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Security is perhaps one of the most important aspects of a web hosting plan, especially for webmasters that conduct a significant volume of e-commerce on a daily basis. A single security lapse could lead to widespread data loss, site downtime, slow loading pages, and a reduction in daily traffic levels. However, one security issue that is often overlooked and underestimated is spam, which is defined as any excessive and/or forceful communication with or use of a Web server or online system. Although web hosting providers offer integrated modules that are specifically designed to help webmasters maximize spam prevention, there are certain measures that website owners can take to completely eliminate site spam.

Why Should Spam Be Prevented?

Spam is a threat not only to the security but also to the productivity of every online business. Most websites become successful because of their continually updated content, which is of a high quality that visitors gain interest in. However, if your site becomes heavily populated with unmoderated spam comments and low-quality content, it is possible to experience a significant reduction in daily traffic levels and search engine rankings. In fact, it is even possible to be completely de-indexed from some search engines because of a large volume of spam on your site. Spam can also be seen in the form of automated e-mails that are submitted through contact forms on your website. E-mail spam can cause webmasters to waste a lot of time in cleaning up their inbox, reducing productivity and ultimately lowering the value and responsiveness of their customer service.

What Is a Captcha Script?

A captcha script is basically a script that is installed on your website which displays a unique image containing a random combination of characters (including letters, numbers, and sometimes symbols), which visitors must input into a form box to verify that they are not automated robots. Since captcha scripts actually create unique images spontaneously, bots are not able to read or decode them as they would be able to do with regular text. As computer programs are not able to actually view and interpret images, it is extremely unlikely that a bot will be created in the future that can decipher captcha images. Thus, captcha scripts are an effective long-term way to prevent automated spam and ensure that all of your site commenters and anyone sending you an e-mail is actually a human being.

How to Use Captcha Scripts

To use a captcha script you simply need to paste the code snippet into the coding of any form or input field. This will cause the script to randomly generate a captcha image any time the form is loaded on a webpage, making it so no information can be successfully entered into the form without the visitor first solving the associated captcha. Captcha codes can be generated in various programming languages, including PHP, ASP, and NET, making it a flexible and highly compatible spam prevention tool that can be utilized on any web site.

E-commerce hosting is perhaps one of the most popular types of hosting plans, and is specifically designed to accommodate the requirements of online business owners. Online shops have unique needs that must be met by robust hosting plans that include a plethora of necessary components. Perhaps the most important component of an e-commerce hosting plan, which sets it apart from other types of hosting, is the site builder application included within the control panel. E-commerce hosting plans are all-inclusive solutions that include shopping carts, payment processing capabilities, product catalog creators, and comprehensive site builders. Even the most experienced and novice webmaster can successfully build a professional web store with very little effort using the site building applications included with an e-commerce hosting plan.

Creative Convenience

In years past, one would have to have significant programming skills to create a professional looking website that would be successful in soliciting new clients and marketing products and services. However, with the advent of content management systems and template-based site builders, online business owners can now take every aspect of site creation into their own hands using drag-and-drop/ point-and-click interfaces that are specifically designed to be user-friendly. With this creative convenience it is possible to continuously establish new online storefronts, with each website taking only a couple of minutes to complete.

Portraying Professionalism

The templates included within an e-commerce hosting plan have been proven to increase conversion rates and portray professionalism. In fact, it is possible to build a website less than 5 minutes, make a couple of changes to the CSS/style sheet, and have a completely unique online storefront up and running by the end of the day. Perhaps even more important than the pricing and features of your products or services are the way they are marketed. The website can have the cheapest prices online and provide the best service, but to prospective customers this means nothing if the appearance does not portray professionalism. Online shoppers are especially skeptical and are very reluctant to spend their money on websites that look like they were created by amateurs. The site building tools within an e-commerce hosting plan give you the ability to create professional product catalogs and site navigation menus that are capable of impressing any customer.

Additional Site Building Methods

Aside from the included site builder applications within the e-commerce plan, there are also simple script installation utilities that allow you to easily install content management systems on your domain. These content management systems (i.e. – WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal) are specifically designed to simplify the process of creating a website within a template-based system. After mastering the conventional site builder in your control panel, it may be beneficial to graduate to one of these more comprehensive solutions that can be enhanced and expanded upon using open source plug-ins. Content management systems like WordPress not only simplify site creation, they also enhance the capabilities of your site by adding widgets, sidebars, and other features to the site navigational menus. Content management systems also facilitate search engine optimization tasks like link building and pinging.

E-commerce has reshaped the face of every industry on the planet, connecting prospective customers to retailers and service providers around the world. With the advent of the Internet the marketing potential of every business has skyrocketed, and it is now possible for an aspiring online entrepreneur to go from zero to hero in less than a year. The advantages of marketing products and services online are obvious, and include a diversified client base and simplified/cheaper business promotion. One of the main aspects of any e-commerce website is the shopping cart, which is a server-side application that allows the online shopper to purchase more than one item at a time and perform a variety of other tasks. If you’ve ever shopped online before, then you have probably used a shopping cart. Fortunately, you don’t have to pay a lot of money to have a good shopping cart for your e-commerce website – consider the following free e-commerce shopping carts.

OsCommerce

OsCommerce has consistently been one of the most popular shopping cart applications available, primarily because it is user-friendly yet provides robust functionality. OsCommerce is particularly effective in providing an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience for the customer, which thereby increases conversion rates and improves customer satisfaction. The shopping cart has integrated shipping and processing, pre-order, product review, and automatic e-mail components that simplify the job of the webmaster by automating redundant tasks related to customer follow-ups and billing. OsCommerce is also compatible with a variety of payment processors (including PayPal), which allow you to accept credit card payments securely.

