Submitted By : Muhammad Hassan Raza

Roll# : BSCOM-21-707(C)
Submitted To : Prof. Zeeshan Shokat Sb.
Subject : E-Commerce
Hailey College Of Commerce

Q: How to buy domain and space?

Ans: Domain:
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control.
Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the internet, such as websites, Email
services and more.
IP Adresses:
Every website on the internet has an IP address. These addresses point to a websites location. The IP
address, which is generally a set of numbers, usually resembles like this: 216.27.61.137

Domain Names:
A structure called the domain name system(DNS) translates those IP addresses into Names that are
(hopefully)simple to remember. Those names are called domain names.

Steps to buy a Domain:

1-Choose a reliable domain registrar.

2-Find a domain availability checker tool.

3-Choose the best domain name options.

4-Purchase your domain name and complete its registration.

5-Verify ownership of your new domain.

Space:
An e-commerce website is your digital storefront on the internet. It facilitates the transaction between a
buyer and seller. It is the virtual space where your showcase products ,and online customers make
selections. Your website acts as the product shelves, sales staff, and cash register of your online
business.

2. E-Commerce website "Host and Building" In-House vs Out-Source?

❖ In-House Development and Hosting:

Pros:

➢ Full Control: You have complete control over the development process, allowing you to tailor the
website to your specific needs.

➢ Security: You can implement and manage your own security measures, ensuring data protection
and compliance with industry standards.

➢ Customization: In-house development allows for greater customization and the ability to adapt
quickly to changing business requirements.
➢ Knowledge Retention: Your team gains valuable experience and knowledge, which can be crucial
for ongoing maintenance and future projects.

Cons:

➢ Cost: In-house development often incurs higher initial and ongoing costs, including salaries,
infrastructure, and maintenance.

➢ Time: Building a website from scratch in-house may take longer, delaying time-to-market.

➢ Expertise: You need a skilled and experienced development team, which may require significant
recruitment efforts.

➢ Infrastructure Management: Hosting in-house requires managing servers, networks, and other
infrastructure components, which can be complex.

❖ Outsourcing Development and Hosting:

Pros:

➢ Cost Savings: Outsourcing can be more cost-effective, as you only pay for the services you need, and
there's no need to invest in infrastructure.

➢ Time Efficiency: Outsourcing allows you to leverage the expertise of a dedicated team, potentially
speeding up the development process.

➢ Access to Experts: You can tap into the specialized skills and experience of a development agency
or team.

➢ Scalability: Outsourcing providers often offer scalable solutions, making it easier to adjust resources
based on your business needs.

Cons:

➢ Less Control: You may have less control over the development process, and communication
challenges could arise, especially if the outsourcing team is located in a different geographic location.

➢ Security Concerns: Trusting a third party with sensitive data raises security concerns, so thorough
vetting of the outsourcing partner is crucial.

➢ Dependency: You may become dependent on the outsourcing partner for ongoing maintenance and
updates.

➢ Limited Customization: Depending on the outsourcing arrangement, there may be limitations on

how much you can customize the solution.
Q:E-commerce websites features that annoy customers?

Ans: Features that annoy customers:

1-No Contact Information:

Hiding or making it difficult to find your contact information is a surefire way to irritate
customers on your website.

People interested in your products or services need to know that you are contactable
before, during and after the sale. Not having your contact information readily available
makes buyers uneasy, as it leads to thinking that you are not able to provide support
should they need it.

Ideally, your contact information should be displayed on every page. Common areas are
along the top and in the footer as well as a ‘contact’ navigation link in the main menu.

2-Confusing navigation:

As busy consumers, we are increasingly eager to find what we’re looking for quickly and
efficiently. We don’t want to search through your entire website to find out if you have
the product or service we want. We want to know straight from your homepage or within
a few short clicks that we’ve come to the right place.

 Keep the navigation labels clear – don’t give pages some obscure names that
make sense to you but mean nothing to your customers.
 Don’t overload your menu – it can be tempting to include every single page in
your main menu but this can be overwhelming.
 Keep labels short – try not to use too many words for the navigation item.
 Don’t hide your menu – ever been on a site and can’t find the navigation? It’s
annoying.

3- Vague descriptions and rubbish photos:

Buying online is vastly different to going into a shop and purchasing an item. You can
touch the product, try it out and get a better feel of what it is your buying. Online
shopping doesn’t give you that luxury.

