Everyday more business owners are taking their brick and mortar businesses to the internet for maximum exposure and increased profits. Many of them are under the impression that running an online business will be extremely simple, however this is not the case, especially when initially entering the online marketplace. Maintaining an online business is relatively simple compared to a storefront, however setting up an online business with very little experience can be a challenging task in and of itself.
Beginning an online Business
With a brick and mortar business, the main challenges presented involve initial investments, whereas the establishment of an online business requires less investment and more decision making. In the online world, decisions are the biggest investments you’ll make. As soon as you begin your first online endeavor the decisions and question asking begins – What do I want the website to look like? How am I going to list the products? In which way am I going to market the products? All of these obvious question com to mind fairly quickly, however the novice will often overlook one fundamental question – Which eCommerce web hosting solution am I going to use? Comparing the following attributes will help you make that crucial decision.
Security
The single most important attribute an eCommerce solution can have is security. When dealing with credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and other sensitive information online on a daily business, it is absolutely imperative to secure this info. The internet is a very dangerous place, crawling with hackers and cyber criminals looking to steal anything they can get their hand son. To prevent yourself from becoming the victim, you’ll want to make sure your eCommerce plan offers top-of-the-line encryption services such as SSL, as well as fully functional firewalls and anti-virus programs that scan your web applications.
Reliability
The next factor to consider would be reliability. Running an online business is all about providing customer convenience. In fact, the main reason why consumers choose to shop online rather than go to the store is convenience. Offering your customers maximum convenience means providing a stable and convenient website. If your eCommerce hosting plan is unreliable, then your site will be plagued with crashes and poor performance on a regular basis. Make sure you look for packages with unlimited features, such as unlimited bandwidth and server space. Customer reviews will also help you decide which plan would be the most reliable.
Support
Another attribute that is closely related to reliability is support. Users that are just beginning an online business will need a competent support staff ready to handle their problems at all times. As an online business owner, you’ll inevitably face many problems as you learn the ins and out of eCommerce. To simplify this learning experience you’ll need a good support staff by your side. Make sure the service you choose offers 24 hour support, and can be contacted in a variety of ways. Perhaps the best way to gauge the support capabilities of a company is by reading reviews and calling the support staff yourself.
