Authorize.net.

In our years of e-commerce development we have worked with a variety of payment gateways to integrate a business’s credit card processing service with a web site.  Authorize.net is currently one of the most popular gateway services available, making it very easy to install for almost any shopping cart.  Most software already has a module available to integrate with this service, which saves both your development team and you time and money.

…Zen Cart

This shopping cart software can be a web designer’s dream.  The software was well thought-out by it’s developers and is managed mostly with stylesheets, making custom layouts within close reach; opposed to a less flexible shopping cart that requires heavy programming to modify the look and feel.  Furthermore, developers will be pleased to see the impressively organized code for this program, complete with a smart override system.

So where in the world do you get started with accepting payments online?  What about PayPal, and what about other credit card services? What’s the difference?

There are many ways to equip your web site with “e-commerce”.  From sophisticated shopping carts to one-step order forms, thousands of businesses successfully make that step into the e-commerce world.

To put it very briefly and simply, here are a couple of things you should understand about the difference between basic PayPal accounts and true credit card merchant services:

• The cost of integrating a basic “standard” PayPal account is very low, because it is free to set up the PayPal.com account and the web developer usually only has to paste in and masssage a little bit of PayPal code into your web site.
• PayPal charges significantly high transaction fees/percentages for each transaction.
• When you use a basic PayPal set up, there is a period in the transaction process when the visitor leaves your own web site and goes to PayPal.com; the potential danger in this is that some buyers are scared off by the url/site change, and some businesses actually block their employees from visiting PayPal and similar sites.
• The cost to set up a merchant service account with an online payment gateway (like Authorize.net for example) may be higher (set up fees vary by industry, type of business, merchant service company).
• The cost from your web developer will likely be higher because they will need to either custom program an order form for your site, or they will need to install and customize a shopping cart software for your web site to accept the orders and communicate with the payment gateway.
• The rates/transaction fees will likely be much lower and more competitive with a merchant service company that is offering credit card processing for your business. This makes sense for businesses that expect to do a high volume of online credit card sales – overtime they will see significant savings.

To get a complete picture, I recommend talking to one or more merchant service providers to evaluate your options and get rates.  This may include having a conversation with your current trusted banking provider and also some recommended outside merchant service companies. Weight that information with your assessment of how many online sales you plan to have, and be sure to discuss your vision with your web site developer.

The internet if full of terms that can seem quite confusing.  Many sites use terms and abbreviations that they expect a person to know without even giving them a brief overview about what the terms mean.  Even when you search for the definitions of these terms some of the information you find can read like stereo instructions. Understanding all of these different terms and abbreviations may seem like a daunting task but your concern can easily be put to rest with a little information.

Click on any of the titles to read what the Webii FAQ has to say about these terms.

Bandwidth: The amount of data sent through a connection over a period of time. Also known as Data Transfer.

Catch-All Email Account: The catch-all email address is used in cases of an incorrect name or misspelling at your domain. For example, any email that is sent to someone who is not listed in the POP or forwarding sections will still be received, even if the name has a typo or is out of date (as long as the domain name on the email address was specified correctly).

Control Panel: An online collection of tools that permits easy site management.

Data Transfer: The amount of data that is transferred from an account as visitors view the pages of the web site. Using FTP to upload to files to your site  and checking emails does not apply in this case.

Dedicated Server: A computer that only runs one type of server software, and is usually constructed according to the user’s specifications. Dedicated servers are typically used for websites that have high traffic, and need many resources and much processing power.

Domain Name: The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Webii can register any available .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, or .us domain name through its registration division, SiteReserve.com.

E-Commerce: Electronic Commerce is a convenient and affordable way to sell products or services online. E-Commerce software (like SoftCart) and payment services (like ClearCommerce) enable individuals to maintain an online business while performing transactions right from the Web.

Email Forwarder: An email address in which all emails are automatically forwarded to an alternative existing email account. For instance, you may forward all email to info@youdomain.com to erika@aol.com. Also known as an Email Alias.

FrontPage: A commercial HTML editor for creating, editing, managing, and uploading web sites. Some of the special features of the program (such as a graphical counter, forms, database, etc.) require that the web site be uploaded to a server which supports Microsoft FrontPage extensions.

