web site storage space, whereas busier e-commerce sites may need at least 9 GB (gigabytes) of space—or their own dedicated Web server. As your site grows, your ISP should be able to accommodate you with a range of options.

Availability

If you run an e-commerce business, your site must be accessible to customers 24 hours a day. ISPs and Web hosts maximize the availability of the sites they host using techniques such as load balancing and clustering. Can your ISP promise near-100-percent availability?

E-mail Accounts

E-mail accounts that match your domain name are often available from your ISP. Are they included with your monthly access and hosting fee?

SSL Encryption

The security of the credit card numbers, and other personal information that customers send you, should be a top concern. Does your ISP or Web host protect your site with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate? See step 4 to learn more about Web site security.

Support

A big part of the value of turning to an ISP or Web host is that you don’t have to worry about keeping the Web server running. Does your host offer 24 x 7 customer service?

Step 4: Securing Your Site

With your Internet identity established and your site built and hosted, it’s now time to turn your online storefront into a thriving e-commerce business. To do it, you must win your customers’ trust. Eighty-six percent of Web users surveyed reported that a lack of security made them uncomfortable sending credit card numbers over the Internet. E-merchants who can win the confidence of these customers will gain their business and their loyalty—and an enormous opportunity for grabbing market share and expanding sales.

The Risks of E-Commerce

In person-to-person transactions, security is based on physical cues. Consumers accept the risks of using credit cards in places such as department stores because they can see and touch the merchandise and make judgments about the store. On the Internet, without those physical cues, it is much more difficult for customers to assess the safety of your business. Also, serious security threats have emerged:

Spoofing: The low cost of Web site creation and the ease of copying existing pages makes it all too easy to create illegitimate sites that appear to be operated by established organizations. Con artists have illegally obtained credit card numbers by setting up professional-looking Web sites that mimic legitimate businesses.

Unauthorized disclosure: When purchasing information is transmitted “in the clear,” without proper security and encryption, hackers can intercept the transmissions to obtain customers’ sensitive information—such as credit card numbers.

Unauthorized action: A competitor or disgruntled customer can alter a Web site so that it malfunctions or refuses service to potential clients.

Eavesdropping: The private content of a transaction, if unprotected, can be intercepted en route over the Internet.

Data alteration: The content of a transaction can be not only intercepted, but also altered en route, either maliciously or accidentally. User names, credit card numbers, and dollar amounts sent without proper security and encryption are all vulnerable to such alteration^[1].

To take advantage of the opportunities of e-commerce and avoid the risks, you must find the answers to questions such as:

How can I be certain that my customers’ credit card information is protected from online eavesdroppers?
How can I reassure customers who come to my site that they are doing business with me, not with a fake set up to steal their credit card numbers?
After I’ve found a way to authoritatively identify my business to customers and protect private customer information on the Web, what’s the best way to let customers know about it, so that they can confidently transact business with me^[1]?

So, the process of addressing these general security questions boils down to these goals:

Authentication: Your customers must be able to assure themselves that they are in fact doing business with you—not a “spoof” site masquerading as you.

Confidentiality: Sensitive information and transactions on your Web site, such as the transmission of credit card information, must be kept private and secure.

Data integrity: Communication between you and your customers must be protected from alteration by third parties in transmission on the Internet.

Proof of communication: A person must not be able to deny that he sent a secured communication or made an online purchase^[1].

The Trust Solution: SSL Certificates for Authentication and Encryption

Digital certificates for your Web site (or “SSL certificates”) are the answer for the preceding security questions. Installed on your Web server, a SSL certificate is a digital credential that enables your customers to verify your site’s authenticity and to securely communicate with it. SSL certificates allow your e-business to provide customers with the world’s highest level of trust. A SSL certificate assures them that your Web site is legitimate, that they are really doing business with you, and that confidential information (such as credit card numbers) transmitted to you online is protected.

