Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » shopping online 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 The Power of Ecommerce Customer Reviewshttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2010/10/19/the-power-of-ecommerce-customer-reviews/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2010/10/19/the-power-of-ecommerce-customer-reviews/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:00:19 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=1170 eCommerce is an industry that gained popularity exponentially as customers began telling their families and friends about their experiences shopping online. In fact, this concept can be seen in any major movement or industry that has gained popularity quickly. The best way to increase the amount  of  people that visit your site, and most importantly, purchase items from your store, is to increase the amount of people that share information about your products. There are many ways to create a buzz about your site, and one of the best ways to convert visitors into sales is to incorporate the capability of customer reviews on your eCommerce site.

Using Shopping Carts for Customer Reviews

One of the best ways to get your customers to leave reviews about your products and services is to use shopping cart applications that let your customers rate and leave comments about their experience with your site. If you can provide an enjoyable shopping experience consistently then there is a good chance that you will have several positive reviews within a few weeks. Shopping cart reviews may be the best kind of reviews, as your future customers will see the previous customer reviews below the product description, and this will greatly influence their buying decision.

Using Forums for Customer Reviews

Another way to build up your client base is to enroll in online forums that are related to your industry. Not only can you subtly advertise on these forums, you can also receive good feedback from the members after you have made a couple of transactions with them. Forums are a great way to build your online presence because they are commonly indexed in search engines. When someone looks for product reviews of products you are selling there is a good chance that they could stumble upon the customer reviews on the various forums you are a member of. Forums are some of the most powerful social tools on the internet because they are communities that greatly influence the opinions of their users.

Using Directories for Customer Reviews

There are also a lot of shopping and business directories online that list online stores and document the reviews of previous customers. For example, the Google Shopping directory lists the reviews of products that are searched for by search engine users. When you execute a search for a particular product in Google the results that are returned may contain shopping results form various stores on the internet. Usually the stores that appear are the ones with the lowest prices or the most customer reviews. By ensuring that your site is listed in these directories you can maximize your chances of having your customers leave reviews on these sites for other future customers to see.

Customer reviews are definitely one of the primary deciding factors for many online shoppers. The internet is a massive community, and many people are afraid to be a guinea pig for any purchase. By having customer reviews online you can increase you customer’s confidence and increase the overall amount of sales you are bale to make.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2010/10/19/the-power-of-ecommerce-customer-reviews/feed/ 0 SSL For Your E-commerce Sitehttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/03/06/ssl-for-your-e-commerce-site/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/03/06/ssl-for-your-e-commerce-site/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:55:02 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=230 With credit card fraud and identify theft on the rise, consumers are more cautious than ever about shopping online.  If you are running a store online, this means that potential customers are more reluctant to buy products and services from your site.  In order to boost consumer confidence and make them feel safe, you need a reliable security mechanism that keeps their personal information secure.  What you need is an SSL certificate.

What is an SSL Certificate?

Secure Sockets Layer or SSL, is a security protocol that enables encrypted communications between the customer’s web browser and the server your store is hosted on.  This is accomplished by what is known as a handshake, a process where the server’s identity is confirmed and a secure connection created.  SSL typically offers 128-bit encryption, formulated by an algorithm which generates a key that is virtually impossible to crack.  An SSL certificate shows that your site is secure and safe for shopping.

How to Get a Certificate

SSL certificates are offered by entities known as Certificate Authorities, with the most popular being GoeTrust, Thawte and Verisign.  For the most part, these authorities provide certificates that give you the same level of security.  A single certificate can encrypt the data traveling between the server and each of your customers’ web browsers.  The average online storefront can get adequate protection from a basic SSL certificate.  You also have the option to purchase additional services to strengthen the level of security.

Installing the Certificate

Although many web hosting providers offer SSL certificates as add-on products, you typically have the freedom to incorporate one purchased from a third-party vendor as well.  In most cases, you can learn how your SSL certificate is to be installed via the instructions in the control panel software or by contacting the host’s technical support department.  Some of the most advanced control panels even allow you to incorporate an SSL certificate directly from the interface.  Once installed, the certificate is automatically enabled.  You will know it is activated when noticing “HTTPS” in front your URL rather than “HTTP”.

Designing for SSL

The design of your site is very important when implementing an SSL certificate.  In order for your web pages to be viewed as secure, all scripts, graphics and media elements must be deemed secure as well.  You have probably visited web sites where a warning displays stating that some of the elements of a particular page are not secure.  These messages are prompted when external elements of a web page are not called using the HTTPS protocol.  In many cases, the certificate is valid and secure but the page isn’t designed properly for SSL.  All the external elements of your page must be called using links that include the full URL.  One simple graphic that doesn’t use HTTPS will generate a “not secure” error.

Conscious online shoppers are increasingly looking for SSL certificates and if you don’t have one, you are missing out on a lot of business.  You can have some of the most beneficial products online but if no one feels safe buying them, they will hesitate to proceed with the transaction.

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