E-commerce basics
With the amazing growth of the Internet, it seems that everyone has a Web site these days. From the smallest Mom-and-Pop businesses to industry giants, the Internet allows everyone to compete. And yet, setting up a professional business Web site is not so easy. How you establish your Internet presence determines if your e-business succeeds or fails.
We believe you should treat your e-business like a traditional  brick-and-mortar business. Have a solid business plan and budget. Develop a marketing plan to attract and retain customers. Keep track of your orders, ship items and perform customer service. Recognize that setting up and running a business web site costs money. Understand that you will need the services below to succeed.  InternetPlanners.com has all the tools into place and we have taken out the mystery to start your own online business!  Below the steps needed.

Your Own Domain Name
Consider establishing your own domain name now (like www.yourcompany.com) if you are serious about e-commerce and you have not registered a domain. Do a domain name search here.

Web site
Before taking Internet orders, you need a Web site. There is no shortage of experts who will help you design and put up a site. Many computer literate individuals choose to do all the work themselves. 

Our SiteXpress web site creation software program with 300 template combinations is included in all our hosting plans at no additional cost.  SiteXpress has an easy to use interface which will allow even the simplest of users to create and publish a website without investing in a webmaster or an expensive web development software package. Any internet user can build a website with SiteXpress!   
For more details and free 30 day trial Click Here.

(You do not have to use the SiteXpress, you can use any design software package including MS Front Page, Dream Weaver and other HTML editors with our hosting plans)
If you don't possess these skills, find someone who does! 

Secure server connection
There is a lot of concern about security on the Internet. To make sure your customer's transactions are safe, follow established conventions in Internet security, which means using a secure server for Online Charge and Online Check transactions. A secure server runs software that establishes a secure connection with your customer's Internet browser using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology to encrypt transmitted information. You know you are on a secure server when your browser shows https:// on the browser address bar and a lock icon on the status bar.  You can get your own secure certificate or use our free server-wide secure server to host your web site. 

Merchant Account

A Merchant Account is a bank account that allows you to accept credit cards and electronic checks from your customers. Most established businesses already have a Merchant Account but you need to check with your bank to make sure it can handle Internet transactions. If you do not have a Merchant Account, Internet Planners has teamed up with the Humboldt Bank and you can apply via the Merchant Account Express Application. You do not have to host with us to apply for a Merchant Account. Anybody can apply. Apply here!

Shopping Cart, use CartXpress or Miva

CartXpress, powered by osCommerce is a powerful e-commerce application which enables small to medium-sized businesses to implement a robust, secure, and professional online store. It also includes powerful features such as coupon and gift certificate modules, live UPS, USPS, and Fedex shipping, and Ebay and Amazon store connectors. CartXpress is available for an additional $5.00 per month on all of our hosting plans. This will include our server-wide secure SSL certificate at no cost.  Try a full working demo of our CartXpress

You will want to present your products, prices, size and color options, calculate sales tax and shipping costs and collect credit card or electronic check information. You need a product catalog and purchase order form so your customers can place orders on your Web site. It sounds simple but is a complicated piece of software. Our Miva Merchant 4.21 Store Front shopping cart does all this. 

Payment Gateway

You need a way to provide real time Online Charge processing and to accept Online Check checks from your customer we suggest you choose the Innuity Online Commerce Suite, premier provider since 1996! You do not have to host with us to apply for a Payment Gateway Account. Anybody can apply.

Search Engine Promotion Tools Click here!

Build traffic to your site with this powerful suite of search engine optimization tools. This bundle of tools include a keyword popularity tool, a META tag generator, a tool that tells you how to improve your page for search engine ranking, a submission tool, and a tool to track your progress in the search engines.