How SSL Certificates Work

SSL certificates take advantage of the state-of-the-art Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol that was developed by Netscape . SSL has become the universal standard for authenticating Web sites to Web browser users, and for encrypting communications between browser users and Web servers. Because SSL is built into all major browsers and Web servers, simply installing a digital certificate, or SSL certificate, enables SSL capabilities.

SSL Server Authentication

SSL server authentication allows users to confirm a Web server’s identity. SSL-enabled client software, such as a Web browser, can automatically check that a server’s certificate and public ID are valid and have been issued by a certificate authority (CA; such as VeriSign) listed in the client software’s list of trusted CAs. SSL server authentication is vital for secure e-commerce transactions in which, for example, users send credit card numbers over the Web and first want to verify the receiving server’s identity.

Encrypted SSL Connection

An encrypted SSL connection requires that all information sent between a client and a server be encrypted by the sending software and decrypted by the receiving software, thus protecting private information from interception over the Internet. In addition, all data sent over an encrypted SSL connection is protected with a mechanism for detecting tampering—that is, for automatically determining whether the data has been altered in transit. This means that users can confidently send private data, such as credit card numbers, to a Web site, trusting that SSL keeps it private and confidential. So, with the preceding in mind, the SSL certificate process works as follows:

A customer contacts your site and accesses a page secured by a SSL certificate (indicated by a URL that begins with “https:” instead of just “http:” or by a message from the browser).
Your server responds, automatically sending the customer your site’s digital certificate, which authenticates your site.
Your customer’s Web browser generates a unique “session key” to encrypt all communications with the site. The user’s browser encrypts the session key itself with your site’s public key so only your site can read the session key.
A secure session is now established. It all takes only seconds and requires no action by the customer. Depending on the browser, the customer may see a key icon becoming whole or a padlock closing, indicating that the session is secure^[1].

SSL certificates come in two strengths: 40-bit and 128-bit (the numbers refer to the length of the “session key” generated for each encrypted transaction). The longer the key, the more difficult it is to break the encryption code. The 128-bit SSL encryption is the world’s strongest: according to RSA Labs, it would take a trillion years to crack a 128-bit session key using today’s technology. For example, the primary difference between the two types of VeriSign SSL certificates is the strength of the SSL session that each enables. Microsoft and Netscape, for instance, offer two versions of their Web browsers, export and domestic, that enable different levels of encryption depending on the type of SSL certificate with which the browser is communicating.

How to Get SSL Certificates

Many leading ISPs and Web hosting providers (such as VeriSign—the Internet Trust Company) offer a complete range of products and services to help you secure your Web site.

Commerce Site and Secure Web Site Solutions

Thus, providers are offering SSL certificates in two encryption strengths: 128-bit SSL (Global Server) IDs and 40-bit SSL (Secure Server) IDs. The 128-bit SSL (Global Server) IDs enable the world’s strongest SSL encryption with both domestic and export versions of Microsoft and Netscape browsers. The 128-bit SSL Global Server IDs are the standard for large-scale online merchants, banks, brokerages, healthcare organizations, and insurance companies worldwide. On the other hand, the 40-bit SSL (Secure Server) IDs are ideal for lower-volume, security-sensitive Web sites, intranets, and extranets.

Commerce site services are complete, e-commerce solutions that are ideal for e-merchants and online stores. A commerce site includes a 40-bit SSL (Secure Server) ID and online payment management services, plus an array of additional value-added services. Online payment services enable businesses to easily accept, manage, and process payments electronically (see step 5 to learn more about facilitating e-commerce payments on your site). In addition, an e-commerce site also includes a 128-bit SSL (Global Server) ID, online payment services, and an array of additional value-added services.

Secure Web site services are best for Web sites, intranets, and extranets that require the leading SSL certificates and Web site services. A secure Web site also includes a 40-bit SSL (Secure Server) ID, plus additional value-added services. A secure site also includes a 128-bit SSL (Global Server) ID and value-added services.