Ensuring you have a detailed description of each product including any materials,
ingredients and features will help customers make informed decisions. Personally, if
there is a limited or missing description for a product.

4- Your website isn’t mobile-friendly :

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you are potentially losing out on sales from
customers who can’t (or don’t want the hassle) of trying to view your website on their
tablets or phones.

5 -Hidden costs:

Have you ever been on a website, you get excited about a product but you can’t find the
total price? Or been tempted with the free delivery offer advertised throughout the site,
only to find that there is actually an expensive charge once you get to checkout? It’s
annoying and also feels a little deceptive. While you may get some people who continue
to buy since they have came so far, others will leave your website and you lose the
sale.

6 - Complicated ordering & checkout process:

Nothing frustrates customers more than an overly complicated order process. Having
too many steps to checkout from your shop is going to increase the likelihood of an
abandoned cart.

Amazon, for example, offers a “1-Click Ordering” option which bypasses the shopping
basket completely allowing you to purchase the item with a simple click.

You can improve checkout process by:

 Providing a guest checkout – don’t force customers to have to sign up for

account

 Give customers the option to save their cart items or add them to a cart to buy
later.

 Don’t ask for too much information – only collect the details you need to
complete the order.

 Ensure your forms are easy to fill in

 Show that your website and payment gateway are secure.

4. Most Important Factors in Successful E-Commerce Site Design?

❖ User-Friendly Design: Intuitive navigation:

Ensure easy and logical navigation to help users find products effortlessly. Clear calls to
action: Use prominent buttons for actions like "Add to Cart" and "Checkout." Mobile
Responsiveness: Optimize for mobile devices to cater to the growing number of users
accessing websites on smartphones and tablets.

❖ Fast Loading Speed:

Optimize images and code to ensure quick page loading times, reducing bounce rates and
improving user satisfaction.

❖ Clear Product Information:

Provide detailed product descriptions, specifications, and high-quality images to help users
make informed decisions.

❖ Secure and Simple Checkout Process:

Streamline the checkout process with as few steps as possible, and offer multiple payment
options. Implement security measures to build trust, such as SSL certificates.

❖ Search Functionality:

Include a robust search feature with filters to help users quickly find the products they are
looking for.

❖ Effective Product Categories:

Organize products into logical categories and subcategories, making it easy for users to
browse and discover items.

❖ Customer Reviews and Ratings:

Display customer reviews and ratings to build trust and credibility. Positive social proof can
influence purchase decisions.

❖ Personalization:

Implement personalization features, such as recommended products based on past

purchases or user preferences, to enhance the shopping experience.

❖ Responsive Customer Support:

Offer multiple support channels, such as live chat, email, and phone support, to assist
customers with queries or concerns.

❖ Optimized Product Pages:

Create visually appealing and well-organized product pages with a clear focus on key
information, including pricing, availability, and shipping details.

❖ Effective Calls to Action (CTAs):

 Use persuasive and clear CTAs to guide users through the buying process, from adding
items to the cart to completing the purchase.

❖ Scalability and Performance:

Ensure the website is designed to handle increasing traffic and can scale as the business
grows. Regularly test and optimize for performance.

❖ Social Media Integration:

Connect your e-commerce site with social media platforms to leverage social sharing and
marketing opportunities.

❖ Legal Compliance:

Ensure your website complies with relevant e-commerce laws and regulations, including
privacy policies, terms of service, and GDPR compliance.

Q: A note on static web design and dynamic web design?

Ans: Static website:

A static website is made up of web pages created using HTML, CSS and Javascript (all examples of web
development languages). Each page on a static website is stored as a single HTML file, which is delivered
directly from the server to the web page exactly as is. This content essentially becomes a part of the
design on your page, and won’t change unless the original HTML file is edited at a code level.

One of the most characteristic aspects of a static site is that every user receives and views the exact
same content. Because of this, static websites work best for sites with fewer pages that don’t require
frequent updates or changes.

Advantages of a static website vs a dynamic website:

Faster page loading speed:

The makeup of a static page prioritizes load speed, resulting in a better browsing experience. Because
the content on this type of site is pre-written and delivered directly from the server, caching is easier
and the content is less likely to load with delays or UX issues, such as broken images. In general, static
websites require less server power, and with no database or client server infrastructure to run through,
they’re naturally faster. Since page load speed is a key part of the way Google assesses a website's
performance (and it seems to be having a more significant impact on SEO and ranking performance, too)
this ability should not be underestimated.

