If it is your ambition to open an online business, there is much you need to learn from how to write your business plan to website design and content creation that optimizes traffic and sales. While you will need to learn skills that are relevant to your product or service, there are also must do’s that an online business must engage because of intellectual property rights and security. You also need to learn these five elements about the technical side of e-commerce

Choose a Trusted Payment Processing Gateway

E-commerce has been gaining much ground worldwide which has led to more payment gateways. About 86 percent of your customers will make their payments either with their debit or credit cards, so you must have a payment processing network available. You do not want to find that you chose an untrustworthy one after issues arise, so be sure to take your time and research payment processing gateways that deliver on their promises.

Your payment gateway is simply the code the credit card company or bank receives from your online business’ cart. Choose a well-known provider to process payments as it ensures that the purchases go through and you receive them without technical issues. You will learn more about credit card processing, fraud and chargebacks by reading the Ultimate Merchant Guide to Fight & Prevent Chargebacks — Credit Card Protection Rights.

Cyber Security Is a Must

Your online business will be susceptible to a host of technical threats. As your day-to-day operations are mainly done online, you need to gauge the cyber threats that will harm your business including phishing email schemes and spam. Be sure to invest in antivirus software and malware to protect your business from these vulnerabilities.

SEO Only Matters If You Are on the First SERP Page

Organic searches are the leading way to drive traffic to your site. Unfortunately, it will matter little if you do not rank on the first search engine results page (SERP). Research shows that a first-page ranking will drive between 71 percent and 92 percent of all organic search traffic to your website. If you want to improve your ranking, learn about search engine optimization (SEO) and make improvements to your site that increase landing page traffic and sales.

Content Creation & CTAs

Your copy and content creation are critical components as they inform your customers about product and services, brand awareness and industry knowledge. Adding a call to action (CTA) to your content also drives traffic to designated landing pages. Informative articles, blogs or videos are all marketing techniques that attract and retain customers.

Advertise Online

While SEO-rich content boosts traffic, paid advertising is a good marketing tool. Finding out more about the advertising platforms will help you narrow the scope of your targeted demographics, which will help you promote your online business effectively.

Conclusion

As you build your website, it is a critical time to think about the different ways you will be able to optimize your website and build consumer confidence that boosts traffic and revenue.