Today, I’m going to briefly go over information you’ll need for installing an osCommerce template.

Uploading Template Files

A new template goes beyond what you can control when configuring osCommerce. It’s all about changing the appearance of the online store. Although it doesn’t have a built-in method for customizing as you would see in other platforms, you can make some adjustments especially if you know a bit about website development.

If you want to use new osCommerce templates, it often requires uploading the files to your website using applications like FileZilla. Essentially, you’re going to overwrite existing files so the template will work as intended.

In some ways, it appears as though you’re installing osCommerce manually as the files are uploaded directly to your server. Luckily, any modification to the files won’t hurt your database. This means you don’t have to worry about losing any product or user information.

You will need to connect to your server and upload the files.

When the message appears to overwrite files, make sure you do. Otherwise, the changes will not take place.

In some instances, you may need to change the permissions of your files as well as make coding changes for the new template to take effect. However, this is often dependent on the template itself and how the developer created it.

For instance, you need to make sure the database information is correct if your new template overwrites the includes/config.php file of your website.

Customize the Experience

In many instances, it may be easier to simply make the coding changes yourself to deliver a specific appearance. Of course this requires you to learn HTML, PHP and CSS. Many site owners hire site developers to make these changes, which may be a viable investment considering how you can get exactly what you want.

In either case, it pays to customize the site and set it apart from other online stores. Choose a method that is right for you.

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Each upgrade to osCommerce will come with specific instructions depending on what modifications are required. These instructions are within the new version of the osCommerce Zip file available on its website.

Today, I’m simply going to show you where to access these upgrade instructions.

Upgrading osCommerce

Before any update, it’s always a good idea to create a current backup. This lets you perform a quick recovery should anything go wrong.

Go to the osCommerce download page and get the new version. You will need to change the drop down window to the “Update Package” of the version you want. Currently, osCommerce displays only the most recent update files available.

This will open your browser’s download screen. Save it somewhere you’ll remember. Personally, I like to save things like this to the desktop so I can find them easier later on.

Open the Zip file and extract its contents.

Open the folder and click on the “docs” directory.

Sometimes, there will be a specific “update.pdf” file giving you instructions on how to safely upgrade osCommerce. In this update, we see a release_notes.pdf file. This file actually has changes available for osCommerce.

It’s important to note that you may have to make edits in code to the files in question. For the most part, the developers will show you what lines need to be changes and give you a section of code you can simply paste into the site’s file. It’s not a difficult process, but it’s very time consuming.

In some instances, you can use an FTP program like FileZilla to upload all of the updated files directly to your website. You will overwrite any files on your site with the new updated ones from the Zip file you downloaded.

It all really boils down to how the developers of osCommerce release the update to the public. Some changes are fairly easy while others are more convoluted. However, products and user information will remain on the site regardless as those elements are stored in the SQL database. This is accessible through phpMyAdmin.

It’s unlikely you will perform an update that will ruin those components.

It’s Worth the Trouble

Keeping your site’s software up-to-date is one of the easiest ways to protect it from hackers. Most updates are released to perform two main things: seal up exploits and add new features. Although updating an installation of osCommerce is quite involved, the end results are often worth the effort.

Keep your site safe and secure by making sure you’re running current versions of everything.

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Selling goods is your primary function. However, the performance of a website dictates how often those goods are actually sold. Keep in mind that most shoppers will abandon a cart if the site takes too long to load. Using a content delivery network is a good place to start for making a site fast, but there are other ways you can optimize your osCommerce site.

Today, I’m going to show you how to optimize osCommerce and improve your chances of earning income. Site speed and efficiency are important, and you have several ways available to improve your chances of making a sale.

Limit Products on the Main Page

Product placement is important to make a sale. However, too many of them on the main page can be distracting to visitors while reducing the site’s performance. Each of those images and descriptions are pulled from their respected pages. These calls for data reduce the site’s efficiency while making it appear haphazard for guests.

Optimize Your Image Use

Use the correct sizes for images. While in some cases a large and more detailed image may be acceptable, realize that rendering them can easily slow down a website. In most cases, you’re not going to need a 3000 wide pixel image for a product. Keep the sizes and resolution as low as possible without losing quality.

