An SSL Certificate is one of the most integral aspects of any Dedicated Server, especially if you are running ecommerce. SSL simply stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is nothing more than a trust certificate that secures and encrypts all sensitive data and payment information processed on your website. Without an SSL Certification, your website will not only be accepting information that could possibly be stolen or transmitted unsafely across the internet but your customers will likely not trust your website enough to even purchase anything.

Also, you’ll want to note that you will not be able to process credit card payments through a payment gateway without an SSL certificate.

Any good dedicated hosting provider will offer several SSL options to suit all your expenses for your ecommerce website.

Ecommerce website hosting is a large part of any business’s online services. If you have a product to sell, you need an ecommerce hosting plan that can be tailored to your website’s specific needs.

Ecommerce hosting is just a term to describe an online business website, where the primary function of that website is to sell goods or services. While many small ecommerce sites can be hosted on a shared server, most if not all of the big ones (such as Amazon.com, Shopzilla, Overstock.com, etc) are hosted on a dedicated web server or many dedicated servers clustered together.

There are several things you need to establish to run a successful ecommerce website, including:

* a reliable web host
* a Dedicated IP address
* an SSL certificate
* a Payment Gateway

Once you have all these things, you can begin to create your ecommerce website and watch the money start rolling in.

Having an ecommerce website is a big responsibility for any webmaster, and oftentimes you need to do a lot of research in order to get started. Here’s a quick list and brief description of the things you’ll need to have in order to start your ecommerce website.

* Dedicated IP Address

This is necessary in order to get an SSL Certificate, as only one site (yours) will be using this IP. In a shared server environment, many websites might share the same IP address, while if you are running on a dedicated server, you’ll likely need your own dedicated IP anyway. Purchasing one ahead of time will save you time and money in the long run.

* SSL Certificate

This certificate secures your website and all purchases made within its pages, so that each transaction is safe, secure, and fully encrypted. Without an SSL certificate, your customers’ critical payment information could be shared across the internet, as their information will not be encrypted without one. Having an SSL certificate also normally gives you a “trust logo”, which assures your visitors and all potential and future customers that you are a safe and reliable seller.

* Reliable Web Hosting

Whether you are searching for shared, dedicated, windows, or VPS hosting plans, our recommended web hosting provider, Lunarpages Web Hosting, has all the solutions under one roof. Having a reliable web host to rely on will assure your business saves money and your web presence is only 24/7.

* Payment Gateway

Finally, in order to actually process monetary transactions on your website, you need a payment gateway. Payment gateways take the internet transaction and process it into actual funds that are deposited wherever you want them.

Are you in search of a quality Xen hosting plan?  Lunarpages has just released a line of virtual private server plans that are powered by Xen.  You have the choice between Linux Starter, Linux Pro, and Windows Pro. 

Xen VPS’ are completely independent from the hardware node, and each other. This means that you are able to run updates independently of the hardware node. This also means that one customer can’t crash a service or the server. If one front end server ceases to work, the VPS’ that were running on that server can be restarted on other Xen servers, almost instantly.

The Backend Servers use Open Solaris ZFS file system, which provides for real-time file systems checks and instant automatic snapshots of your data. In the event of a VPS experiencing an issue, they can restore from a snapshot up to 3 days prior. In the event of backend failure, they will have Backups stored off server via Amanda Backup, which can be restored very quickly.

To learn more, be sure to check out the Xen VPS page at Lunarpages.com.

Webmasters don’t have to use WordPress to host a blog or family/personal website. Many professional webmasters are using WordPress to run fully functional websites, as there are thousands of free WordPress plugins that will assist in helping webmasters make the most of their WordPress web hosting site.

Here are a few more advanced WordPress plugins for webmasters who need that extra edge.

WP Super Cache
Need to relieve some of the load off your dedicated web server? By using this free WordPress plugin, you can generate static HTML files automatically, easing the load on your server instantly and without hassle.

NextGen Gallery
Creating a photo gallery using WordPress doesn’t have to be rocket science. In fact, this plugin will easily and efficiently help you create a professional image gallery in minutes. Create sortable albums, unzip massive files, add watermarks to protect your work, incorporate a slideshow or widgets, and more.

cformsII
Using contact forms on your WordPress website is now easy and efficient with this WordPress plugin. It allows you to manage and maintain contact forms in a highly flexible and customizable interface.

WP E-Commerce
In the past, it’s always been difficult to configure a WordPress website to look and feel like a real online shopping portal, but with this free plugin, you’re no longer confined to a blog! Now you can sell products and services (digital or tangible) with ease.

SSL (secure socket layer) Certificates are designed to keep your website files protected, but a lot of ecommerce webmasters require something even more secure in order to accept monetary transactions via their websites.

So when is it time to get a pro SSL certificate and when is it okay to have just a basic shared SSL?

