"10 Things for Small Businesses to Consider When Setting Up a Web Storefront".

[1] Will E-Commerce Benefit my Company?

Almost any business that sells services or products in a brick-and-mortar store or through a catalog can expand their sales over the Internet.

[2] Test the Waters

If you don't want to jump into a big up-front investment, try a less expensive, lower-risk option before fully committing.

[3] What Else Do I Need?

If you don't already have an email account, that's priority #1. You'll also need to decide on a host for your site. If you're starting from square one, consider a company that can provide all three services -- email, hosting and e-commerce.

[4] Building Your Store

Hiring a designer can be very expensive. If you're on a budget, look for a service with an integrated store builder.

[5] Is Customers' Info Safe?

To maintain trust in your company, you should make sure your customers' private information is kept secure. Ask your provider what steps they've taken.

[6] Back-office Integration

Make sure your new electronic operations fit in with your existing inventory and accounting systems. Switching Systems mid-stream can be costly and time-consuming.

[7] Getting Paid

What forms of payment do you want to accept? Accepting credit cards online is the best option, but it's not the only one. You can also accept checks and purchase orders, or process credit cards offline.

[8] Online Credit Card Processing

To process credit card transactions online in real time, you'll need an online merchant account and a gateway. Unless you have time to do some legwork, look for a provider that's integrated this into its service.

[9] What's a Merchant Account?

Even if you have a brick-and-mortar or telephone/mail order merchant account, you'll need an online sales merchant account to process credit cards online. It can be expensive to apply and difficult to get approval, so look for a provider that's done the legwork for you.

[10] Why Do I Need a Gateway?

It's the secure conduit between your customer's money and your bank account. It's the only way to ensure a secure transaction.