Now one of the suggestion I got was that the checkout page of my site is not secured. Because I didn’t use HTTPS/SSL Certificate.
Well, I looked into it and found that my web host (hostmonster) does provide the service. I could get it impledmented on my site for free for a shared SSL Certificate. The problem with that is that the checkout page of my site will not be under my URL anymore. (it’ll be like this https://secure.hostmonster/…)
The web host will let me use my site’s URL for a private SSL Certificate but it will cost an annual fee of $100.
My question is it that important to have HTTPS/SSL for your ecommerce site ? Do I really need to pay more money for a private SSL or if it’s fine to just use the free one ?
Yes, it’s essential. Without it, your customers are liable to have their credit card details stolen. I never buy from a site that is not https secured.
My view is, don’t sell your customers short with cheap and nasty options. For a commercial site, $100/yr is nothing.
Go for private SSL. You can’t run a business without investment. Nobody is going to buy without https://… .
If you think that you can do with the shared SSL its fine because at the end it is your brand. Ruin it or build it…
I guess I will have to look into buying private SSL. I know it’s not very costly. But it is tough when my site isn’t generating any profit at all. =/
Yes, that’s the reality for all of us, but perhaps it’s worth going one step back and asking why there are no sales, and whether this is worth pursuing at all. I myself shy away from this stuff, but I’ve realized it’s something that has to be faced. I’m impressed by people who do market research etc. to test whether their product will sell, go out on a limb to promote the product(s) etc., create some buzz.
As was already stated, having an SSL of your own for a secure order form is crucial for any e-commerce website. Security is a HUGE business online and there is only a small percentage of people online that would order without a secure connection … and a portion of those are most likely unaware that it is insecure.
I have worked with a few e-commerce websites and the smallest bit of doubt that the form is secure will cause someone to go to a different website. Whether that is using the free SSL certificate provided by your host instead of buying one for your domain or even having an unsecure image reference on your page … they will run fast.
Like others said, $100 / yr is minimal for any business expense … especially for an online shop where a single sale could cover that cost easily (and guarantee you losing customers without it). The fact of business is you need to spend money to make money. If you are selling clothing, I’m guessing you must have had to buy some different sizes to have in stock before selling anything? It’s just part of running your business. If you are getting a lot of traffic, it’s only a matter of time that you will start to see a return.
On a side note, you may want to check to make sure you are targeting the right visitors and sending them to the best landing page too. I don’t know your campaigns, but sending them to the best page for them to find what they are looking for is going to be crucial for converting that sale as well.
(Post Here:http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/advertising-sales-affiliate-programs-6/my-clothing-site-getting-alot-traffic-ads-but-not-sale-what-gives-739898.html#post4826245)