It’s the busiest time of the year for online merchants and shoppers alike. At HostUpon we’re hoping all of our clients are ready and prepared as December is known to be the most profitable month for online merchants. We’ve been providing reliable and affordable web hosting for years and decided to write a blog post to make sure your website is ready for online shoppers!
Here are a few basic tips for selling online:
1 – To sell anything online you need an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate allows you to accept credit cards over a secure connection making it safe for yourself and clients. You can purchase an SSL certificate anywhere online and then install it on your site at HostUpon. This is critical if you plan on accepting credit cards on your website.
2 – In order to install a SSL certificate you will require a dedicated IP address. Even if you have a shared hosting plan you will need to make sure you have a dedicated IP. Our Business Hosting plan comes with a free dedicated IP so that may be the plan you want if you decided to accept payments on your website as well as install a SSL certificate.
3 – You will need to have a Merchant account. A merchant account is the company who will process your payments. PayPal is the most popular merchant provider. You can also check out Authorize.net or even contact your banking institution to see if they provide online merchant services.
4 – Whichever merchant you choose make sure they provide some time of fraud detection system or tools. Fraud is VERY high this time of year. You need to protect your company and brand at all times. Having fraud detection is place is essential as it lowers charge-backs and allows you to keep in good standing with your merchant.
5 – Advertising costs can really set you back but this is the time to advertise your service/products. Develop some type of advertising whether it be on Google Adwords or banner ads on relevant sites. Try to find websites where traffic relevant to your services would benefit and advertise on them.
6 – Email marketing is essential! I am not saying spam anyone as that is NOT email marketing. Simply email your client base and inform them of sales, discounts, special offers and anything else that can generate revenue. Value added services also provide great customer loyalty and revenue. Be sure to have a link or two in your email so the client clicks and comes to the site.
7 – Decorate your website! A few festive touches are always a good sign up website maintenance. Your viewers won’t think you have had the same site for 10 years. Keep website info relevant and up to date.
8 – Offer discounts or coupons. This is a big selling point as people tend to purchase items when there is a coupon or sale price for a limited time. Be sure to advertise any coupons on your banners as well as on social network and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
9 – Use every social media site to spread the word. Twitter is good for mentioning sales and coupons. Create a Facebook page for your business. Make sure the sites are maintained and make Twitter updates as soon as there is relevant company news. Social media is the future, use it to your advantage.
10 – Host your website at HostUpon.com ! We have thousands of satisifed clients with success stories. Our Business Hosting and Private Server are designed for e-commerce sites. You can use all of the tips mentioned in this blog post but without a reliable hosting provider you won’t get too far. Our infrastructure is built for all of the above and we hope to host your website!
Good luck and Happy Holidays!
