Is Your E-Commerce Website Ready For A Sales?
Getting your e-commerce site ready for business requires preparing the website for instant scalability, impenetrable security and 100 percent uptime. Without these basic components, the e-commerce site won't provide customers with the best possible experience in a secure environment. E-commerce website owners must constantly monitor their website to ensure it meets customers' needs and has the necessary resources and protections to keep the website operating smoothly.
Protection From Hackers:
E-commerce websites require robust firewalls to protect the website from hackers. Using a shared hosting service provides moderate levels of protection. However, for the most secure site possible, forego shared, virtual private servers or cloud hosting and opt for a fully managed dedicated server. This allows you to install any firewall and application you want.
Up-to-date Software:
Security vulnerabilities exist in unpatched websites. If you run an application that receives regular security updates, stay abreast of any changes so that you can immediately upgrade the website with patches. Hackers take advantage of known vulnerabilities in software, so upgrading quickly helps to protect your website.
Professional Level Shopping Carts:
While open source shopping carts provide several features, they don't always provide the best support and security. Look for a shopping cart solution that guarantees the security of your products and updates regularly.
Constant Uptime:
The website's uptime is essential for providing customers with an effective and efficient browsing experience. If your website goes down for even a few minutes while a customer browses products, you may lose their business forever. Online customers are finicky and won't trust a website that has reliability issues. Website downtime can result in the loss of several thousands of dollars a year.
Hosting Packages:
Don't just choose the first web development agency that you come across. Research your options and choose a web hosting company known for its ability to host a business website. Don't settle for companies that only provide shared hosting. If your business is small at first, then a shared server may work for your needs. Just make sure that your hosting company protects your website effectively from hackers.
Scalability:
Scalability refers to the ease with which your website can be upgraded. If you get a sudden surge in traffic because your site has recently been listed on a major news outlet, will you have the ability to upgrade your site within minutes to provide the level of service necessary? In this instance, cloud servers provide the most scalability and have virtually no downtime. Security is handled by the hosting company and you have the benefit of not being tied down to the resources of a single machine.
Security Certificates:
SSL certificates are a must to authenticate your website and protect your customer's information. Don't start an e-commerce site without one.
Customer Support:
Make sure your customer support is up to the task of providing large numbers of customers with effective product explanations and services. Routinely monitor your representatives to ensure a consistent and high level of customer service.
Dispute Resolution:
Put a method in place for customers to conveniently and quickly return products, request refunds and receive help with items that were not as described. Take care to ensure that all product descriptions are accurate to minimize any loss from unsatisfied customers.
Site Speed:
Site speed is as important as the uptime availability of the website. If your site takes several seconds to load each page, or the shopping cart continues to hang, you may lose customers. Get the fastest server you can afford on your budget and optimize your applications to run quickly.