Shared SSLs

• These are good for personal or business websites that do not require an active ecommerce website. So if you are not planning to take credit card payments directly on your website through a merchant gateway, you can use a shared SSL just fine.
• Shared SSLs are just that – shared! So know that you are sharing a secure space with multiple users. The IP address for this certificate will be shared among most likely very different websites. Some customers fear being associated with an adult website or moneymaking scheme in this way, so they opt to upgrade. Most customers will never have to worry about this.
• If you are using PayPal to receive payments or referring your customers to a website outside of your own for payment, you do not need a pro SSL.
• If you purchase a dedicated server hosting plan, you only have the option of purchasing a pro SSL since your server isn’t ‘shared’ with anyone else.

Pro SSLs

• Pro SSL certificates are best for websites that require ecommerce payments to be made directly through their websites.
• If you are working with a payment gateway to take payments through your website, more than likely you will be required to purchase a pro SSL.
• Pro SSL certificates secure all transactions made on your website and ensure your customers feel safe about their purchases.
• On a dedicated web hosting account, you must purchase a pro SSL, as shared SSLs are not an option.

You may be wondering why we would be talking about “small business web hosting” on a dedicated server website. You may think to yourself, if you’re only a small business, why would you need such a big server, storage space, RAM, or bandwidth?

Well, our answer to you is that small businesses can be just as resource-intensive as fortune 100 corporations! It might surprise you to know that millions of small businesses are purchasing dedicated servers every day, because even if they appear to be a small business to some spheres, in their local or national markets, they play like the big boys.

Think, for example, about your local supermarket. Hundreds if not thousands of people shop there daily. Maybe the supermarket has a couple sister supermarkets placed around the county or nearby cities, or maybe it’s a chain supermarket but only for the Eastern, Western, or Midwestern United States. If they need a website, they are not going to be using shared web hosting – they are going to be sitting on a dedicated server, because those thousands of customers will be visiting their website to print directions, get contact information, request the newsletter, or search for deals and discounts.

Small businesses may be ‘small’ by nature, but they can eat up resources just like the big boys. Consider the following things as a small business owner:

* Do you have more than 100 employees?
* Do you require a custom Content Management System to be developed for your website management needs?
* Do you have more than 100 customers?
* Do you offer more than 50 products? Or if you offer services, do these services include web-based services like email, management, design, SEO, or logo creation?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider dedicated server hosting.

WordPress Web Hosting is one of the most popular choices for new webmasters these days, but it is also a viable choice for large enterprise bloggers and popular websites for affiliate websites, ecommerce, and more. As most bloggers will eventually outgrow Shared WebHosting, customers often upgrade to a dedicated server to host their WordPress website.

Even though WordPress is a blogging platform, most users these days use it as a content management system, as it easily integrates pictures, text, videos, ecommerce, and more into your site. It’s also incredibly easy to learn. It’s biggest competitor, Joomla, is best-suited for larger websites, while WordPress is easier to learn and adapt to. Both Joomla web hosting and WordPress webhosting are valuable choices if you are new to the website hosting world, as content management systems are becoming more and more popular.

The good thing about WordPress Web Hosting is that you have literally millions of incredible templates to work with and there are endless WordPress Theme Design contests that showcase the entries and even offer Free WordPress Themes for download.

Joomla web hosting is becoming a very popular choice for novice and experienced users alike due to its incredible power for maintaining and editing websites. With Joomla, users have an easy way to create websites, because Joomla is a content management system (CMS), a tool that assists in managing your website. CMS web hosting puts you in control of your website’s features, content, etc.

Because Joomla is a CMS, you are able to login to one simple interface to manage all aspects of your website. You can add images, polls, chat scripts, content text, advertising banners, links, music, video, blogs, and more, all from the same easy-to-understand control panel.

Because Joomla is open source or free software, web hosting providers can provide it to you for free via the Fantastico Script Library. With one click, you can install Joomla into your website in any location you’d like – from yourdomain.com to joomla.yourdomain.com, etc. If you have a dedicated server, you can download Joomla from their website instantly and download it yourself in several very simple steps. Once installed, you can immediately start using it.

With Joomla web hosting, you can maintain your website with ease.

CPanel is arguably the most powerful control panel on the planet when it comes to dedicated server hosting. This is why it’s also the most popular choice for webmasters these days. If you’re unfamiliar with cPanel’s web hosting technology, you should definitely research this amazing control panel before you add it to your dedicated server. But cPanel works with a variety of really cool programs, not the least of which is the Fantastico Script Library.

What is Fantastico?

Fantastico is a fantastic script library, which is a fancy of way of saying it automates the process of installing really cool software on your server, like blogs, CMS, photo galleries, and more.

Why Fantastico?

Fantastico simplifies the process of installing a blog or other popular software extensions onto your website. Instead of downloading the necessary scripts, then uploading and installing them to your site, then configuring them based on your system, Fantastico allows you to click on a button and the rest is done for you automatically.

What does Fantastico web hosting include?

The better questions is what doesn’t Fantastico web hosting include, because it literally comes with everything you’ll need to get your website up and running in no time. Here’s a brief rundown of what comes with Fantastico by default:

• Blogs – including WordPress!
• Content Management Systems – including Joomla, Mambo, and Post-Nuke!
• Ticketing Systems
• FAQ Systems
• Chatroom Software
• Forum Software – including SMF!
• Ecommerce Software – including osCommerce!
• Image Galleries
• …and more!!