Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » credit card http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog Web Hosting Industry News, Latest Trends, and Analyses. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:48:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Web Hosting Instructionshttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/01/13/web-hosting-instructions/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/01/13/web-hosting-instructions/#comments Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:21:07 +0000 Dmitry http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=3519 Web domains. Hosting. Content. These are the three top priorities for any webmaster, regardless of how experienced they are. Unfortunately, these three essentials often leave people in the dark, as there are dozens of companies offering the “same” packages for different prices. With an overflow of routes you could take, it can get mind boggling to figure out the appropriate steps. For this reason, instructions are essential if you are looking for a smooth path.

The first thing you should do is make a list of what your current goals are. If you are making a professional site, you’ll need a secure and reliable host. For instance, if you know that your website will reach thousands of people within a few months, perhaps you should find a web hosting package that includes extra bandwidth. You need additional space, especially if visitors are constantly going to be accessing your website. On the other hand, if you are just experimenting, you should stick to the free hosting packages. Geocities or Angel Fire certainly provides a basic package, which will leave you satisfied. After all, you do not need bells and whistles if you aren’t serious about the website in the long run. If you do end up changing your mind, you can always switch services and transfer your website.

Once you have made your decision, you need to find a reputable service. While searching for hosting companies on Google may seem appropriate, it often stems bad results. It is important to remember that just because it is listed on a search engine, doesn’t mean it is 100% safe and legit. Therefore, if you do find a potential company, you should get a second opinion. It is usually smart to join a webmaster related forum like SitePoint to discuss such matters. This way you can hear about other people’s experiences and what companies to avoid. Additional references from friends or family would also be ideal.

After picking a host, you will need to provide your credit card information. For many users, 3ix.org is a favorite, as it rarely charges you much. Surprisingly, there are discount coupon codes you can acquire through the internet, to also help you with your initial fee. Due to the fact that you have to include your private information, it is absolutely crucial to make sure you find a legit business. The last thing you want is to lose any money. Therefore, you should google their name and check out the reviews from fellow users. This will most definitely make all of the difference, especially if you find out that they are a fraud.

For website beginners, web hosting doesn’t have to be difficult or even too time consuming. As long as you find reputable sources, second opinions, and a great easy to use package, you are well on your way to website success. With these instructions in mind, there should be no frustrations or year long debates on what company to use. It is quite simple, once you get in the webmaster’s frame of mind.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/01/13/web-hosting-instructions/feed/ 0 Keeping Your Profits Intacthttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2008/12/03/keeping-your-profits-intact/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2008/12/03/keeping-your-profits-intact/#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:16:21 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=99 Although thousands of new business websites are going up everyday, not everyone is succeeding with E-commerce.  Many people who lose out on sales and end up failing do so for two of the same reasons:  abandoned sales and charge backs.

Lost Sales

Today’s shopping cart applications offer numerous features.  However, all of them are designed to collect sensitive information from your customers.  This includes their contact information and credit card numbers among other details.  While this is a standard procedure of online shopping, one needs to consider the perspective of the new buyer.

After navigating your site, the visitor has come across a product they want to purchase.  They click on the checkout icon and proceed to enter the required information.  From there the customer is directed to your preferred payment gateway where they are forced input the same information again.  This results in lost or aborted sales as consumers are generally lazy and cautious about handing over their sensitive details.  Ideally, it would be great if your shopping cart could bypass all these requirements and take the customer straight to your gateway.  Unfortunately, there are a number of gateways, all of which require different variables.

So, how do you salvage the sale from here?  Log into the administrative section of your shopping cart, find out if you can track the abandoned sale and contact the potential customer via email.  Let the customer know that you have observed their attempt to place an order and ask if they had any trouble making a purchase.  Explain that you are willing to assistance with any problems they may have experienced.  By reaching out to the consumer on a personal level, there might be a chance of recovering the sale.  In a worse case scenario, you can at least find out if something in your ordering system isn’t functioning properly.  Everyone wants to feel like they are more than just another number.  Taking out the time to make contact and find out the problem might give them the confidence that you are worth doing business with.

The Dreaded Chargeback

Charge backs have been a nightmare for many E-commerce businesses.  You receive an order for one of your products, ship it out, and a week or so later there is a charge back.  This results in you shipping your goods for free, being forced to refund the customer and then pay a charge back fee.  One way to avoid this is to make sure your gateway offers some of type of protection against fraud and dishonest customers who purposely cause charge backs after receiving products.  While every charge back isn’t of a fraudulent nature, all can have a major impact on your pockets.

Conclusion

As the owner of an E-commerce business, you need to think like a prominent enterprise and focus on your bottom line.  If something is negatively affecting your profit, you need to make the proper adjustments to improve the service for customers and ultimately the longevity of your business.

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