Web Resources | Everything you need to know to succeed online

By Monique Martin

You’ve worked hard to create an inventory for your online store, and you’ve priced it to move. But, without traffic, it’s just gathering dust on the shelves. Millions of people shop online each day, and every small business needs to harness as much of that traffic as possible. One of the best ways to drive traffic to your Web site store is by getting your inventory to display in Google’s and Yahoo!’s shopping results. continue »

By Jen Brister

If you’re relatively new to Web site creation, you might be wondering how to measure ROI, or return on investment, for your Web site. In order to determine if your Web site is bringing in more money than you are spending to create it, you need to figure out exactly how much money you are making on the site and how you are making it. continue »

By Jen Brister

Almost every business today has its own Web site and your business should be no different. No matter how large or small the company, Web sites are a valuable resource for branding and getting you noticed. If you have a retail company that does not have a shopping area on your Web site, you are losing out on daily sales. Web site shopping carts operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can sell items for you with little or no additional effort on your part. continue »

By Joyce Harrison

You may have a very small business but your Web site has to compete with the big guns. You have only a few seconds to make an impression with “window shoppers” who come to your home page. If your “storefront” doesn’t attract them, one click and you’ve lost potential sales.

Here are some tips for creating the ideal ecommerce home page. continue »

By Bruce Tyson

What good is selling without a way to get paid? A payment gateway is a vital link that enables online and traditional commerce using credit and debit cards. When a customer goes through checkout at a local store, the card swipes through the reader attached to the merchant’s payment gateway, sending a request for payment to the customer’s card issuer. If authorized, the payment transfers from the card to the merchant’s account. Without a payment gateway, customers must pay with cash, an option not available at an online store. continue »

By Janet Attard

More people than ever are shopping online, using their credit cards to buy everything from business and consumer products and services.

That’s great news for small and big ecommerce sites alike. More people using their credit cards to buy more gifts, should mean more profits for most online businesses if they aren’t victims of credit card fraud. continue »

By Hostway

Product descriptions are one of the most important parts of an ecommerce Web site. They can help you reach your two main business goals: To increase sales and decrease returns. Here are some tips to help you write product descriptions that sell. continue »

By Hostway

A template-based Web site gives you the freedom to focus on your Web site content. With the design taken care of, you can pour your energy into perfecting the elements that make the Web site your own—the words and images. Here are five tips for making the most of your template-based Web site. continue »

By Hostway

If you’ve ever seen a minimum sale price for credit card purchases posted near a cash register, you know that accepting credit cards is expensive. With an ecommerce Web site, your business will suffer if you don’t accept credit card payments. Credit card companies know that you’ll gain more in sales by accepting their cards than you’ll lose in fees, so you can’t avoid them completely. But with some research, you can find the best deal for your business. continue »

By Hostway

The holiday shopping season is just a couple days away, and online shoppers have expectations about what the shopping experience should be like. They want a Web site that loads quickly, protects their personal information and is easy to navigate. If your Web site lacks any of these qualities, you could lose business to the competition. You’ll need every competitive advantage you can get for your Web site this holiday season. Read on for some small tips that can help you keep customers clicking on your ecommerce Web site into the New Year. continue »