As previously mentioned, many leading ISPs and Web hosting providers include SSL certificates with their e-commerce packages. When choosing an ISP, look for one that offers SSL certificates. If you are obtaining your SSL certificate through your ISP or Web hosting company, your host may ask you to enroll for your certificate yourself, because you are the owner of the domain name to which the SSL certificate will correspond. Make sure you ask your hosting company for the information you’ll need to complete the enrollment process, including:

A CSR, or “Certificate Signing Request”: This is an encrypted file, generated by the Web server that is hosting your site. This file contains a public key, the name of your company, its location, and your URL. Because your Web hosting provider operates the Web server on which your site is hosted, your Web hosting provider must generate the CSR and send it to you for use during Server ID enrollment.

The kind of server software your Web hosting provider uses: As part of the SSL certificate enrollment process, you’ll be asked to select your Server Software Vendor, in addition to your CSR.

A technical contact: Your Web hosting provider should be able to give you the name of its appropriate technical contact for you to complete the enrollment process^[1].

One more thing—if you use multiple Web servers for your site, it’s important that you use a unique SSL certificate on each one to meet licensing requirements.

Code-Signing IDs

If your e-commerce site offers downloadable software, content, or code, you can digitally “shrink-wrap” it so customers can be confident that it hasn’t been altered or corrupted in transmission. All you need is a special code-signing digital certificate, or digital ID.

E-Mail IDs

Installed in your Web browser or e-mail software, an e-mail digital certificate—or digital ID—serves as your online passport, allowing you to digitally sign e-mail messages. Your e-mail digital ID assures recipients that messages really came from you, and also allows you to encrypt messages, using your recipient’s digital ID, so only your recipient can decrypt and read your messages. Installing and using e-mail digital IDs is easy with virtually all Web browsers and e-mail programs.

Your Privacy and Security Statement

A vital component of every e-commerce Web site is a comprehensive security and privacy statement that describes exactly how your business secures information and uses it. This is extremely important to your customers. For example, TRUSTe, a nonprofit association supported by businesses such as VeriSign, AT&T, Netscape, Land’s End, and Wired, regulates the use of data collected on the Web. By abiding by the association’s rules regarding use of information collected on your site, you can display the TRUSTe logo as yet another symbol of trust.

Step 5: Accepting and Managing All Kinds of Payments

With an SSL-secured site, your customers will have the confidence to purchase your goods and services. But enabling customers to pay you online takes more than just collecting their credit card numbers or other payment information. What will you do with customer payment information once it’s sent to you? How can you verify that customer’s credit card information is valid? How will you go about processing and managing those payments with a complex network of financial institutions?

You could simply set up a credit card terminal and process orders manually. But why invest the time and effort to build an e-commerce site without taking advantage of the efficiency of online payment processing? To offer a complete e-commerce experience to customers and to efficiently manage payments for your business, you need to implement an “Internet payment gateway” that provides Internet connectivity between buyers, sellers, and the financial networks that move money between them.

The Internet Payment Processing System

Before you implement a payment gateway, you need to understand how the Internet payment processing system works. Participants in a typical online payment transaction include:

Your customer: Typically, a holder of a payment instrument (such as a credit card, debit card, or electronic check) from an issuer.

The issuer: A financial institution, such as a bank, that provides your customer with a payment instrument. The issuer is responsible for the cardholder’s debt payment.

The merchant: Your e-commerce site, which sells goods or services to the cardholder via a Web site. A merchant that accepts payment cards must have an Internet merchant account with an acquirer.

The acquirer: A financial institution that establishes an account with you, the merchant, and processes payment authorizations and payments. The acquirer provides authorization to the merchant that a given account is active and that the proposed purchase does not exceed the customer’s credit limit. The acquirer also provides electronic transfer of payments to your account, and is then reimbursed by the issuer via the transfer of electronic funds over a payment network.

The payment gateway: Operated by a third-party provider, the gateway system processes merchant payments by providing an interface between your e-commerce site and the acquirer’s financial processing system.

The processor: A large data center that processes credit card transactions and settles funds to merchants. The processor is connected to your site on behalf of an acquirer via a payment gateway^[1].

