Do you have an online store? Have you worried about the chance of someone hacking your site and stealing your business? Consider the following tips so that you can protect your e-commerce business from others online.
1. Choose the Right Platform
The first thing you can do to protect your e-Commerce business is to use the right platform and hosting for it. You can choose from platforms like Shopify, WordPress, or Squarespace, and they all offer secure ways to sell things online. If you go with WordPress, you’ll also need to choose a reliable WordPress host because that will be a separate service. That way, you can set up your site and make sure the host uses a safe, secure server.
Compare a few platforms and see which one suits your needs the best. That way, you can keep your products and sales safe, and you won’t have to worry as much about hackers.
2. Perform Regular Updates
Once you set up your online store, you should update it regularly. Any time your website platform has an update, make sure you switch to it so that you can have the best protection possible. Sometimes, platforms will stop supporting old versions, so it can be easier for hackers to get into your website if it’s out of date. You may need to update your website manually, but you can also look into automatic updates to save you time and effort.
Before you update your site, make sure you back it up in case the update goes wrong. Then, you can restore your site and get it up and running in no time.
3. Get an SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is essential for encrypting your website and protect the data of your website as well as visitor and customer information. Having one is crucial if you take payments directly on your website, but it also matters if you use a website like PayPal. The SSL certificate can keep hackers from getting to your data, so it matters if you ever need to log into your website to manage it.
Luckily, you can get the free version of this certificate, so you don’t need a ton of money. Later, you can upgrade to a paid version for even better security for you and your customers.
4. Use Trustworthy Payment Gateways
While you should protect your customers, you also want to focus on protecting yourself from fraudulent customers. You never know when someone may try to use a bad credit card to pay for their order. When that payment bounces, you can be out the money and the items you send the customer.
To avoid this, you can use a payment gateway like PayPal or Stripe. Both options are secure, and PayPal has an excellent protection program that helps both sellers and buyers. So if someone uses a fraudulent card, you can still get your money.
5. Trademark Your Materials
Next, you should make sure to trademark any of your brand materials, like your logo. When you upload your logo online, people can easily download the image file, and they can make a copy of your website or social media accounts. Then, they can impersonate you, and it can be hard to prove you’re the official version of your store.
When getting a trademark, you can work with a lawyer to make sure you have everything you need. Then, you can avoid having to deal with a lengthy trial that involves a judge and court reporters Seattle and elsewhere.
6. Buy Other Domains
Along with protecting your business with a trademark, you can also buy other web domains to protect yourself. Your domain is the web address for your store, but most businesses only have one. However, you can buy similar domains so that scammers can’t buy them and replicate your site.
If your site ends with .com, consider buying the same domain with the .net ending. You can also buy slightly different spellings of your domain, such as adding an s at the end or taking the s away. That way, you can maintain control of those domains, and you can link them to the correct website.
7. Use Unique Login Info
If your website has an admin panel (such as on WordPress) or some other login page, you should use a unique username and password. When it comes to your username, avoid using the name of your site as well as “admin” and other generic users.
You should also choose a strong password so that hackers and bots will have a harder time getting the correct one. Try not to use the same password as on another website. But either way, make sure you include letters, numbers, and special characters.
Running an e-commerce business can be rewarding but also difficult. Not only do you have regular challenges, but you also have to protect your business from people all over the world, including scammers. Keep these tips in mind to make sure your business stays secure.
