A common mistake made by many small business website owners is to have an order form or booking form that accepts credit card details, securing it by having an SSL certificate, but then having the form email the results to the website operator.

Unless you are using encrypted email, you have defeated the purpose of using a secure web page, because the email that contains the credit card details is far less secure than even an unencrypted web page. Security is only as secure as the weakest link!

If you need to process the credit cards yourself, the most cost-effective solution is to store an encrypted version of the credit card details in a database, and have an interface for the website operator to login and view those details, again with an SSL certificate securing that page. A procedure to delete credit card details once processed is important with this solution.

Offering your international customers a website in their native language will boost rapport, increase your potential customer base, and help your rankings in foreign search engines.

However, if your business involves customer contact (e.g. an accommodation property,) do not pay to have your website translated into a language that you do not speak within your business!

And most certainly do not insult your international visitors by using a computer translator service. Automatic translation services such as AltaVista/Yahoo!’s Babel Fish are excellent for interpreting text written in a language you are unfamiliar with, but are not designed to produce sensible prose!

If you are on a budget, one option is to create a one-page summary of your business in each of your spoken languages. Having your entire website available in each spoken language is, of course, ideal, but don’t forget you also need to keep all translated versions in sync — as you change an important piece of information on one page, you’ll need to update them all to remain consistent.

Content is the meat of your website. For most business websites, your visitors are not spending time on your website for its flashy façade — they want to learn something.

Further, content is what search engines rely upon to determine for which keywords your website should rank, and content is what will make someone appreciate what you have to say so much they will recommend your website to their associates (by email, instant message, a link from their website, or a mention on their blog.)

If your website seems to be all bun and no hotdog, start writing some meanginful content for your website today.

As your website becomes more visible on search engines, you will soon become the recipient of various techniques designed to scam your business.

One common scam involves a booking or order placed through the website (or by email) for an unusually large dollar amount. The scammer typically insists on paying very quickly using a credit card. The order is later cancelled, and the scammer demands a refund; of course, the original credit card was stolen and the targeted business will suffer a chargeback after they have have refunded the money.

Be very wary of orders that come in which pass several of these tests:

• The order is “urgent”
• The order is unusually large
• The buyer wishes to pay quickly with a credit card or by cheque
• The buyer is from a country with which you do not frequently do business
• The buyer has a poor command of the English language

If you are unsure, telephone the buyer, and ask for some form of identification that can be cross-checked with the form of payment being used (for example, a driver’s licence that matches the name on the credit card.)

Many folks prefer to print out web pages to organise, read later, or, frankly, because it’s just more enjoyable to relax in a comfy chair with a glass of red and piece of real paper in your hand.

You can make your website print out more elegantly by having your web developer alter the layout of the website when printed. You can also do the same for mobile phones if you feel this type of visitor represents a relevant proportion of your target market.

This type of attention to detail can set your website apart from others.