There are plenty of ways to make money online, and more and more small businesses are using the Internet for eCommerce. It’s important to ensure your online security is as safe as it can be for the sake of your business and your customers. If you shop online regularly, you may notice that security on the website increases. This occurs when you reach the pages that require your address and payment details. Your website must be just as secure so that your customers can feel assured you are managing their data effectively.
Data theft is rife on the internet. Details can be hacked or stolen from servers or websites that are not properly protected. The damage to your business reputation could put an end to your company instantly. Customer data is always handy to have for marketing purposes. But if your collection of this data puts your customer’s identification at risk, it really isn’t worth it. Instead, you could invite customers to visit your social media pages so you can reach them as safely as possible.
When you are taking payments online, you need to be certain the company that manages your payment processing is secure. If you accept credit cards online, then use a reputable firm that can keep details secure on any device. More and more of your customers will be using mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. It is important that each of these devices can be protected during the payment process from hackers.
Online businesses and retailers face stiff competition every day from a flooded market. Without ranking well in the search engine results for your keywords, you are unlikely to get the traffic you desire. Not only do search engines rank you based on your original content, but they will also measure how secure your site is. If you are linking to sites that have been ‘blacklisted’, you will not rank well. Regularly check your links are appropriate and pointing toward reputable websites.
Other security threats your online business faces can include phishing and hijacking. Your HTML code could be copied and pasted onto another site. An email is then sent out claiming to be from your business. It may ask recipients to click on the link to check their order update, or to change their password for security. Once they have clicked on the link and handed over security details, fraudulent activity is easy for the thief. Some hackers can shut down your website at the server, rendering your business useless.
There are so many security threats online now that it is imperative you use a highly reputable web developer. They can recommend a respectable server provider for your eCommerce site. You must protect your website from the deluge of security threats that come every day. If you don’t, you leave your customers open to identification theft. Your business can then be shut down, and you may find you are held responsible for allowing it to happen through negligence. IT support is essential these days, and starting up on your own for eCommerce is no longer recommended.