Keep Add-Ons and Modules to a Minimum

Installing various add-ons can easily enhance the experience for visitors. Just bear in mind that too many of them will slow down the website. Having a lot of add-ons can also take away from the experience of a visitor if there is too much going on within the pages. Only use add-ons that are of utmost importance to the operation of the site.

Disable Features You’re Not Using

The osCommerce platform comes with a variety of built-in features you probably aren’t going to use. Disable any of these elements that do not directly impact the operation of your site. For instance, you wouldn’t want the 2Checkout payment gateway active if you don’t use it.

Don’t Use a Lot of External Links

External links can be useful in some situations, but you want to keep these to a minimum. This is especially true if you monetize the site further with things like Google Adsense. Calls for external data slow the website and hurt its performance. Keep external links to a minimum.

Install an SSL Certificate

Installing an SSL certificate not only protects your visitors, but it also promotes your website in Google search. This is because various search engines are prioritizing secure sites over non-secure ones. Simply adding the SSL has potential to put your website ahead of the competition in search results. You will need to edit the config.php file in the site’s “includes” folder.

Maximize Product Descriptions

Product descriptions are vital for visitors as well as search engines. Make sure you’re maximizing the use of these sections and creating good content. The osCommerce platform comes with the ability to edit many sections when adding products. Make use of every possible element.

Keep the Database Optimized

Over time, databases can become bogged down and slow. Use the phpMySQL tool to optimize the database on a routine basis. This will help the site remain fast, which contributes to sales and search engine ranking. Besides, you want the database to be as efficient as possible as it reduces errors and problems later on.

Use Search Engine Friendly URLs

You want to enable search engine friendly URLs in your online store. This helps performance in sites like Google while maximizing your exposure to potential customers. This can be enabled in the “My Store” section of Configuration.

Optimize for Success

Keeping the site performing at top efficiency is vital if you want to build a successful online store. Don’t assume you can simply set it and forget it. Just like in the real world, it pays to keep it clean and fresh to engage the customer.

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Some business owners find a great deal of success using social media marketing tools in conjunction with running a special. It’s all about getting people to visit the store and improve brand awareness. And creating special items in osCommerce is the beginning of that strategy.

Today, I’m going to show you how to set up specials within the osCommerce system. This goes along the lines of customizing your catalog, and it gives you the ability to engage consumers who want to save a few bucks.

Creating osCommerce Special Prices

From the osCommerce dashboard, click the button on the left for “Catalog.”

A list of items will drop below Catalog. Click the “Specials” link at the bottom of the list.

You’ll see a list of example specials built into osCommerce. Let’s say we want to create a new one.

Click the “+ New Product” button under this list.

Use the drop down window to select a product on your store.

Input a new price in the “Special Price” field. You can use a specific dollar amount or use a percentage. If you use a percentage, osCommerce will automatically calculate the sale price.

Set a date you want the special to finish. As soon as this date arrives, osCommerce will automatically set the product back to its original price. You can leave this blank if you want the special to continue indefinitely. This is probably more ideal if you simply want to get rid of all the inventory as quickly as possible.

Click the “Save” button on the bottom right.

Your special is now set and running. Now you can go onto things like Instagram marketing and share your price reduction among followers. If your account is popular, it may encourage sales in a relatively short amount of time.

Endless Possibilities

Specials and discounts are used often in a variety of marketing tactics. For instance, you can easily set holiday deals for things like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Either way, shoppers love the idea of saving money at check out. Cutting prices on select items is a good way to demonstrate this to your patrons.

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Today, I’m going to show you ways to backup osCommerce and how it can keep your data safe. If all site owners planned for the worst-case scenario, there would be far fewer security breaches and identity theft.

Manual Backups

Some people prefer having manual backups of their website. It gives you access to your files and can be done at your leisure.

Getting Your Files

One of the best ways to do this is by using File Transfer Protocol, or FTP.

Using FTP
Applications like FileZilla operate via FTP to connect your computer to the website. This gives you access to all of your site’s files and the capacity to copy them to your computer. If you save these folders in Cloud-storage systems like Dropbox, you can essentially make a backup of a backup that you can access from anywhere.

Using File Manager
Another way to get your files if you don’t have access to FTP is to use File Manager in cPanel. You can do this by going into the File Manager in cPanel and access your website’s files. Then, select all of your files and click the “Compress” button.

