osCommerce Blog

Ok so now that you have registered a domain name what’s next?
The next step is finding a reliable web host or setting up a web server. There are several types of web hosting options out there.

The cheapest type of web hosting is known as ISP (Internet Service Provider) web hosting. ISP web hosting is where the pages of your web site are located on your ISP’s server. The majority of ISP’s offer two methods of hosting your site:

a) Setup a sub site on the ISP’s main site.

b) Set up a virtual domain on the ISP’s server (where you are allowed to use the domain name that you purchased). ISP web hosting in my opinion should be avoided. The disadvantages (such as ISP’s may limit disk space, ISP’s may prevent the use of CGIs, ISP’s may charge for additional bandwidth, ISP’s may not allow you to access web analytics/usage logs) outweigh the main advantage (ISP are the cheapest hosting solution).

Using a hosting company is the second option and is highly recommended for small to medium sized businesses. Hosting companies generally provide either virtual hosting (shared hosting where your site resides on a server that also hosts other websites) or dedicated servers. Virtual hosting is the most common solution that small to medium sized businesses choose. However, depending on how large your website is and how many visitors your website receives a dedicated server may be the best option. Let’s briefly go over what you should look for when choosing a hosting company.

1) Does the hosting company offer 24/7 support? Do they have a support ticket system or online chat system where you can connect with a live person?

2) Does the hosting company offer a money back guarantee?

3) Does the hosting company provide you with control panel access?

4) Does the control panel that the hosting packages comes with include a password protect directory feature?

5) What type of web analytic tools are available to keep track of website statistics?

6) Does the hosting company allow you to run CGI scripts?

7) Does the hosting package come with POP (Post Office Protocol) support?

8) Does the hosting package come with a dedicated IP address? If so can SSL (Secure Socket Layer) be installed on the server?
(This is very important especially if you plan on setting up an e-commerce website.)

9) Does the hosting package include Fantastico which has osCommerce pre-installed making installation easy?

10) Does the hosting company allow FTP access to the server?

11) How much space and bandwidth is provided with each hosting package?

If you cannot answer any one of these questions for a particular hosting company then I strongly recommended not choosing that particular hosting company.

A Helpful Hint:
Before choosing a hosting company do some research. Visit hosting forums and check out what current as well as past customers have to say about the hosting company you plan to use.

Finally, the most expensive method is having your own on-premises server. An on-premise server requires a dedicated high speed connection as well as a server that is properly configured. This option is recommended for very large companies. One must consider the following when choosing this option:

a) You must have an individual or employee that knows how to resolve issues and maintain the system on site.

b) You will be responsible for data backup as well as implementing a power backup system.

OK OK Andrew I have weighed both the advantages and disadvantages of starting an online store. Let’s go for it, where do I start?

Anybody who wants to open an online store and is planning on using osCommerce as there e-commerce solution must have the following:

a) Domain Name
b) Hosting

These two items are mandatory and both must be purchased.

*There are exceptions, for instance you could opt not to buy a domain name and opt for a subsite. Many internet service providers provide members with a directory for instance www.somthing.com/your_name. These are knows as subsite’s and usually do not cost any money. But let’s step back and think about this option. As a customer, if I saw a subsite I would think hey, this looks really unprofessional, maybe I should not purchase from this store. Not only that, let’s take a look at the domain name, it’s long and also may contain weird characters such as (_) underscore or (~) tilde. Finally, if you start off with a subsite and wish to move to a full domain name, any page rank that your subsite had will be lost as you will loose the domain name. With an actual domain name, if you want to switch servers all you have to do is change your domain name server settings.

Let’s take a look at domain names, highly recommended over subsite’s. There are a multitude of websites that offer domain name registration. In my opinion, stick with major sites that provide a) quality support b) have been around on the net for awhile.

After choosing a domain name registration company, it is time to choose a domain name. There are a variety of top level domains (tlds) to choose from. The most common are .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info and .us. Choosing the correct extension depends on where you are located and what you are selling. For instance if you are targeting only US markets and the .com and .net of your preferred domain name is not available, consider registering the .us extension. For online store, I always recommend the .com (commercial) and .net (network) when available. Keep in mind that although the .net extension was originally designed to be used by technical web sites it can be registered by anyone.

Let’s go over a few tips on selecting a domain name.

Length matters. Select a domain name that is short and concise.
It is easier to remember Mysite.com then this-is-my-site-on-the-web.com.
 
Your domain name should contain keywords whenever possible. This is a good trick to use to boost your site’s popularity for particular keywords on search engines.

