Adding eCommerce to Your Website

If you want an eCommerce website to sell products, there are some additional things you’ll need to look for and get from your web hosting provider. Whether you plan to build the site yourself or get help adding your eCommerce functionality, the following items are essential to your success. Some of these are included with most hosting plans, while the other items will be additional purchases from your web hosting company or an outside source.

A lot of eCommerce sites use dedicated or VPS hosting. If you can only afford shared hosting, that’s okay. Just be sure to get a dedicated IP address and SSL certificate for the additional security needed. You’ll also need the software to perform shopping cart and ordering functionality. There are many products you can get for this, but most web hosting plans include some popular eCommerce software like OS Commerce, Zen Cart, and Cube Cart.

And, to accept online payments, you’ll need a merchant account for credit cards. You can use PayPal for this, but it’s usually more professional looking to get one from a bank or other financial institution. Once you get your merchant account setup, you connect it to your shopping cart software (OS Commerce, Zen Cart, etc.) to handle your online transactions.

These are the additional elements you’ll need to create your eCommerce website. It does take some extra work. But if you do the necessary planning and set things up properly, you can enjoy the benefits of online sales.