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Archive for March, 2010

Benefits and limitations of e-commerce

Posted by weblinkindia on March 30, 2010

E-commerce has revolutionized the concept of conducting business by providing equal chance to all the businesses to mark their global presence. It has also eased the customers with online shopping and easy transactions. With the introduction of e-commerce business, communication has become effortless and has also changed a lot in recent years for the better. Still, there are people who think that conventional business practices are far better then the e-commerce business. Here, we are bringing you some of the benefits and limitations of e-commerce that will make you aware of the certain aspects of this new trend of conducting business.

Benefits

Expands the reach of your business to the global market :- The foremost advantage of e-commerce is that it empowers the business to reach the global market. E-commerce caters to the demands of national as well as international business simultaneously and brings your business activities out of geographical boundaries. With e-commerce, even small businesses get the access to the global market.

Round the clock availability :- E-commerce has abolished time restrictions on business activities because with this you can execute business transactions 24X7. The time factor significantly turns into the increment in sales as well as profits.

Gives freedom to make choices :- It also gives customers an opportunity to look for cheaper and better quality products. With e-commerce, consumers can search the specific product or service they require and can even find the direct manufacturer from where they can purchase products at comparatively less price. Shopping online is time saving and convenient. In addition to it, you also get to see the reviews of other consumers that will help you in making beneficial purchase decision.

Cost effective : - E-commerce is proved to be highly cost effective for business concerns as it cuts down the cost of marketing, processing, inventory management, customer care etc. It also reduces the burden of infrastructure required for conducting business. You can also collect and manage the information related to the customers efficiently, which in turn will assist you in developing efficient promotional strategy.

Limitations

Technological and inherent limitations :- The technological limitations of e-commerce have restricted a large number of people from using this revolutionizing technique. The major disadvantage of e-commerce is the limitation of the Internet, as it still has not touched the lives of every individual. Lack of knowledge restricts large number of people from using the internet and understanding online transactions. Some people refuse to trust the legitimacy of online business and some are not comfortable about disclosing their personal and confidential information online. Authenticity of e-commerce businesses has always remained in question.

Not suitable for perishable commodities :- The biggest limitation of e-commerce is that it is not suitable for perishable goods and food items. For purchasing such items people prefer the conventional way of shopping. Along with that, the time period also plays a significant role in delivering goods to the customers. Customers may need to make lot of phone calls and e-mails for getting the products within the desired timeframe. Moreover, it becomes really troublesome to return the product or get refund in case if you are not satisfied with the product.

After evaluating the pros and cons of e-commerce, we can clearly state that the benefits of e-commerce are sufficient enough for overpowering the limitations. If apt strategies are followed and technical issues are addressed properly, you can easily build up the customers trust in your system. The present scenario of e-commerce can also be changed for good, so that it can easily adapt to the ever changing needs of the customers as well as of the world.

Ecommerce Web Design Company

Posted in Ecommerce Solution, Ecommerce Web design | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Are Ecommerce Transactions Secure?

Posted by weblinkindia on March 27, 2010

Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing businesses in the current scenario. Scarcity of time and unavailability of the products at a given point of time are the most important factors contributing to the growth of ecommerce. Even in times of depressed economy online shopping gained popularity and continued to generate large revenue.

Is online transaction secure?
With fraud and hackers lurking at all corners, online transaction is not at all secure. Ecommerce stores or shopping carts have their payment gateways that carry out the financial transactions. It is a business’s responsibility to choose the perfect payment gateway that has all the possible security options. All online financial transactions include sharing of personal credit card details. It is witnessed that most of the customers have turned down their orders online because of the poor security. But use of newly invented software have made the transactions secure.

Latest measures taken up by the shopping cart owners:
The developers have designed various security software in order to make online transactions safer.

Steps that an advanced secure shopping cart follows:

  1. When you place an order on a shopping cart you are directed to a web page with order form
  2. Then after filling up and submitting the form the order is send via https:// to a safer server
  3. This secure site contains a security device in the browser
  4. It may also have SSL trust marks that encrypts the information in coded form
  5. The SSL verifies the details of both the client and the server
  6. A SSL certificate is awarded after verification
  7. The encrypted information intentionally messes up the data that makes it more secure
  8. Each of this SSL certificate have two keys public and personal

Public Key :-  for encrypting the information
Private Key :-  for decrypting the information

Only the authorized users are able to encrypt and decrypt the information. Thus this whole process makes the ecommerce transaction process fair and secure. Using the safe mode of transactions, the businesses have been able to shun away the fears related to online transactions. The highly advanced security software enables the ecommerce stores or businesses to conduct their businesses with much ease and without any fear.

