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My previous post outlined how to building a website. But if you’re building an actual e-commerce site, there are a few more things that you’ll need in order to get started.

1) Get A Dedicated Phone Line

Even though it’s a web-based business, there are still many people out there who don’t feel 100% comfortable placing orders online. Prominently display your phone number on each page of your site, so that if a visitor has a question or concern, they can easily reach you. You should have a dedicated phone number just for this purpose, and get in the habit of answering this phone with a professional business greeting. (eg. “Thank you for calling ABC Widgets. This is Dan, how can I help you today?”)

If you’re on a budget, I’d suggest going with a VOIP (voice over IP) solution, which offers a LOT of additional features, at a much cheaper montly price. I use Vonage, and I get unlimited local and long-distance calls for just $24.99 a month. I was previously paying $86 a month for similar features from my local provider!! (If you want to give it a try, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send you a link good for a free month!)

Another option is to use a service like GotVMail. With GotVMail, your small business can sound more professional and streamline its communications by creating a virtual office that connects callers to employees wherever they are, on any type of phone – home, office, VoIP, or mobile – without any equipment to purchase or maintain. GotVMail combines a unique toll free or local number with a host of advanced features. It functions as a virtual attendant, hosted PBX system, and sales and marketing tool allowing your small business to always sound its best. It also allows you to better manage voicemails and faxes with message delivery – listen to voicemails and view faxes right on your computer.

2) Get a Merchant Account

You need to get a merchant account in order to accept credit cards. This is a very shady industry, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll find yourself stuck in a long-term contract with a lousy plan that costs too much. You’re used to seeing credit card machines when you go to regular stores, but as an online business, you don’t need one. Yet they’ll try to convince you that you need to lease a machine, at “ONLY” $45-60 a month. An unbreakable lease. Forget that, find a provider that lets you run credit cards over an internet gateway (web interface), and save $540-720 a year!

Merchant Equipment Store is one of the largest merchant equipment and service providers in the country. Over the past four years, they have maintained a flawless rating with the BBB, having received not a single customer complaint! They scan the marketplace constantly to ensure they’re providing our customers with great service and equipment at consistently low prices. And with Merchant Equipment Store, you wont find any startup or hidden fees on merchant account set-ups.

In addition, you should sign up for a PayPal Business or Premier account. Many people still don’t feel safe giving out their credit card information, but are willing to pay using their PayPal account. It also gives the customer some options – They can pay using their PayPal balance, with funds in their bank account, or using a credit card. It costs you nothing, so start accepting PayPal payments today!

Hopefully this should help get you started on your new e-commerce site. As always, if you have any questions, just leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to respond to you as soon as possible.