FrontPage Extensions: A set of server-side applications that allow you to incorporate many advanced features without having to write the complex server-side programs typically required.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): The process by which files are transferred to a web server. You have unlimited access to your web server via FTP 24-hours a day. As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure.

Host: When you hear the term “host” in the Internet world, it is referring to an Internet company that has the required servers and software to connect domain names to (IP) Internet Protocol numbers so that your site can be viewed by the public when they type your domain in their browser window. Basically this is where you house your site, and you usually have to pay a monthly or annual fee for this service.

IP Addresses (Internet Protocol): A unique number used to identifying machines that are connected to the Internet. Your IP Address is the series of numbers associated with your domain name.

MySQL: A lightweight database engine designed to provide fast access to stored data.

Name Server: A computer that has both the software and the data needed to resolve domain names to IP numbers. Most name servers have names like NS1.whatever.com.

POP (Post Office Protocol): A communication protocol that is used to retrieve electronic mail from a Mail Server.

Script: List of commands that can be executed without user interaction.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer): A security protocol designed to create a secure connection to the server for the transmission of confidential data through the internet.

Support: Telephone or e-mail technical support provided to a web hosting company’s customers. When there’s a problem with your site or your e-mail, you want to be able to get an answer promptly by e-mail or on the phone.

Whois: A searchable database maintained by Registrars which contain information about the .com, .org, .net, and .edu top-level domains.

Does your company offer courses for professional certifications that require students to spend several hours in a classroom every year? How much more convenient would it be for those individuals to study from their home or office?

Examples include:

• Real Estate industry courses with multiple chapters, interactive Flash quizzes, random security check questions, and final exams;
• Specialized medical practice courses with downloadable reading materials, trackable tests, and printable certificates;
• Advanced calendar features to cooincide with in-house courses, tracking number of available seats and offering online registration.

How can online courses help your business?

• Offering online courses means offering time and convenient to your students. You are likely to convert more people into students quickly, because any hesitation they had about finding the time or driving across town will no longer be an issue.
• e-Learning can save your own staff time and money. With less of a need to have on-site staff available for walk in classes, your instructors are freed up to work on curriculum, your customer service staff is in less demand and can help with other tasks, and your managers can focus on growing business.
• Online classes will extend your target market. If you have always offered in-house courses and feel that you have reached a peek of business, the Web offers a way to grow the business by reaching out to another audience:  People located further distances from your school, people with disabilities that make traveling difficult, stay at home parents, and people with difficult daytime schedules.  Suddenly, there are hundreds of new prospects interested in signing up.

WEBii has vast experience creating online learning systems that enable people to study, take exams, and achieve certifications on the Web.  Contact us if you would like to explore adding these features to your web site.

Businesses with a tangible product to sell have access to some handy tools on the Internet that can make service industry business owners quite jealous.

Case in point: Froogle.

In case you haven’t heard of it, Froogle is Google’s answer to online bargain searching. If a determined fashionista uses Google’s product search to locate designer sunglasses, suddenly 10 of the best online prices from various sellers appear. The listings are displayed according to certain featured vendors and individuals who are selling that specific product. So how does one get into this amazing database? Just fill out a form. And – drum roll – it’s free!

Branching out: eBay.

Yes, that’s right, I said it – eBay. No, it’s not just a garage sale; it’s a huge community of buyers and sellers. For a quick way to market your store, try listing a couple of items from last season’s inventory at a low price. Take advantage of the ad copy and make sure you brand it with your store name, logo, and information about your store location and main website (be sure to check eBay’s rules so your ad does not appear to be “spam”). If the first sale generates a new loyal customer, you may experience repeat sales from that person to your company website, to other eBay listings, or even to your local storefront.

Feature your featured.

Always remember to really showcase those special products – the ones that you most want to sell right now. Here are several ways that you can push the product into the spotlight:

• Feature a bold photo and description of the product on your homepage with a direct link to the page where it is purchased.
• Add new products to a “Featured” section of your site.
• Send an email newsletter to your subscribers describing these great items.
• Send all of your subscribers a coupon toward that special item, good for a limited time.
• Send out press releases to media websites in your area and in your genre/industry announcing the latest inventory.