Secure Payment Gateway Solutions

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Method of Handling and Tracking Ecommerce Transactions

Posted by weblinkindia on March 23, 2010

Ecommerce is a fast growing business; more and more companies are heading their way towards online business. The large profit margins and trade leads have been an imperative factor contributing to the thriving ecommerce market. Establishing an ecommerce business is a task that comprises of various stages but properly incepting it doesn’t ensure its success. You must be wondering then what the determining factor of a successful ecommerce business is. The sales & leads generated and the satisfaction of the clients, this all could be found out by tracking the ecommerce transactions.

Ecommerce transactions
The transactions between an ecommerce business, customer and the bank constitute ecommerce transactions. These transactions ought to be secure and highly confidential.

Why is it essential to track ecommerce transactions?
Tracking down your ecommerce transactions is a key to analyze the progress of your online business. The data collected by tracking the ecommerce transactions is utilized for measuring the conversion rate. Google Analytics is the best ecommerce tracking service.

How do ecommerce tracking work?
It works on the principal similar to pageview tracking. The Google Analytic servers are sent a JavaScript Code.

The main process:

  1. Transaction is submitted to the server
  2. Data is received and processed :At this stage confirmation email as well cross checking of the credit card information takes place
  3. After the processing of the transaction is completed, the visitor is sent a receipt: some of the data is inserted in the JavaScript of the Google Analytics. A special code has to be created for this task.
  4. Receipt sent to the browser of the visitor
  5. When the receipt page is being placed in the browser, the transaction data in the form of GA JavaScript is sent to the Google Analytics

This step is a tricky one but is conducted very smoothly.

What kind of data is tracked?

  1. Transaction data: tax, shipping, etc
  2. Item data: product name, quantity, price, etc.

Things to avoid:

  1. Alpha numeric characters should be avoided in the data
  2. Currency identifier must not be added

Thus a systematic tracking program enables you to maintain concrete data that further helps in measuring the growth of the business.

Ecommerce Solutions

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Ecommerce Hosting Considerations

Posted by weblinkindia on March 20, 2010

Ecommerce is the fastest growing field in the web market. With the growing access of the Internet and the busy lives of the people ecommerce have acquired a new thrust.

What is ecommerce?
The buying and selling of services and products that takes place through the electronic medium is ecommerce. It comprises of B2B & B2C/ shopping cart websites. For uploading your own ecommerce site or store online, reliable website hosting is required. There are various points that have to be considered while choosing an ecommerce host.

Following are the things that have to be assured before selecting your ecommerce host :

Calculate Disk Space and Transfer:

  1. This is the base thing that you need to consider while opting for a general host
  2. The amount of space you need on the server and transfer rate all need to be determined beforehand
  3. After calculating this you can choose an appropriate size plan
  4. Ecommerce sites require space and transfer more as compared to the other sites ( because of the presence of shopping cart)

How will decide upon the requirements of space and transfer?
It is solely dependent on the number of products that you have offered. Also, it depends of the amount of traffic

Choose a perfect Shopping Cart:

  1. Choosing shopping cart software is entirely a choice of the business owner
  2. A web hosting company provides you plenty of choices: thoroughly enquire about the features that the software will provide and also ask them to give demos of the same
  3. You must acquire some basic knowledge about the shopping cart software and their working in order to better handle your ecommerce store or business
  4. The software must support SSL, which is a security set up
  5. An efficient payment gateway must be there
  6. Enquire about the product limit of the cart

Trust Factor and uninterrupted support:

  1. The most important thing to be considered while finalizing your ecommerce web host is its trustworthiness.
  2. The server allotted to you should work 24×7 without any break down
  3. Search for customer reviews about the web hosting company you are signing up with

Thus keeping these abovementioned points in mind we assure that you will find and sign up with a perfect Ecommerce website host. The right host will help you earn maximum profits from your ecommerce business.

