Ecommerce - online business security certificates and seals

In a recent report by leading research company, Emarketer, a survey showed that close to 60 percent of the U.S. online population over the age of 14 still refuse to purchase items online. Globally, over a third of internet users will not purchase goods and services in an online environment. Even amongst those who research and compare products online, nearly 16% will not make an online purchase.

Jittery shoppers

The reason? Many people are too scared to buy - and really, who can blame them? Shoddy merchants, phishers, spammers and scammers - you name it. While the best of humanity can be found on the web, so can the worst.

For some potential online shoppers, they just don't understand that it is relatively easy to protect yourself by using some discretion backed by a little research. Even if your goods are priced substantially less than in a bricks and mortar store, that won't sway some wary potential online shoppers. They want to see evidence that the merchant they are *considering* to do business with is solid, won't disappear with their money overnight, has a secure site and won't sell their details to others.

I outline some tips in my articles entitled "reassuring your site visitors" and minimizing shopping cart abandonment; but depending on your market segment, that may not be enough. 

ControlScan security seals and PCI compliance certificates - sign up for a 14 day free trial, plus  very special pricing Taming the Beast.net visitors! Taming the Beast is a ControlScan Platinum Partner

Security certificates for online business

Also, how do you know if your site is really secure for the purposes of ecommerce? Sure, you might have SSL support, but there are many other potential holes where hackers may be access server based data.

Endorsements and certifications from various third party bodies such as the Better Business Bureau can definitely give potential customers a sense of security, but it can be quite an expensive feature.

Enter ControlScan. ControlScan provides third party verification services that can assist you in not only identifying issues you may have on your site and in your online business practices, but also provide you with seals that attest to your credibility - without blowing a hole in your pocket.

Even high profile retail brand names experience the same issues of nervous shoppers, which contributes to high shopping cart abandonment rates. In fact, when a national pet supplies company introduced a third party certification service, their online conversion rates increased by 8%. 

Imagine what the same sort of verification might do for your online business. 

Taming the Beast is pleased to announce a partnership with ControlScan - and for a limited time you can trial their Business secure service for 14 days, absolutely free of charge and without any obligation. Even if you should decide to continue the service, you'll receive heavily discounted pricing as we're now a ControlScan Platinum Partner!

The free trial gives you access to the following seals after your site has been reviewed and passed ControlScan tests:

These above for display purposes only - when clicked, the real seals open to verification pages generated by ControlScan. The seals come in a variety of designs to complement your site.

Security seal certification descriptions:

- Hacker defended
This certification seal means that your site passed a live test that replicates hacking attempts. Note; the test is a simulation that simulates an attack without actually increasing the risk of entry, or retrieving sensitive data and is a part of PCI compliance.

- Business background reviewed
This certification seal means that your business has passed a detailed business background check

- Privacy protected
The Online Privacy Protection certification seal indicates that your company's current policy has passed a review.

ControlScan also offers Phishing/Spam/ID theft protected seals and SSL certificates.

Given the ControlScan offer is a no-obligation free trial and a painless process if your web site is up to scratch already - why not give it a whirl? You'll know soon enough if it provides benefits to your business in terms of sales and you'll definitely have the peace of mind that your site and business has been reviewed and certified by a third party authority!

Related articles:

PCI compliance - what you need to know

Michael Bloch
Taming the Beast
http://www.tamingthebeast.net 
Tutorials, web content, tools and software.
Web Marketing, Internet Development & Ecommerce Resources
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