The basic steps of an online payment transaction using a payment gateway system include the following:

The customer places an order online by selecting items from your Web site and sending you a list. Your site often replies with an order summary of the items, their price, a total, and an order number.
The customer sends the order, including payment data, to you. The payment information is usually encrypted by an SSL pipeline set up between the customer’s Web browser and your Web server’s SSL certificate.
Your e-commerce site requests payment authorization from the payment gateway, which routes the request to banks and payment processors. Authorization is a request to charge a cardholder, and must be settled for the cardholder’s account to be charged. This ensures that the payment is approved by the issuer, and guarantees that you will be paid.
You confirm the order and supply the goods or services to the customer.
You then request payment, sending the request to the payment gateway, which handles the payment processing with the processor.
Transactions are settled, or routed by the acquiring bank to your acquiring bank for deposit^[1].

So, how do you implement a payment gateway to process payments on your e-commerce site? Building your own dedicated pipeline to connect all the players isn’t a practical option, so for small- and-medium-sized businesses, outsourcing to a payment service provider is the best solution.

Setting Up Your Internet Merchant Account

After you’ve selected and set up your payment processing solution, all you need to start accepting online payments is an Internet merchant account with a financial institution that enables you to accept credit cards or purchase cards for payments over the Internet. You can obtain an Internet merchant account from any financial institution that supports the following processors:

First Data Merchant Service (FDMS)
Paymentech (Salem)
Vital Processing Services
Nova Information Systems^[1]

The preceding includes most banks. Obtaining a merchant account can take anywhere from two days to three weeks.

Step 6: Test, Test, Test

You may be eager to launch your e-commerce storefront, but take time to review and test your site thoroughly before going live. You will only have one chance to make a first impression on each new visiting customer, and broken links, incorrect phone numbers, and grammatical or spelling errors diminish the professional polish you’re striving for.

You also need to walk through the entire ordering process to test its usability. Is it clear exactly what customers need to do to purchase? Try buying a product: is the page on which you supply payment information secure? Is the payment processed correctly through your payment gateway? Make sure you use both Macintosh and PCs for testing, and use different browsers and modem speeds. You want to be able to support even low-end systems (slower computers with a 28.8 modem line).

Also, don’t forget about customer support: it’s the key to creating loyal customers. Are you prepared to confirm that a customer’s order has been received? Are you ready to follow-up with an e-mail message for good measure? A personalized message from a real customer service representative is best, but sending an automatic reply works as well. Set minimum response times and standards for replying to customer questions and concerns, and ensure that your customer support staff is fully knowledgeable about all your products and services, their features and benefits, pricing, and availability.

Step 7: Promoting Your Site

Now, you’ve established a compelling, secure, and easy-to-use Web storefront for your products and services. It’s time to let people know about it. Here are a few tips for driving traffic to your site:

Register your site with search engines: Over 90 percent of Internet users search one or more of the top engines to find what they need. Make sure your business is part of the results when customers look for the products and services you offer.

Put your domain name everywhere: Brochures, advertisements, business cards, and even hats, jackets, and t-shirts can be effective ways to promote your site and establish your corporate identity. Don’t forget to include your domain name in your press release, too.

Advertise: Placing a banner ad on other well-trafficked sites can attract huge numbers of prospective customers—and doesn’t have to cost a fortune^[1].

Step 8: Now, Start Selling

Finally, your e-commerce business is now ready to succeed in the competitive world of the Web: with an online identity, a Web host, an eye-catching, professional-looking Web storefront, rock-solid security, easy-to-use payment management, and the right promotions. So, if you follow the preceding basic steps, they will help you lay the foundation for a thriving site.

^[4]Vacca, John R., Net Privacy: A Guide to Developing & Implementing an Ironclad Ebusiness Privacy Plan, McGraw-Hill, 2001.

^[3]Vacca, John R., Identity Theft, Prentice Hall PTR, 2002.

^[2]Vacca, John R., The Essential Guide to Storage Area Networks, Prentice Hall PTR, 2001.