Posted in Ecommerce Hosting | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Best Ecommerce Software Programs

Posted by weblinkindia on March 17, 2010

Ecommerce is the term related to online buying and selling of goods or services. The growing access of the Internet and its reach to even the remotest areas of the world has perked up the growth of ecommerce. Time is a crucial factor in everybody’s life, wastage of time is unaffordable in the current times. Ecommerce websites is a time-saving solution that enables a buyer to purchase goods from any part of the world in any quantity. The choice options are extensive and the prices are reasonable. Having a shopping cart or an ecommerce website proves highly profitable for a business. Businesses looking forward to have their own ecommerce sites or shopping carts require advanced software programs.

What do you understand by ecommerce software programs?
The software programs that enable a developer to create a site that displays your company’s products or services along with options to buy them are the ecommerce software programs.

There are 3 ways of creating an ecommerce store:

  • Using ‘out of a box’ software
  • Signing up with ecommerce hosting company
  • Using necessary codes creating your own program

There are numerous Ecommerce Software Programs available in the market but selecting the best one for your business is a must. We provide you the characteristics of an ideal ecommerce software programs that you must look out for while choosing yours.

But before that you need to know some points:

  1. Analyze your requirements: what you want in your store.
  2. Calculate your budget

Your ecommerce store MUST BE:

  • Capable of providing an attractive storefront appearance
  • Able to handle all the requisite backend operations
  • Be easy to install
  • Having an efficient payment gateway system
  • Designed by reliable companies

Capable of providing an attractive storefront appearance:
Designed by reliable companies This includes

  • professional appearance
  • Attractive template
  • Is able to display maximum products
  • Site made should be easily navigable
  • Site should be displayed in all the browsers

Handle all the requisite backend operations:
This includes:

  • Record keeping: of purchases, shipping details, tax paid, etc.
  • Should not use cookies
  • Systematic and timely mailing to the clients
  • Should be easy to install :  The software shall be designed such that it requires simple coding and programming.

    Have an efficient payment gateway system :  Until the payment system is not effective the transactions of the online store suffers. So, it is necessary for a ecommerce software program to have an effective payment gateway system.

    Should be designed by reliable companies : The software program must be designed by trusted firms with wide client base. If your ecommerce software program provides fulfills all the aforementioned features then it is an ideal one and will enable you to build a perfect ecommerce store or site.

    Ecommerce Web Design Company

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    Perfect E-commerce Hosting for Your Website

    Posted by weblinkindia on March 13, 2010

    If you are planning to promote your business online what is the primary thing you require? Yes, a website, a well-developed website. It is easy to get your website designed but if it is not promoted in a systematic manner then it serves no purpose. You need to have a perfect have ecommerce hosting plan for your website that will enable your website to be duly promoted all over the World Wide Web. Ecommerce is the fast growing trade where thousands of businesses are conducted online. It enables Buying and selling of products online with the help of shopping carts or ecommerce websites.

    What is ecommerce hosting ?

    • E-commerce Web hosting is the service provided to the clients who plan to establish a sound ecommerce business.
    • It enables them to create an effective ecommerce website that is duly promoted
    • Ensure all possible measures to divert maximum traffic towards your site

    The market is flooded with a number of web hosting companies that offers e-commerce hosting but you need to pick up the best one for your business.

    If you want to know what are the features that an ecommerce host must offer then you have landed on a right page. In this write up you will find the characteristics that a perfect ecommerce hosting should have : -

    1. Should have a server with fast data centre
    2. Offer proper monthly file arrangements
    3. vide accurate database back up
    4. Ensures secure transactions
    5. Easy navigation on the sites
    6. Offer proper Advertizing packages
    7. The site or store should be easy to maintain
    8. Minimum loading time of the websites
    9. Sites made should be Search engine friendly
    10. Offer various payment options
    11. Easy to update sites
    12. Should be able to launch your site on all browsers
    13. Should ensure your site’s high page ranking on the search engines
    14. Should charge reasonably
    15. Offer 24×7 assistance

    If an ecommerce host is competent enough to offer all the above mentioned features then it is the right choice.

