A lot of newbie online entrepreneurs and ecommerce website operators tend to get too caught up in all the craziness of store design, product preparations, payment gateways, and marketing campaigns. At times, security is brushed off in the midst of the hustle-bustle when it's supposed to take priority.

When you don't pay much attention to the security of your website, you put your entire business at risk. It's like setting up a physical shop and not even placing any locks or security cameras in the establishment.

There are numerous online stores that go for the quick and easy front door lock and no further. And for a long time, they don't really upgrade anything. But what if your store gets hacked or a transaction goes wrong? Indeed these are things you ought to be wary about and should definitely prepare for.

Here are the basic things you must ensure in your security checklist:

You need to remember that your customers will be communicating with your server. Every ecommerce site has to have Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) verification in order to ensure this. After all, you don't want to put any customer on the line.

This SSL certificate will make certain that there is security in the connection between your server and that of the web user. As a result, you will not be exposing anyone's personal information such as credit card information and login details. Shift4Shop provides you with a "shared SSL" at no charge, but having your own SSL creates a better customer service experience for your customers.

Online retailers must comply with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards and policies. This way, consumers are protected. In particular, it's a necessity for every merchant to comply with the PCI DSS or Data Security Standard which has been set for all types of merchants that make use of credit and debit card payment transactions.

Since you will be using sensitive data such as payment details of your customers, it's pertinent to have PCI compliance to ensure utmost security for card holders and to also gain the trust of your shoppers. PCI Compliance is one of the main reasons people who sell online choose Shift4Shop.

DDoS stands for Distribute Denial of Service, something that you wouldn't want anywhere near your e-store. Simply put, it refers to an attack on your system so that web users cannot gain access or make use of your functions anymore. It denies them any service whatsoever.

Hence, you have to ensure that your store has sufficient defense against DDoS. Shift4Shop works with its merchants to provide such security. Nevertheless, you should not make any assumptions and instead double-check and dig up more info on the protection available against it.

In the same way that a secured boutique would have railings or a metal gate, deadbolts and other locks on the doors, alarm systems, surveillance cameras, and coded vaults, you should also make it a point to layer your security measures.

One type of security is not enough. For instance, you can begin with firewalls and then set up secure contact forms, followed by protected passwords and so on. This way, you can dissuade cyber felons from getting into your system and destroying your digital store and business.

It's essential to never even think of launching your online business without placing security patches. Most especially, you have to pay attention to positioning and updating them regularly on WordPress, Joomla, and other web software which can be quite vulnerable to system attacks. These are on invaders' list of favorites.

Never, ever let your guard down because you never know when a virus might hit or an attacker might take interest in your store. These fundamental security elements are highly crucial. And yet, your security shouldn't end with them. Indeed you need to conduct further research especially if you have a medium-sized and large business online. Don't ever let your system's safety and that of your customers be put in danger.