In addition to a shopping cart software application, such as Shopping Cart, there are several additional tools or services necessary to operate an e-commerce enabled Web site. Many merchants may already have one or more of these tools in place - either being used for a current Web site or for a brick-and-mortar business. For those merchants who have not already set up these tools and services for other business purposes, or for those who would like to explore transitioning to a new service, we have provided information below to assist you in making your decision.

One of the most important decisions that Internet merchants are faced with is choosing a domain name that accurately describes their products or services. A domain name is used to direct users to your site, is a factor when determining page ranking for many search engines, and becomes a significant part of a business' identity. Ideally, a domain name is used not only to identify your company by name, but also to describe the nature of your business and the products or services that you offer. For additional information and tips on choosing an Internet domain name, we suggest visiting www.thesitewizard.com or conduct a search for "choosing a domain name" with your favorite search engine.

After choosing a domain name, the next step is to choose an internet presence provide (IPP), or host. Once again, this is an important step in setting up an e-commerce Web site, as the host will be responsible for verifying that your site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When choosing a hosting provider, you will need to verify that their service meets the minimal requirements of the software package (listed in Installation Guide and User Manual for each product), including a cgi directory capable of executing the compiled scripts that make up the products and SSL compatibility for providing customers with a secure checkout option (discussed in more detail below).

In addition, you should research potential hosting providers to ensure that they meet your requirements regarding support services (i.e. level of service, service hours, etc.), bandwidth requirements, size requirements, and if you are using an HTML editor such as Microsoft FrontPage, which requires server extensions in order to construct and maintain your site, that support for your product is included, we recommended T3City. If you would like to verify compatibility with your current host, or a new host that you are considering for your site, please contact The Atlanta Web Foundry's Technical Support staff and we will be happy to speak with the host and verify compatibility.

There are several options merchants can consider when determining how to construct their Web store. With free plug-ins for Macromedia Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage, any merchants who are familiar with either of these tools can fully integrate into the applications directly from within each applications provided interface - without the need of HTML scripting knowledge or programming skills. For merchants who are familiar with the interface for other HTML editors, a basic knowledge of creating and inserting text and image hyperlinks is all that is necessary.

Despite the ease with which Shopping Cart's applications can be integrated using the solutions described above, some merchants prefer to solicit the services of a Webmaster for creating and maintaining their Web store. Any professional webmaster should be able to easily implement software into your site design, however if you prefer to work with a Webmaster who is already familiar with the applications, we are happy to pass on your contact information to some of the many Webmasters who work exclusively with e-commerce and shopping cart products. Please contact us for additional information.

Many of you have probably noticed the lock or key icon that appears occasionally in your web browser and wondered what this icon really means and what a merchant needs to do in order to have the same icon appear on their Web stores checkout pages. The lock or key icon (depending on which browser you are using) is an indicator to confirm that you are accessing a page protected by "Secure Socket Layer" (SSL) encryption. In layman's terms, it means that the data being displayed on the page, as well as any information inserted by a customer on the page, is encrypted when being transmitted from the customers browser to the server and vice versa. It is important to note that this alone does not guarantee that data on the server is impenetrable, however is does assure customers that a snooping "outsider" is unable to read the information as it is being transmitted through the World Wide Web.

Merchants may obtain SSL certificates that are issued based on their websites address/domain name, or in many instances, may elect to use a "shared certificate" offered by a hosting provider. If you choose to obtain your own SSL certificate, it will allow users to access any portion of your site, including the Cart's checkout process, via an https:// address (via SSL). If you choose to use a shared certificate from your hosting provider, the host will provide you with a URL that goes through their own address, frequently something like https://server.host.com/site/, which then pulls up your site as if you had entered http://www.site.com. While both options offer the same level of security with regards to how the data is transmitted, the option of having your own SSL certificate issued for your site address can go a long way towards reassuring customers that their purchase from your webstore is secure.

If you choose to have your own SSL certificate issued, you will first need to contact your hosting provider and verify which SSL services their hosting plans are compatible with (some hosts choose to work exclusively with a single provider). The next step is to request a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) from the host - which will ultimately be provided to the SSL certificate issuer. The issuer will then generate the certificate and mail the information directly to the server administrator with your host. The last step is for the host to actually install the certificate. Certificates are available through numerous providers, please contact The Atlanta Web Foundry's Technical Support and we will be happy to help.

For those merchants who would like the ability to process credit card and check transactions within their Web store, an Internet merchant account is necessary. Merchant accounts function much like an ordinary banking account, however they also allow users to process charges for credit card transactions. Merchant banks typically charge a percentage of all transactions, to cover their expenses to the actual credit card providers and processors, and may also charge an additional monthly fee and/or set up fee.

Though a merchant account is what enables merchants to accept credit card transactions, you must also have a payment gateway in order to link your e-commerce enabled Web site to the merchant account. Your Shopping Cart software allows you to choose from a number of such providers. Shopping Cart will accept the information that was provided by your customer during the checkout process, and then send the information via SSL to the transaction gateway - which then verifies the validity of the credit card and checks that sufficient funds are available. Once the transaction has been verified and "approved", the gateway sends a response to your Shopping Cart software as to the outcome of the transactions. Successful transactions are then logged, an e-mail confirmation mailed to the customer and the vendor, and a "thank you" page is displayed to the customer. For approved transactions, the gateway will also send the appropriate information to your merchant account provider to begin the process of transferring funds. For failed transactions, the gateway sends a "declined" response to your Web site. Your Shopping Cart software will then display a "credit denied" error page that provides information as to why the transaction was not approved (e.g. invalid card, insufficient funds, etc.).