    Things to remember

  • Do carry out a thorough market research before registering with an ecommerce web host
  • Your web host should be reliable and renowned in the field
  • Posted in Ecommerce Hosting, Ecommerce Solution | 1 Comment »

    Static web design pros and cons

    Posted by weblinkindia on March 9, 2010

    Websites are the representation of a trade online; they are a compilation of web pages having detailed information of the business and its workings. Websites are designed in two major formats: static and dynamic. Static web design is the traditional format being extensively used to create websites.

    What is static web design or static web pages?

    Static web page, once created cannot be altered or updated unless specialized editors are used. As their name states, they are static in nature. They are widely used to create brochures and classic websites. Dynamic websites are the new fad in the field of web designing and most of the sites are designed as dynamic.

    It is very essential to choose the right type for your websites in accordance with your requirements and budget. If you want to know what advantages and disadvantages a static website has over dynamic, then our write up shall guide you through.

    Pros

    • Easier to create than others
    • Cost of creating is much less than the dynamic
    • ‘Hard coded’ static pages can be created with much ease
    • They are easily crawled over by the search engine spiders and thus attract more visitors
    • Almost all designers have the knowledge about static websites
    • AlIdeal for those businesses who require a simple website

    Cons

    • It proves to be highly expensive when updated: a hard-coded website is updated in accordance with the website’s size.
    • It is less interactive and attractive
    • A site owner cannot update the content on his own unless he is well-versed with CSS, HTML, etc.

    Thus by now you must have acquired a fair idea of benefits and disadvantages of using a static web design. So, carefully estimate your needs and select the right kind of website for your business.

    web design company india

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    In Search Engine which site is better dynamic or static?

    Posted by weblinkindia on March 6, 2010

    What do you think is the fastest means of promotion in the present scenario? The answer is Internet. Its growing accessibility and people’s dependency on it has made it an excellent platform for advertizing the businesses. There are various Internet tools that are used for the purpose of promotion but the most common and the widely used is the Website.

    A Website is a promotional tool that is used by the marketers in order to advertize a business online. It is the company’s face online that is presented in a flashy manner to the users. All the relevant information regarding the company’s working and the services or products it offers is made available on these sites.

    How many kinds of website are there?
    The websites are made in two formats:
    >> Static website
    >> Dynmic website

    What is the main aim of any website?
    A website is successful only when it is able to achieve higher search engine rankings. So, the main aim of any web designer is to create a Website that is search engine friendly.

    What is the difference between static and dynamic websites?
    In simple language, static websites are the basic type of websites that remain unchanged unless they are edited by the webmasters. The content and data uploaded on these sites is fixed and the pages are designed using the HTML. Brochures, Classic Websites, etc. are the examples of static websites. They are ideal for small business as they are cheaper than the dynamic ones. Dynamic websites as the name suggests keeps changing. The content and data on the site is likely to change frequently. They are suitable for shopping carts and large businesses who periodically upgrade their products. They are comparatively costlier than the static pages.

    Now let us see which of the two websites: static or dynamic is more compatible with Search Engines?
    Dynamic websites are a compilation of different web pages and all the pages are not made using HTML so they are likely to vary with every search, which disable the search engine to crawl the contents. Also, the URL of dynamic websites contains different characters like #, &, etc that prevents the search engine spider to index the data present on that page. URLs having session IDs face complications while being searched by the search engines. The links are not properly followed so the Page Rank suffers.

    These problems can be fixed using advance software but it requires time and additional money. Dynamic pages should not be used on the website’s main page and should be restricted to the database or catalog in order to gain better search engine rankings.

    Static web pages are simple to load by the search engine as they don’t have to be collected. The Google PR attributes are specially provided to Static Websites so they have an extra advantage.

    Static websites are better than dynamic ones when search engines are concerned. Dynamic pages are converted to static for this purpose but the penalties related to copied content needs to be taken care off. Though now many search engines are able to index the dynamic pages but it takes time and is completed with errors on the page.

    Posted in Search Engine Optimization | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

    10 Ways to Save Time While Building a Website

    Posted by weblinkindia on March 3, 2010

    For a website developer time is money, but they should not rush to complete a website because money is time. The more you work, the better will be your income, but the question is how to increase your productivity without hampering the quality of your work. Here, we are making an attempt to provide you some tips that will not only reduce the time you spend on developing an attractive website but also yield fruitful financial outcomes.