Your domain name should be directly related to what you are selling. For instance if you are selling widgets your domain name should be something like ABCwidgets.com. I have noticed that the majority of visitors to many of my client’s sites arrive by typing in the domain name directly instead of going through search engines. This tactic allows for visitors to associate your domain name with what products you are offering when they type your domain name in directly.
 
Use generic names whenever possible. Try to choose a name that people may type into the address bar of their browser without hearing about you. For instance a domain name such as webdesign.com, is really good since people who are looking for web design services may just type webdesign.com into the address bar of their browser. However, this may be hard to accomplish without lots of money to buy these generic term domain names since many of them are already taken. Don’t let this discourage you from doing research within your field to find generic names associated with what you are selling.
 
These simple techniques will help increase your repeat visitor rates. Before choosing a domain name, it is advisable to search the uspto.gov website to make sure you are not infringing on any trademarks. Domain Name Availability is a useful tool (which supports various extensions) for checking the availability of domain names.
 
In my next blog entry I will go over hosting and SSL, the second important aspect of getting your business online.

Although there are many advantages to having a website, one also must consider the disadvantages. There are a large number of people who do not use the internet. Some people actually want to physically touch and see products that they want to purchase. Many people have an issue with using their credit card’s online, they are afraid of credit card fraud. Some people think that going to a traditional store to buy a particular item is much more convenient not use the internet.

The main point:

Depending on the business not everyone will use the web to find that particular business.

On a side note: You may think that the elderly in particular do not use the internet. Surprisingly, the elderly are the LARGEST population of growing internet users. The majority of them go online to shop for pharmaceutical products.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=8049

Although I am at the computer every day doing work for clients and surfing the web for information, sometimes it does not cross my mind to search the net for a particular product. For instance I recently was looking for a new lawnmower. It never occurred to me to check eBay for lawnmowers on sale in my area for pickup (to save on shipping). I ended up going directly to the local hardware store to buy a new lawnmower. People do not always turn to the internet as their first choice of places to purchase a particular product.

If your have the impression that you will be instantly raking in tons of money by opening an online store on the internet, you should reconsider building that store. Even major companies are having trouble converting visitors into sales. A majority of people use the internet to compare prices and then go to local stores to purchase the item. As a store owner you should not depend on your online store as your sole source of revenue and expect it to make a major impact on your bottom line.

The main point:

Before you dive into e-commerce and start your own online business consider both the advantages and disadvantages. Depending on what you are selling, it just may not be a good idea to build an online store.

You may be wondering why I have not kept up with the site of the month posts. Recently, a featured store option has been added on to the live shops directory. Now, instead of sites of the month, I will be proposing featured sites to the rest of the osCommerce team. When I do select a featured site, I will also blog about why I choose that site if it is approved by the rest of the team.

I will be starting a series of blog entries geared towards small business owners looking to bring their business online with osCommerce.

For my first entry I will be discussing the advantages of the internet and how the internet can benefit small business owners.

Before building an online presence a small business owner must understand the benefits and drawbacks of building a website/ online store.

One of the major advantages of having an online store or website is that information is available to customers 24/7. This is an important aspect of the web that is often overlooked. As a customer, if I wanted information about a company that does not have a web site I would have to wait until they opened to call them. Even then, I may have to deal with an annoying animated phone system or answering machine. The internet, combined with e-mail, allows potential clients or customers to learn what they need to know at their convenience.

What are some other major advantages of having a store online? One major advantage is the reduction of marketing costs. Putting marketing information online saves the business owner a lot of money.

In addition to reducing marketing costs, websites also reduce support costs. A business owner can save money by using the Web to provide support when staff is not available. For instance, a business owner can integrate a Frequently Asked Questions module into their store which will assists in answering customer questions.

Websites also give companies a modern image. Having a .com and a company email address gives the impression that your business is current and up to date on technology. However, if you are creating a Web presence solely based on this decision then you must determine if that is enough of a benefit to justify the costs of going online.

Finally, creating an online store and/or website will greatly help with your company image. A professionally designed website can make your company look important and impressive.  For instance, positive product reviews left on your online store can dramatically improve your company image.

My next blog entry will cover the disadvantages of the web. Poorly designed web sites, web sites that are incomplete and web sites that are partially under construction can have a negative effect on company image. Many home-based or low-budget website fit this category. All too often when reviewing Live Shop entries I see stores that fit this category. These sites do more harm to the business then good.