Quick creation:
When you are thinking about how long it takes to build a website and time is an issue, a static website is
easier to get live quicker. Static websites are faster to create and publish, since they are less complex
and don’t need to be connected to databases of organized content. All that limits the time to go live
with a static site is how creative you want to be with each page design. This doesn’t mean making a
dynamic alternative will be a slow process, but static pages tend to be simpler and consequently faster
to deploy.

Potential for enhanced security:

In theory, static website pages are potentially more difficult to hack. This is because there are less points
to attack them from. We’ll explain:

Static pages don’t connect with a database or use external extensions and plugins all of which can be
common entry points for attacks. In comparison, dynamic sites are not inherently unsafe, but potential
attackers theoretically pose less risk with a static website.

Disadvantages of a static website:

Having been through the benefits of a static site, we are now going to cover some of the disadvantages
below.

Limited scalability:
One of the largest disadvantages of a static website only comes into play with larger, content-heavy
designs. While it’s possible to build hundreds of pages with a static website, it will always be a slow and
long process. This is less relevant when creating a personal website though.Every page on a static
website has to be built as a separate entity. For a site with multiple pages, you would need to create
each page individually.

Less efficient management:

Static websites may be quicker to create, but they can be more time consuming to manage. Edits to a
static website need to be made page by page, and as websites are loaded with more content, or rapidly
changing content, this becomes a much more challenging—and in some cases, near impossible—task.

Dynamic website:
Built using server side language and technology, dynamic websites allow for the content of each page to
be delivered and displayed dynamically, or on-the-fly, according to user behavior or from user-
generated content. With a dynamic website all of your data and content are organized in a database or
backend content management system (CMS), which connects to your website pages. The way this
information is arranged and connected to your site’s design controls how and when its content is
revealed on a page.
Other examples of well-know dynamic websites include:
1-Instagram: as a social media site, dependent on user-generated content, Instagram relies on a
dynamic website.

2-CNN: media outlets use dynamic websites to update their content, either in response to breaking
news or as stories age.

3-Disney Plus: as a large streaming site, this dynamic entertainment website's dynamic nature allows its
content to be chosen and displayed according to a user's location, subscription and preferences.

Advantages of a dynamic website:

For many website creators dynamic pages are the only way to go, and for good reason. Dynamic pages
have the following advantages:

Easily updated:
Starting a business and building a brand online requires continually updated content. You need to stay
current with trends, updates and changes within your business, as well as within your industry. A
dynamic website is the most effective way to do this. With a dynamic website, a content change on one
page can be automatically duplicated on other pages without needing to alter the design. This is
particularly relevant to sites with a large number of pages, since it makes maintaining a website more
efficient.

A better user experience:

A dynamic website provides content that’s tailored to the needs of the user. This might mean displaying
information on the page based on their location, or changing content to reflect their interests, intent or
past actions on the page. Whatever the case, being able to customize what visitors see and interact with
creates a better user experience

Greater functionality:
Static pages can be interactive, but when it comes to functionality, dynamic pages definitely lead the
way. Dynamic pages have boundless functionality—limited only by the complexity of the logic and
language needed to build them, and the instructions needed to deliver content

Disadvantages of a dynamic website:

It takes more resources to createBecause of the extra steps needed to organize and connect your
database to the right pages, a dynamic website can be more complicated to set up and get running .it
will take more time to go live, and can be more costly, too. There are exceptions to this: using a website
builder like Wix not only allows you to build dynamic pages when you need them, but it allows you to do
so without subscribing to a paid package.
Performance issues:
Dynamic websites have more instructions to process than a static website does. They are also connected
to a database or content collection and continually pull information from that in order to display it—
which takes time to process and execute. This can impact the performance of a site, although many
website creation tools are aware of this issue and make it their mission to prioritize performance across
all pages.

Q:What is the difference between mobile app and mobile site?

Ans: Mobile App:

A mobile app is not just a website displayed within a mobile browser. It is a separate application that is
installed and runs on a mobile device, typically downloaded from platforms like the App Store or Google
Play. Examples of popular mobile apps include Instagram, Facebook . Mobile apps are standalone
applications that are installed on a device, offering optimized experiences and access to native device
capabilities.

Mobile Website:
A mobile website is not just a website that works well on a mobile device; it’s an essential tool for
businesses looking to expand their online presence. Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly
websites in their search results, rewarding them with higher visibility. This means that having a mobile
website can significantly improve your chances of being discovered by potential customers searching for
products or services related to your business.