    1) Drop Down Menus - Adding a drop down menu in a website is a complicated task as it takes lot of time in typing a text. For designing a detailed menus in less time you can directly search the internet for various programs and websites that designs complex multi level drop down menus in a rather less time. This not only saves time but also gives you an idea about new styles of drop down menus.

    2) Firebug -  Add-on offered by Fbrowser.irefox containing various improved functions, Firebug. This utility comes with an inspect element function that allows you to remind the names of particular CSS class or IDs. You can also test changes made in CSS/HTML in a

    3) Templating Engines - It’s better to start working on a website with a standard base that already has preconfigured header and footer. A lot of time can be saved if you add links, meta data, robots.txt etc to your CSS file. A good templating engine can be easily searched on net for reference.

    4) MeasureIt -  MeasureIt is another Firefox add-on that helps in measuring pixels on the screen, especially when you want to develop an image at a specific point. The task is as simple as dragging and clicking but make sure that the size of the web page, padding and margins are correct.

    5) Reusing your CSS - Create a base CSS document with margins, body tags; IE6/7 hacks etc. because the basic content remains the same for every website. Having some preconfigured CSS base documents as a sample saves time of rewriting the basic things while you design a website.

    6 ) Color Scheme Tools - A number of color scheme tools are available on the Internet, which can be used for creating a color scheme or picking colors for your website. Getting a HEX or RGB value for any color on the web page is just a click away with the help of color scheme tools.

    7) PHP Include - Use of ‘PHP includes’ for header and footer will automatically show the changes while designing a site. The time saved by following this tip can be huge, but it largely depends on the size of the website you are designing.

    8) Make Optimum Use of Open Source - While working on a rather complicated form or function, it is always better to sample some pre-developed forms. Many web developers make their work available on internet as a sample, which can be referred for help. There are various secure PHP forms available on the internet that will help you in designing a secure contact form, supported with image attachments.

    9) Work on SEO from the Beginning - Working for SEO on your completed website is actually more tedious then doing it while designing. It is better to follow basic SEO strategy right from the beginning. Basic SEO guidelines or factors can be searched on internet as they didn’t take much of your valuable time.

    10) Multiple Browser Testing -  There are certain websites that allow you to see how your website will look on different browsers. What you need to do is to just find your preferred choice and paste the URL of your website and choose the browser on which you want to test your web page. You can also take a screen shot of your website on different web browsers and show them to your clients.

    Even though, there is no alternative to good web designing skills but these tips can make your work easy and will also save a lot of time. If you want to prove your caliber and stand as a successful website developer follow these simple steps and make your life smooth as a professional web developer.

    Web Design India

    Posted in Web Design | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

    Best Ecommerce Solution

    Posted by weblinkindia on March 1, 2010

    What is an Ecommerce solution?

    It is the complete solution to your online needs: buying and selling of products and services. Whatever you require to conduct an online business, you will get it. Various packages or ecommerce deals are available catering to different needs of the businesses. It encompasses setting of the business online, payment gateways, shopping cart, promotion, etc.

    What are the ideal features of the best ecommerce solution?

    Cost effectiveness :-  This is the first parameter on which an Ecommerce Solution is selected. Every business, whether small or big, searches for cost effective ecommerce solutions. ‘Maximum benefit at minimum cost’ is the mantra for every business.

    Swiftness :-  In the world where speed is the need of the hour, an ecommerce solution that offers speedy solution is most preferred.

    Security :-  The customers first ensure that the deal they are getting into is safe and completely secure. As the process of purchasing requires the customer’s credit card details it becomes very essential to assure the safety measures. Having proper security measures enables you to earn the trust of your customers.

    Offers various options to the customers :-  Ensure that your customers are offered with numerous payment options. The purchase should take place without any hassles. Debit Cards, PayPal payments, Digital Cash and Online Checks should also be provided. Also, there should be different mode of orders like through mail, fax, telephone, etc.

    Choosing the perfect Ecommerce solution for yourself is an imperative thing for any business. The success of the company that is achieved through online presence depends on the Ecommerce solution you opt for. Thus carefully select your Ecommerce solution keeping in mind the aforementioned features.

    ecommerce solution

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