Well it’s been a while since I posted a site of the month. You may wonder why… After looking through 100’s of stores I was thoroughly disappointed as there were so so few quality designed osCommerce stores. I finally came across one:
Softforest
Softforest specializes in bamboo bed and bath products.
I choose this site because it is easy to navigate and has a very simplistic yet elegant design.

Also after reviewing sites, I want to emphasize several points.

1) DO NOT RESUBMIT YOUR SITE MULTIPLE TIMES. You will receive an email if your site has been approved.
2) DO NOT use your url as your title.
3) If your site is in another language (other then English), add a description of what you sell in English in the description field.

It’s just about the end of January and time for my site of the month pick. After searching far and wide I decided to choose Knot Just Baskets.
Knot Just Baskets has a simple and effective design. They sell gift baskets and gifts for various occasions. I found there unique osCommerce site contained an effective navigation scheme.

In response to replies to my previous site of the month posting I have proposed a new idea to the osCommerce team. I suggested the integration of a poll module to the current blog system set up on the osCommerce site. That way I will be able to select 2 or more site’s for consideration for my “site of the month” title. By adding a poll osCommerce visitors and site users worldwide will be able to provide feedback. My “site of the month” title will be given to the site that receives the highest amount of votes by the end of the month. I would love to hear your feedback on this idea. Feel free to post a response to this blog.

Hi all, 

I hope everyone is not stressing out for the Holiday season!
I have decided to start Andrew’s osCommerce site of the month. Each month I will post my favorite osCommerce store based on all the live shops entries reviewed by me. It will be based on design and usability.

My favorite site for DECEMBER is:
The Rocking Horse
On line baby boutique & stylish gifts.

I really like the site’s overall layout. They did an excellent job with the design and navigation buttons. The osCommerce portion is nicely integrated into the rest of the website.

Hi everyone, I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. I just got back from shopping after attempting to buy several tech items. One of which was a 250 gig external hard drive. After getting to the stores at around 8 am I had no luck Lines were long and stores did not have enough of the advertised items. How many people believe in shopping on Black Friday? Is it worth it anymore or is it just better to shop online? Do you offer Black Friday specials on your osCommerce store? I am beginning to think it’s better to just stay at home especially with my experience today, not being able to get anything that was advertised. And after you get what’s advertised you have to spend time filling out rebates!

More info on Black Friday

So I was at a restaurant yesterday and we ordered a dish with vegetables. As soon as it comes out and I begin to dig in and guess what I see in it? It was a green caterpillar! With all the news in the US about e-coli and raw spinach and this recent incident that I had, I suggest paying careful attention and make sure you wash your vegetables prior to cooking or eating it. Have you ever found something really weird in your dish at a restaurant? This was defiantly a first for me!

On a side note, I finished the final stages of a project I have been working on. As a webmaster looking for link exchange have you ever wondered if a site is a reliable reciprocal or paid link partner? I have created an organization QLEW (Quality Link Exchange Websites) which allows webmasters to leave comments on websites that offer reciprocal or paid link exchange. Membership is free but all QLEW members must abide by a strict code of ethics. If you have an osCommerce store that has a link directory please check out becomeing a member of Find quality link exchange websites.

Well I was surprised to see the PR (Page Rank) increase on one of the stores I have been working on Nita Creations. The PR went up from a 3 to a 4. It looks like Google has preformed a PR update. On the subject of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), An osCommerce store owner recently asked me the following question “How do I get my store listed on Google?” This in my opinion is a very common question that new store owners encounter after setting up there osCommerce site. So what are some basic steps that can be taken to increase the chance of Google indexing your website?

Here is a basic list of things to do.

- First, find a niche for your site and select a group of keywords.
(proper keyword selection is essential and cannot be stressed enough)
- Next, find link partners to backlink to your website.
(links back to your website from high PR pages RELATED to your site are especially useful.)

Now on to optimizing your osCommerce store.

- Make sure your title tag as well as alt tags contain your selected keywords.
- Make sure you have a sitemap that will help Google and other search engines spider your page.
- Make sure to always have fresh content.
These are just the basics, I cannot guarantee your site will increase in popularity but following these basic steps will certainly point your site in the right direction.

What are some PR determining factors?

- Which website links to you?
- PR of the website linking to you.
- Anchor text used in the link linking to you.
- Whether or not the website linking to you are deemed by Google as authority websites.

Feel free to post a comment with suggestions that helped you increase page rank and the popularity of your website. I also recommend that you visit the Next Steps/ Marketing forum here: http://forums.oscommerce.com/index.php?showforum=40