Site Prep Checklist

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Originally published at Internet.com

The time is drawing near for all good e-tailers to reap the rewards of months of site marketing and technological development. The season of mass consumerism is around the corner and your site should be fully prepared to service the volume of expected customers.

Take the time NOW to give your site a thorough inspection and ensure that it will sustain the traffic that you expect. Have friends and family members run through the site as customers and try all the functions. Be willing to hire professionals if you are not able to make the site fully operational on your own.

Here's a checklist of areas to review, refine and correct: * Have you paid close attention to what your customers seem to want? Have you implemented the results of surveys, marketing programs, traffic reporting and site analysis? (Attract and Keep Customers) * Is your content current? Have you updated your site recently? Do you continually add interesting information? Are product descriptions up-to-date? (Build an Ecommerce Site) * How easily can customers navigate and find information? Is there a prominently displayed FAQ and Site Map? (9 Navigational Steps) * Do you offer enough methods for accepting payment? Have you established merchant accounts for various credit cards? (Get Paid) * How secure is your site? Do customers need to worry about transmitting their personal information? (Secure the Site ) * Is your staff fully trained in the finer points of customer relationship management? Do you have enough employees to handle a large volume of customers in a timely manner? (eCRM Guide)

If you've worked hard and long on building and refining your site, the holiday shopping season should be profitable but if you've neglected any of the important ingredients in your e-commerce development, this shopping season may be your