Mobile App vs. Mobile Website:

Firstly, a mobile website can only run within a web browser and is restricted to the capabilities of
modern web technologies. It also requires an active internet connection. If you want your application to
function independently without relying on a browser, then a mobile app is necessary.

Additionally, a mobile website lacks access to the hardware features of a phone. If you need your
application to utilize functionalities like GPS or camera, then a mobile app is the way to go.

Q:Write a note on responsive website design?

Ans: Responsive web design:

Responsive web design (RWD) refers to designing websites to adapt to a user's device. The goal is for a
website to retain its optimal usability and appearance regardless of the device it's displayed on.
Responsive web design responds to user needs by adapting to different screen sizes, orientations,
layouts, and platforms. This is accomplished with the use of flexible grids and layouts, responsive
images, and CSS media queries.
Responsive web design work:
This next section explores some programming languages, markup languages, web technologies, and
mechanisms that make RWD possible.

Elements of responsive web design:

 Media queries that alter web designs based on a user’s device

 Flexible images are sometimes called adaptive images because they have no fixed display size
limitations. This versatility makes it easier to resize images neatly.

 Fluid grids/fluid layouts that automatically rearrange columns of content to fit different screens
or browser windows

 Code for flexible layouts that resize page elements to fit different screens or browser windows

Q:Write a note on e-commerce merchant software and what kind of

functionality it provide for an e-commerce website? And what choices in
consideration while choosing this?

Ans:E-Commerce software:
E-commerce software is a stand-alone program or software suite that enables you to sell your products
and services online. It allows you to streamline all of your processes from inventory to sales through the
backend and makes it easy for a customer to buy from the front end, which is your website.

Software for e-commerce comes in different formats, each of which fits your needs and budget. The size
of your business tends to dictate the type of e-commerce website software you choose, although this
isn't an absolute. You can use Software-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service for your e-commerce, or you
can use an on-premise platform that lets you control the software and server that's used to deliver
your e-commerce website.

Key Factors:
1-Marketing Tools

2-Central database

3-Website builder

4-Automated checkout process

5-Data analytics
Functionality of E-commerce website:
Here are the website features that the top ecommerce sites utilize.

 User-Friendly Design.

 Mobile-Friendly Features.

 Multiple Payment Options.

 24/7 Customer Service.

 User Reviews.

IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT ECOMMERCE PLATFORM:

1- Security

2- SEO

3. Responsive Web Design

4-Supports Multiple Selling Channels

5-Price

Q:What is search engine optimization?

Ans:SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” In simple terms, SEO means the process of improving
your website to increase its visibility in Google, Microsoft Bing, and other search engines whenever
people search for:

 Products you sell.

 Services you provide.

 Information on topics in which you have deep expertise and/or experience.

The better visibility your pages have in search results, the more likely you are to be found and clicked on.
Ultimately, the goal of search engine optimization is to help attract website visitors who will become
customers, clients or an audience that keeps coming back.

Importance of SEO:
SEO is a critical marketing channel. First, and foremost: organic search delivers 53% of all website traffic.

That’s one big reason why the global SEO industry is forecast to reach a staggering $122.11 billion by
2028. SEO drives real business results for brands, businesses and organizations of all sizes.
In fact, 61% of U.S. online shoppers start their product search on Amazon, compared to 49% who start
on a search engine like Google. Also of note from that same research:

 32% start on Walmart.com.

 20% start on YouTube.

 19% start on Facebook.

 15% start on Instagram.

 11% start on TikTok.

SEO is also incredibly important because the search engine results pages (or SERPs) are super
competitive – filled with search features (and PPC ads). SERP features include:

 Knowledge panels.

 Featured snippets.

 Maps.

 Images.

 Videos.

 Top stories (news).

 People Also Ask.

 Carousels.

Another reason SEO is critical for brands and businesses: unlike other marketing channels, good SEO
work is sustainable. When a paid campaign ends, so does the traffic. Traffic from social media traffic is at
best unreliable – and a fraction of what it once was.

SEO is the foundation of holistic marketing, where everything your company does matters. Once you
understand what your users want, you can then implement that knowledge across your:

 Campaigns (paid and organic).

 Website content.

 Social media properties.

SEO is a channel that drives the traffic you need to achieve key business goals (e.g., conversions, visits,
sales). It also builds trust – a website that ranks well is generally regarded as authoritative or
trustworthy, which are key elements Google wants to reward with better rankings.
Q:Write a note on site management tools[basic provide by webserver vs google
analytical?

