The eCommerce industry is growing in leaps and bounds and the coming years look quite promising for this industry. This is the right time to be a part of it and grow with the industry. If the thought of creating an online store has crossed your mind, it is possible to realize it. Setting up an online store is not a difficult task. All you need is a little planning of some important factors. Which ones? Here is complete information on the process of creating an online store:
Concept And Planning
If you are planning to set up an online store, you might be having some concept in mind. Think on it. Start planning about the following factors:
• How your online store website will look like
• The number of pages required
• How many products will be featured
• Website content
• The online payment method to be used
• The design of the website
• Applications, images and graphics to be used
This initial planning is important so that you are aware of the end result. It is not necessary to get into the details or technical specifications of the factors mentioned above. If you have clear idea about all the factors mentioned above, it will be easier for you to execute the next following steps. Your immediate next step is approaching a web host for a suitable web hosting platform for your online store. With all these factors in mind it will also be easier to select the right web hosting platform, they will also be in a better position to suggest a web hosting platform that perfectly synchronizes with your online store and provides with perfect functionality.
Web Hosting
You might have come across online storefronts through which you can sell your products like Amazon and eBay. It’s true that your products can be featured through these websites, then why do you need to set up and host your own online store? What difference does it make?
With some research, you will come to know that although there are plenty of places where you can sell your products, the most successful ones are the self-hosted storefronts. They might have started small, but today they are the market leaders and they have complete control over their online store.
To get complete control over the online store, it is necessary to host it. Signing up for a hosting package will simplify the process of setting up the online store, managing it and expanding it further. Here are some of the important features that you will get with the eCommerce hosting package:
• Multilingual and multi currency support
• Support to a wide range of online payment gateways
• Support for selling both physical and virtual (downloadable) products
• Guest shopping carter
• Backup and restore facility
• Order management system
All these features will make it easier for you to manage the online store well.
A web host will also take care of the following aspects:
SSL Certificate
Managing the customer data is the most crucial aspect for any online store. At the time of making online payment, the customer has to enter the credit card details. These details have to be safeguarded. With an eCommerce hosting package, this customer information can be safeguarded as they provide with an SSL certificate. This makes your website safe from the online hazards. Moreover the customers will have faith that they can share their personal information and it is in the safe hands.
Domain Name
The domain name is the online identity of your website. It has to be something that is efficient and easy to remember. It is advisable to have a TLD specific to the country you are operating in, however this is completely your call. The web host will register the desired domain name for you through which your online store business will be operated.
Dedicated IP
Most of the web hosting companies offers a dedicated IP address subject to the respective charges. There is not a huge difference between having a shared IP and a dedicated IP because just like the domain name is your online identity, a dedicated IP is like your postal address as every online communication is routed through the IP address. Moreover is also important from the search engine point of view because the search engines trust a website having a dedicated IP. So its surely worth giving a thought!
Shopping Cart Software
A shopping cart is the critical backbone of the online store website. MilesWeb offers you with open source shopping cart scripts which are easy to install. If you have shopping cart software in mind, you can talk to the web host about it.
Payment Gateway
If you opt for the osCommerce shopping cart, all the payment gateways will be supported including PayPal. As a result of this, making online payment will become convenient for the people. They can select the mode of payment they are comfortable with, and the payment will be processed within a short span of time.
Selecting the right web host will make a huge difference for your online store website. The right decision will prove to be a long term asset for your business as the functionalities of the online store are dependent on the web hosting platform.
Customizing The Online Shop
osCommerce is a feature rich online store platform through which you will be able to manage the products in stock, add the appropriate tax rates, view online detailed reports and much more. You will also get a wide range of add-on modules for making your online store look impressive. You can setup the logo of your online store and the header and footer provided can be customized as well. Apart from this, many other aspects can be managed through the administration panel. For this go to configuration > My Store and setup things according to your preferences. After this you can set up the categories of the products that will be featured in the online store and add the respective product related information.
MilesWeb will provide you with assistance for setting up the products in the online store.
Generating Income Through The Online Store
Now that you have set up the online store, the next thing is generating income through it. It is important to reach out to people. The best way to do this is by creating a good web presence. If the name of your online store website is visible in Google, you will get the best of incoming traffic. Before you start promoting your website online perform a check on the following aspects:
• Design and user friendliness of the website
• Quality of content on the website
• On page optimization
Once these factors are in place, you can be rest assured that shoppers will be greeted with a full fledged online store website that is perfect for them. In the beginning you can start off by performing the basic SEO techniques and gradually get into social networking. The social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter have a large user base and having a presence on them will help you to connect with many potential customers. Preferably set up a special page for your online store website and make sure to add compete information and images in it.
All the above mentioned factors is all you need for setting up the perfect online store that you might have thought about. MilesWeb is here to assist you in setting up the web hosting platform for your online store with all the necessary applications through which the performance of the online store can be enhanced. If you have always wanted to setup an online store, initiate the first step and you will become a part of the million dollar eCommerce industry.
