What do I need to build an eCommerce website?
From a technical perspective all you need is a computer with access to the internet, since 1&1 offers everything you need to build your online shop. If you already own a company website based on the MyWebsite package, setting it up is even easier. The integration of your own eCommerce store into your homepage occurs with a click of your mouse. The layout is also adapted to your company website. Other packages allow you to simply book the option additionally. The shop add-on for your website performs just as well as an independent eCommerce website.
If you have not booked any of our webhosting or MyWebsite packages you can find an all-round solution to help you easily and efficiently build your online shop.
These features are included in all 1&1 eCommerce website builder packages:
• Domain (your own search engine optimized URL with matching email address)
• Sufficient web space (storage space on our web servers in our data centers)
• Large selection of design templates for various sectors
• Design assistant (Design-Editor)
• Payment systems (Prepayment, surname, invoice)
• Various delivery options (choice of courier)
• Share and like button for Facebook
• 24h hotline, 7 days a week
• Trusted-shops certificate
• And many more
How long does it take to build an eCommerce website?
If you want to open an eCommerce store the Online Store solutions from 1&1 can help you to minimize the amount of time it takes. The package includes everything you need to create a professional eCommerce website – no HTML or CSS knowledge necessary. All that is left for you to do is choose the right design for your shop, made easy with a large number of design templates for various business sectors.
All of our eCommerce solutions are designed with the same modular system that you already know from our homepage solutions. All details are easily changed and adjusted to fit your specific requirements: navigation structure, buttons and graphics, texts and pictures, banners and logos. We don't just want to make building your eCommerce website easy, but also fun. If you need help, you can simply turn to our design assistant which will lead you step by step through the set-up process.
What do I have to consider when choosing the URL of my eCommerce website?
Your personal eCommerce store needs an internet address that is unique and memorable. You can choose any domain from 1&1, as long as it is still free. Perhaps you already have an idea of what you would like the name of your company or shop to be – reserve the corresponding domain now. With the eCommerce packages, you will also receive a domain that features new top-level domain extensions. Enter your desired web address into the search bar to see whether a suitable URL with your shop name is available.
Together with the domain ending, the selected domain name forms the internet address; for example my-first-onlineshop.com. You can also use new top level domains like .shop, .sale, .discount, .toys or .fashion to further tailor your address to your industry.
Found your desired domain and it is still available? Great, then you can specify it when you order. Of course you will also receive the corresponding email address and inbox.
If you are building your own eCommerce website, you need to choose a distinctive shop or company name for your domain, but if you cannot find a matching domain name that is free you can also use well-known product names, important product categories or service names for your domain. To make sure your unique domain name is exclusive to you, reserve all the major domain extensions like .com and .net. This way you can protect your brand from the start. To do this simply book these domain extensions in addition to the domains included in your package. If you are building an international online shop, country specific domain extensions make sense – for example .co.uk (United Kingdom) or .fr (France).
Which eCommerce website package is right for my online shop?
You should choose your eCommerce package based on the amount of articles and the category of the product you want to sell. If you intend to sell a variety of products and want to build a large client base it is worth building an eCommerce package that includes add-on features to begin with – for example, those that allow you to individually customize the product presentation and payment procedure, and that also allow for the creation of information pages and for the administration of customer data. The higher shop categories connect to Facebook-Shop, Google-Shopping, eBay and Amazon as additional sales channels. The SEO-Cockpit provides you with an important online-marketing tool that supports your search engine optimization processes. If you want to set up your eCommerce website in different languages then this is also a possibility. These allow you to set up your shop in 2 to 15 different languages and with a number of currencies.
All shop packages allow you to use more than one picture per product and offer a large selection of design templates. They also include all the basic features you need to get your eCommerce site off the ground. Aside from the installation of the shop system and design, you also need web space, meaning an online storage space where your online shop is accessible at all times. This so-called web hosting is included in the 1&1 eCommerce website packages. No need to worry if you are not sure exactly what you will need yet – we will give you one month to trial your package without making a commitment. It is also possible to switch to a larger package at any time without having to set up your shop from scratch.
What technical knowledge do I need prior to setting up my online shop?
You don't need any special knowledge to build your eCommerce store. Our 1&1 Online Store packages are complete software solutions for the set-up, maintenance, administration and marketing of your eCommerce website, all of which is possible using your browser. No further software is required. All necessary components for creating your online shop are included – from designing the platform, the product, and your order administration, to managing payments and deliveries. Several functions can be managed using your internet browser without having to be installed first. All you have to do is choose the design template and adjust all further details to your personal preferences. To complete your eCommerce website just enter the product details and add appealing pictures. The integrated test system allows you to view your eCommerce website before making it public online. If you offer many different products you can import the product data using a CSV or XML file.
The ease of use combined with a variety of functions is one of the advantages over free online shop platforms available online. Setting up an eCommerce store for free may seem like an alluring option at first, but it is often at the expense of available features. Many important options, like a variety of payment and delivery options, a personalized domain, or marketing features are usually not included. To add these requires not only an additional fee, but also technical know-how. 1&1 on the other hand offers you technical support and customer service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you find yourself stuck while building your eCommerce store we are happy to help.
How do I optimize my online shop for smartphones and tablets?
All packages include responsive web design. This technology ensures that your eCommerce store is optimally displayed on every smartphone and tablet, including any changes you might make over time. These changes are usually made using the internet browser of your computer – thanks to responsive web design they are immediately adopted and optimized for every smartphone.
