What is Ecommerce?
Ecommerce (a.k.a. electronic commerce, EC, Ebusiness, Etailing) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet or more specifically the World Wide Web.
What are the components to build an Ecommerce web site?
The first component of Ecommerce is to establish a presence on the web, by signing up for a hosting account. Secondly, to sell goods online, you will need a) shopping cart software, and if you want to process credit cards online: b) secure sockets layer enabled, c) a payment gateway, and d) an internet merchant account. If you plan to sell your products online and accept credit cards, we recommend that you subscribe to one of our Ecommerce bundles, that come with these components.
What is SSL or Secure Sockets Layer? How does it work?
Please see our SSL page for an explanation of SSL and how it works, accessible here.
Does Denver Web Host have a secure commerce server?
Yes, Denver Web Host has a secure certificate installed to each virtual hosting server. All Ecommerce plans as well as our UNIX Enchanced and above get SSL included in the monthly price.
Can I use Denver Web Host's secure certificate and SSL connection?
Denver Web Host allows its Ecommerce, Web Standard and above hosting customers to use the Denver Web Host SSL server certificate for free. For this purpose, we have setup a domain name - webhq.biz - that serves our sercure hosting.
This is simply done by referring to https://webhq.biz/~yourusername/ rather than http://... when creating a link in your HTML. Any directory, www page, or image (anything in your public web directory) can be served securely by preceding the URL in the link with https:// and the proper server information (outlined in the following question).
Note: Pages constructed in MS FrontPage can not be made secure using the above manner, because FrontPage webbots do not work in the secure sockets layer.
How can I use SSL for secure transmission?
If you are on an Ecommerce, Web Standard or above hosting plan, you get SSL secure server access with your account. In order to use SSL on your account, change the URL of your web pages as follows.
- Be sure you know what your primary account user name is.
- Then, call your web pages as https://webhq.biz/~yourusername/.
For example, if your primary user name were yourname , then you can use SSL on your Web site by using the URL https://webhq.biz/~yourname/.
Note: Pages constructed in MS FrontPage can not be made secure using the above manner, because FrontPage webbots do not work in the secure sockets layer.
If I prefer not to use Denver Web Host's name and my provisioning ID for the SSL certificate, what can I do?
Denver Web Host does offer customized solutions for those customers who want to use their existing domain name for use with their ecommerce plans. This type of arrangement requires a dedicated IP address for your site as well as the purchase of your own SSL certificate. Please contact Denver Web Host Sales (sales@denverwebhost.com) for more information.
Where can I find information about security on the Web?
You can find information about security at the following sites:
DevEdge (Netscape's Developer Central)
HotBot's List of Links
WebMonkey
And, if you are interested in a book, check out the O'Reilly Web Security & Commerce book.
How do I know which of Denver Web Host's Ecommerce packages is best for me?
Please visit our ecommerce sales page for more information on our ecommerce plans.
How many products can I sell with Denver Web Host's Ecommerce packages?
Theoretically, it is unlimited. Denver Web Host packages and supporting versions of AgoraCart have been built to support various levels of products (or SKUs). A merchant can sell from 10 or less to thousands of products and the AgoraCart family will support it.
What is shopping cart software?
Shopping cart software acts as an online store's catalog and ordering process. Typically, it allows a consumer to browse the web site, select items for purchase as they browse, review what they have selected; make necessary modifications or additions; and purchase the merchandise. The shopping cart software selected by Denver Web Host is AgoraCart. Each Denver Web Host Ecommerce package includes a version of AgoraCart.
What is AgoraCart?
AgoraCart offers a flexible and cost-effective tool for building and maintaining online stores with ease and security. AgoraCart integrated store creation tools and site templates simplify the process of building an e-commerce site. In addition, there is flexibility to create a customized look for your site using any HTML editor or Web development application.
What differentiates AgoraCart from the competition?
- Ease of Use
- Ease of Deployment
- Unparalleled Security
- Highly customizable.
Is AgoraCart secure?
AgoraCart offers the highest level of security in the industry. Not only is the data encrypted going from the shopper to the merchant, it's encrypted when it resides on the server prior to downloading by the merchant. It is critical that all data (credit card info) be encrypted while traveling to and from the merchant. This is one of AgoraCart's hallmarks.
Where do I get support on the AgoraCart products?
Denver Web Host will provide support in getting AgoraCart installed on your account. Basic support in set up is also available, but Denver Web Host advises all customers to read the available documentation provided by AgoraCart.
You can view Denver Web Host's AgoraCart support documents here.
You can reach the AgoraCart Online Support and FAQs at http://www.agoraguide.com/faq/.
What is a payment gateway?
A payment gateway is simply software that is hosted on a server that links an online store to a process that verifies that a customer who is placing a credit card order has the credit available and that the order should be accepted. Later, when the merchant is ready to submit the charges for processing, the payment gateway accepts them and submits the charges to a payment processor who facilitates the transfer of funds to the merchant.
What is an internet merchant account?
An internet merchant account allows a merchant to process credit cards online and to have the funds electronically transferred into his/her bank account. Merchant account providers charge a fee for their services over and above the fees that are charged for the Ecommerce package you select with Denver Web Host.
Must I have a merchant account and payment gateway to do Ecommerce?
No. You can have just the shopping cart to capture the order information and then manually process the transactions offline, as you do normal non-web sales.
Where do I get support regarding VeriSign?
VeriSign has an extensive support area online. Be sure to refer to this site to get the answers you are looking for regarding your VeriSign secure certificate.
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