SSL Certificates, Merchant Accounts, And Shopping Carts: Everything You Need to Create An E-Commerce Website

Selling products through your own online web store can become extremely profitable if done correctly. Although the most difficult part of owning any website will be in attracting visitors, it can also be very challenging to set up your E-commerce website from start to finish, especially if you have no past experience. Any E-commerce website will essentially need the three following things: a functional shopping cart that will process orders on your website, an active merchants account that will be able to accept payments from major credit card services and bank accounts, and a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate to authorize and verify the payments made through your website.

Adding A Shopping Cart To Your Domain

A shopping cart consists of the programming and functionality that will be placed on your website to allow visitors to select their desired items and method of payment, eventually sending the transaction directly to the merchants account that you have set up for your online store. Although many web owners choose to go through a third-party service to provide and manage their cart, this is not necessarily the only option. Many businesses and E-commerce websites offer package deals that can be made to include a shopping cart, merchant account, and even an SSL certificate in some cases.

Depending on which E-commerce service you choose to go with, you might be limited in the amount of customization that you will be able to do to your online shopping experience. Even though this might be true, all of the maintenance, security, and programming that will be taken care of by your third-party shopping cart software might still make this the best choice for you. Still, a capable programmer will likely be able to bypass the additional fees that will come with purchasing 3rd party shopping cart software.

Opening a Merchant's Account For An Online Store

A merchant's account is always necessary if you plan for your business to accept any sort of payment with a major credit card. This same type of account is necessary for any retail store or food service location, and acquiring the account is a pretty straightforward process. All major banks and credit unions will usually offer merchant accounts, and websites like Paypal even offer a convenient way to get your merchant account right away.

If you don't plan to be making a huge amount of transactions, the Paypal merchant's account might be the perfect choice for you. Still, opening a business and merchant's account through your chosen bank can often times land you an even better deal if you are able to meet account minimums and any other requirements they might have. If you plan to be contacting banks or credit unions to inquire about opening a merchant account, make sure that you let them know that you will be using it for online transactions and not out of any actual store location.

SSL Certificates

An SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate will not be directly involved with the actual transaction process of your website, but will still be an essential purchase for any website that wants to process private information of this sort. An SSL certificate will redirect all information that is sent to your site through a secure HTTPS server such as Verisign or Godaddy, ensuring the safety of the private credit card information of your clients.

Almost every single browser will check for an SSL certificate before submitting personal information, and a warning message will appear if none is found. These warning messages will scare away a huge majority of your potential customers while your online store collects virtual dust - if you plan to operate any sort of legitimate E-commerce website, you will absolutely need to invest in a verified SSL certificate.