CubeCart

CubeCart is one of the most customizable, yet user-friendly free shopping carts. The application utilizes theme-based design allows you to quickly adjust the appearance of the shopping interface on-the-fly. CubeCart is also one of the few shopping carts that automatically generates product catalog page URLs that are optimized for the search engines. CubeCart lets your customers use coupon codes and certificates for discounts. To simplify the check out process for site visitors, CubeCart has an integrated shipping and tax calculator, and is compatible with a variety of world currencies. If you plan on selling digital items online, you’ll be pleased to learn that CubeCart has secure download delivery features, and also has integrated e-mail marketing functionality.

ZenCart

Although not quite as popular as the two aforementioned free shopping carts, ZenCart is extremely suitable for novice webmasters. ZenCart is more than just a shopping cart, it is a shopping cart/content management system hybrid that allows you to create custom checkout pages using a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor with a basic user interface. ZenCart is also equipped with product catalog creators the let you easily upload product details and images, and then organize this content into specific categories to create a convenient shopping experience for your site visitors. ZenCart is extremely easy to install, and includes a developer’s toolkit that can be used by novice webmasters to find specific code strings for editing.

Yahoo is primarily known for being one of the largest search engines, however it is also a web-based services provider that offers a plethora of products and services related to web hosting and advertising. Some of the best hosting solutions offered by Yahoo are included within their merchant services plans, which can accommodate the requirements of almost any online entrepreneur. If you’ve been shopping for a robust e-commerce solution for your online endeavors, then you may want to consider the following review of Yahoo Merchant Services.

Yahoo Merchant Services Plans

Yahoo Merchant Services currently is offered in three different plans – Standard, Professional, and Starter. The majority of novice webmasters will be able to access all of the server resources needed for basic websites within the Starter plan. However, more experienced website owners may want to opt for the standard plan initially in order to guarantee adequate hosting resources. Fortunately, even if you select the wrong plan initially, Yahoo Merchant Services makes it easy to upgrade to a more powerful plan within the control panel of your hosting account. Even the starter plan includes unlimited bandwidth and disk space, $100 worth of advertising credits, and simple installation utilities that facilitate the process of installing content management systems that will help you manage your business website. Yahoo Merchant Services hosting plans also do not have set up fees, and they are currently providing a 25% discount on the first two months of service for first-time customers.

Ongoing Merchant Support

Yahoo Merchant Services also provides renowned customer service and technical support, which is provided 24 hours per day, seven days a week, through various contact methods including phone, e-mail, and live chat. Since Yahoo is primarily a search engine, the company knows how to offer products and services that are relevant to the needs and requirements of specific webmasters. Whether you are having trouble setting up your checkout pages and shopping cart, or you need assistance with logging into your hosting account, you can be sure that Yahoo Merchant Services support will be available every day of the year, even holidays.

Additional Features

Every Yahoo merchant services hosting plan also includes free domain registration, a free e-mail account, access to integrated shopping cart applications, payment processor integration, inventory management and automated billing utilities, and even free Yahoo advertising credits. Thus, Yahoo merchant services is capable of providing an all-inclusive solution that can meet the needs of the most novice or the most experienced webmaster, regardless of their industry or business goals. Yahoo merchant services also provides custom web design, website promotion, Landing page optimization, and reseller hosting plans for online entrepreneurs that would like to create new residual income streams. For webmasters that do not have a large budget, or would like to begin designing and promoting their websites themselves, Yahoo merchant services also provides free site building utilities that include thousands of predesigned professional templates, which can be applied to the entire site quickly and easily.

Trying to generate a consistent level of traffic for your website can be difficult enough, however converting those visitors into sales and profits is even more challenging. This is especially true if you’re trying to sell a product or service that requires customers to pay a repeat monthly bill. Unfortunately, many online customers are wary of monthly services and subscriptions because there are a lot of subscription-based scam companies online that will not hesitate to charge unwilling cardholders for services that they did not request or do not wish to continue paying for. Even if you are able to solicit a significant client base and convince them to pay a monthly subscription fee by offering a high-quality product or service, you’ll need to find an easy and productive way to bill them. The following paragraphs list the advantages of using automated billing applications for simplified e-commerce.

Productivity and Professionalism

Automated billing applications allow you to input the payment/subscription details and contact information of each customer into a database that will be used to automatically bill them on a scheduled basis based on your preferences and settings. By eliminating the need to calculate invoices, send e-mails, and request payments within payment processors, online business owners can boost productivity significantly. Automated billing applications also provide a plethora of predesigned invoice templates that can be used to enhance the overall perception of professionalism and improve your customers’ opinions about your products and services.

Personalized Billing

Aside from the various predesigned invoice templates available, you can also use automated billing software to customize and create your own invoices based on your industry and the interests or requirements of your customers. For example, you can adjust the font size, type, and color of the text, add relative background photographs, and incorporate custom logos and HTML designs into your invoices. These customization features allow you to create professional invoice templates that portray professionalism and let your customers know that they are dealing with a reputable business. Personalized invoices can also help you improve your branding efforts, and create a longer lasting memory in the minds of your clients, which can be helpful in marketing future products and services.

Subscription Statistics and Accounting

Automated billing software also simplifies the accounting process by tracking all billings and payments and providing detailed subscription statistics. You can choose whether to bill your customers on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, monthly, or even custom-range basis. The types of statistics provided within automated billing software include but are not limited to the amount each customer pays, the dates on which invoices were paid, the amount of customer refund requests, and the amount of customer payment defaults. It is possible to use these statistics to significantly increase conversion rates by finding methods that are capable of producing the most effective results. Some automated billing software will even allow you to export a detailed accounting file in formats that are compatible with tax preparation software such as Quicken or TurboTax.