By the way, good performance of a web shop on mobile devices is a ranking factor for search engines like Google, making mobile optimization a real opportunity to stand out from the competition. This is especially pertinent if the competition fails to optimize the presentation of their online shop for mobile devices. Optimizing how your eCommerce website is displayed also gives you access to an entirely new group of customers – those that like to shop on the go.
How safe is the shop in regards to payment transactions, data protection and crashing?
If you are building an eCommerce store that is hosted by one of our data centers, then the exchange of data is automatically secured via an SSL certificate. The certificate guarantees the safe exchange of information and data when an order is placed on your eCommerce website. Unauthorized access is prevented by encrypting the data transfer, allowing your customers to enter their information into a contact form during the order process without any risk. The entire checkout process is SSL-secured, from the order basket to finalizing the order. With 1&1 you can easily build an eCommerce website that is safe for your customers to use. The Trusted-Shops logo, which is attached to all of our shops, lets your customers know that they can trust your shop. eCommerce stores that carry the Trusted-Shops certificate guarantee safe payment transactions with an SSL encryption.
Additionally 1&1 eCommerce web hosting protects your shop from crashing by employing a number of server locations. More than 6.000 specialists personally ensure that the software in our data centers run smoothly and reliably at all times. When you build an eCommerce site with 1&1 you make use of geographically redundant data centers. The use of server-cluster-systems – two geographically separate servers – ensures that you have round the clock access to your eCommerce store. Should one server fail the other takes over all functions with no disruption in the system. The two servers mirror the data and synchronize them permanently. Should a webserver of your eCommerce website be offline, to undergo maintenance for example, the other server takes over. This means your shop is always accessible – for you and your customers. Regular back-ups further prevent any data loss.
Opening an online shop is subject to certain legal regulations. What do I need to know?
The laws surrounding eCommerce stores change constantly. To make sure you do everything right and remain within the legal framework when you are building your eCommerce website, 1&1 has entered into cooperation with Trusted Shops, the quality seal for online shops. All online shops that carry this seal are obliged to fulfill the highest standards of data and delivery security. For customers, the familiar Trusted-Shops seal with the blue "e" guarantees that your online shop is trustworthy. The SSL-encryption of the payment process is part of these regulations.
With our Online Store solutions you can create an online shop that fulfills the requirements of the Trusted-Shops seal. Trusted Shops certifies shops in accordance with the current legal framework and the most important customer-centric values. Your customers can also easily review your shop with Trusted Shops, which makes it easy for you to improve your service.
Along with the Trusted Shops certificate you will also receive a template of all relevant legal documents plus the terms and conditions. These templates are regularly updated to comply with the current legal status so you are always up to date.
To ensure you are always on top of the legal framework of your eCommerce website, 1&1 offers free webinars with the legal experts from Trusted Shops. These webinars will inform you of the current eCommerce laws and any developments in the field.
How can I increase the visibility of my new online shop?
We don't just help you to build your eCommerce store, we also lend a hand in marketing it. The key word is online marketing. As one of the world's largest internet providers we know how to win customers over the internet. We are happy to share this knowledge with you by giving you online marketing tools. These have been developed to be easy to use by advertisers. The tools are created as a modular system and tailored to your specific needs. The SEO cockpit, for example, helps you with search engine optimization to improve your chances of being found by new customers. It is included in the basic pack and onwards. Most shop packages include a newsletter tool, so you can stay in contact with your customers.
Facebook like and share buttons can be installed with every eCommerce website package from 1&1. The tell-a-friend option, which allows your customers to recommend the products in your eCommerce store is can also be integrated in some of our packages. It is also possible to showcase your products on Facebook. This is a good way to increase the prominence of your eCommerce store on the world's largest social network. Other important online sales venues can also be added if you set up an online shop with us. Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping along with price search engines and product portals are included in most of our eCommerce packages.
What do I need to keep in mind when building my eCommerce website?
The creation of an online shop is child's play with 1&1. After logging into the user interface of your online store for the first time, the 1&1 set-up guide will start automatically and will help you to set up the basic configuration of your eCommerce store – like choosing your industry or the desired layout and design. The settings can be changed any time after the initial set up. On the homepage of your user interface you can also find the "first steps guide", which will clearly display the necessary steps required so your eCommerce website is ready to launch legally and functionally. Completed steps are marked with a green check. In addition,
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familiarize you with individual aspects of the 1&1 eCommerce web hosting packages. For further tips and tricks go to the 1&1 support center.
Can I connect my 1&1 Online Store with eBay, Amazon and other platforms?
The 1&1 Online Store packages give you the option of offering your products on eBay, Amazon or product portals like pricegrabber.com and bizrate.com . Product data can be automatically added from your eCommerce store so you don't have to enter the information twice. To connect your online shop with eBay you need an eBay account. If you don't have one, you can set up an account on the eBay website that corresponds with your country of residence for free. You can simultaneously set up a PayPal account and connect it with your eBay account. eBay uses Paypal to complete the payment process.
Once you have set up your eBay account you can connect it with your eCommerce store and authenticate yourself as the owner of the shop. Now you can adjust your settings to suit your preferences. A detailed description of how to connect your eCommerce website with eBay can be found here. To connect your eCommerce store with online marketplaces like Amazon or with product portals like pricegrabber.com, activate the desired portal in the administrative area and choose your settings. Then choose the products and export them into the portal. A detailed description of how to connect your eCommerce store with market places, platforms, and product portals can be found here.
Can I create my 1&1 online shop in combination with WordPress or Joomla?
Right now it is not possible to integrate a 1&1 Online Store solution into a website that was created through WordPress or Joomla. If you have a website that uses the 1&1 modular system, you can use the drag & drop option to place the 1&1 Online Store icon on your website.