Ans: Site management tools cover multiple functions, such as eCommerce, search
engine optimization (SEO), content management, and digital marketing. They
typically don't require specific web design skills and coding languages, making the
web management process simpler.

The Commerce web stores Site Management Tools (SMT) feature lets you perform several important
website management tasks, including:

 Managing content.

 Changing the overall page design and arrangement of content by choosing a different layout.

 Creating landing pages and enhanced pages.

 Enhancing pages lets to customize certain attributes of a page without needing to develop code
or modify existing files.

 Managing commerce categories and subcategories.

 Assigning items to categories.

 Export bulk content that requires translation on your web store and import the translated
content back into SMT.

Webserver vs Google analytics:

At a high level, the simplest explanation is that Google Analytics uses client-side code to gather
information, whereas most log file analysis tools only process server-side information. This is an
important distinction and is a key reason for differences in data, but there’s more to the story. Typically,
the difference is mainly caused by the visitor tracking method used.

A web log analysis tool uses multiple ways to track website visitors. And depending on the tracking
method used, the data will show everything – including regular visitors, visitors that block Google
Analytics tracking code, and traffic from non-visitors like robots & spiders.

Q: What is webserver and basic functionality provided by web server software?

Ans: Web Server:

A web server is software and hardware that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and other
protocols to respond to client requests made over the World Wide Web. The main job of a web server is
to display website content through storing, processing and delivering webpages to users.
Functions of a Web Server:
The functions of a web server can be broken down into several categories:

1. Storing and delivering web content:

The primary function of a web server is to store and deliver web content such as web pages,
images, videos, and other files to clients that request them. This involves processing incoming
requests, retrieving the requested content from the server’s storage devices, and sending the
content back to the client in the form of an HTTP response.

2. Handling HTTP requests:

A web server handles HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) requests from clients or users. The
HTTP protocol is the standard protocol used for communication between web servers and
clients. When a client requests a web page or other web content, the request is sent to the web
server over the internet. The web server then processes the request, retrieves the requested
content from its storage devices, and sends it back to the client in the form of an HTTP response.

3. Generating responses to HTTP requests:

A web server generates responses to HTTP requests by running web applications that generate
dynamic content based on user input and other factors. For example, an e-commerce website
may use a web application to generate web pages dynamically that display product information,
pricing, and availability based on user searches or selections.

4. Managing and maintaining web applications:

A web server manages and maintains web applications that provide various services such as e-
commerce, social networking, and content management

5. Supporting multiple clients simultaneously:

A web server supports multiple clients or users simultaneously by handling multiple HTTP
requests at the same time.

Q:Write a note on simple ,two tier and multi tier website architecture?

Ans:Simple website Architecture:

Website architecture is the hierarchical structure of your website pages.This structure is reflected
through internal linking.Your websites structure should help users easily find information and help
search engine crawlers understand the relationship between different pages.

Two-Tier Architecture:
A two-tier architecture is a software architecture in which a presentation layer or interface runs on a
client, and a data layer or data structure gets stored on a server. Separating these two components into
different locations represents a two-tier architecture, as opposed to a single-tier architecture. Other
kinds of multi-tier architectures add additional layers in distributed software design.

Multi-Tier Architecture:
Multi-Tier Architecture (often referred to as n-tier architecture) or multilayered architecture is a client–
server architecture in which presentation, application processing and data management functions are
physically separated. The most widespread use of multitier architecture is the three-tier architecture.

Three-tier architecture is a client-server software architecture pattern in which the user

interface (presentation tier), functional process logic (logic or application tier), computer data
storage and data access (data tier) are developed and maintained as independent modules, most often
on separate platforms.

The presentation tier is the front end layer in the 3-tier system and consists of the user interface. This
user interface is often a graphical one accessible through a web browser or web-based application and
which displays content and information useful to an end user.

Q: What kind of hardware choose for an e-commerce website?

Ans:All eCommerce businesses need hardware to run smoothly. From the basics to the more
advanced, getting the right tech can help make your business a success.

At the very least, you should have:

 PC/laptop: Vital for many reasons, such as checking on your sales, managing your marketing
efforts and updating your website

 Wi-Fi router: Reliable home internet is a must if you're running an online store. If you like to
work from cafes or other public spaces, getting an internet dongle can also be useful