Click the radio button for “Zip Archive.”

Scroll to the bottom and enter a new name for the Zip file. You can also select where to save the file by changing the path. If you leave the path alone, it will create the Zip in the current directory you’re looking at.

Click the “Compress File(s) button on the bottom.

File Manager will then take your entire website and copy it into a downloadable Zip file.

To download the file, just type in your web address followed by the file. For this example, I would type “https://www.ggexample.com/back01.zip” into a browser, and the download process would begin.

Downloading Your Database

Downloading the database isn’t all that complicated. All you need to do is export the SQL file. This file can then be imported at any time to recover from various problems.

Click the phpMyAdmin tool from cPanel.

Click the database you want to download in the left column. You may have only one if you only operate a single website.

Click the “Export” option from the top toolbar.

Leave the format as SQL and click, “Go.”

Your web browser will then begin the download process.

Softaculous Backups

If you use Softaculous to install osCommerce, you can set it to create backups for you automatically. This is a useful feature if you don’t want to use File Manager or FTP applications to backup the website manually.

From cPanel, click the “Softaculous Apps Installer” tool.

Click on the “Installations” button.

Find your website and click the pencil icon on the right.

Scroll down and fill in the information for backups. You can choose a new location, add or remove directories and decide how often the site creates a backup.

Scroll down to the bottom and click “Save Installation Details.” Softaculous will now automatically backup your website.

Keep Backups Current

A great way to keep your site’s information protected is to keep current backups available. This reduces downtime and makes recovery from even the most damaging attacks easier to manage. It’s always better to err on the side of caution to keep your content and your visitor’s data protected and maintained.

The post How to Back Up osCommerce Files and osCommerce Database appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Not everyone uses the same payment types, and knowing what osCommerce payment modules are available may help you address the needs of your customers. After all, flexibility in payment methods often leads to greater sales.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to set up osCommerce payment modules. It’s a quick way to give your site more versatility when it comes to shoppers.

Adding Payment Modules in osCommerce

Perhaps even before you modify the catalog, it may be a good idea to make sure your payment methods are ready for sales. Besides, what would happen if you sold an item as soon as you posted it without having a valid form of payment acceptance?

From the osCommerce dashboard, click the “Modules” button in the left column.

A list of items will then drop down under Modules. Click the “Payment” link that appears in the list.

Notice you can “Edit” payment methods on the right. This is done by clicking the gateway and then clicking the “edit” button. But for now, we’re going to add a new method.

Click the “Install Module” on the far right hand side.

You will see a long list of modules you can currently add to the osCommerce installation. You can choose from iPayment, Moneybookers, PayPal and more according to the needs of yourself as well as your guests.

Let’s say I wanted to add 2Checkout. Click the payment method and then click the “Install Module” button.

Once the payment method has been added, you need to edit it with your settings. For example, you will need to add your PayPal email address to osCommerce if you want to accept payments from PayPal. Click the gateway from the Payment list and click the “Edit” button to add your information.

After entering your account information for the payment gateway, click the “Save” button to make the changes live.

It’s important to note that you will need an account for most payment gateway systems. Sometimes this could take a few days to activate, so you want to make sure your accounts are ready before using them to process payments.

Be Flexible

Flexibility in payment methods allows you to engage users who may value one gateway over another. For example, those who use 2Checkout may not have access to PayPal, and vice-versa. However, you don’t want customers to feel over-burdened by choosing a gateway either. Be logical and offer some flexibility in what your website can handle.

The post How to Set Up osCommerce Payment Modules appeared first on GreenGeeks.

You can change a lot of functions in osCommerce by modifying configuration settings. However, you still need to adhere to what your target market needs in terms of understanding your store.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show the osCommerce currencies and language setup. As the system supports a wide variety of geographic locations, it’s important to make sure you have the right one selected. Otherwise, you may create confusion in your marketing practices.

Changing Currencies

When people see the items you add to the catalog, you want them to understand how much they cost. Something that sells for one price in Canada is going to be much different than in Europe.

From the osCommerce dashboard, click the “Localization” button in the left panel.

New options will drop down below Localization. Click the option available for, “Currencies.”

By default, osCommerce comes with Euros and US Dollars already installed. What if you wanted to add Pesos? Click the “New Currency” button under the list.

Select the currency from the drop down list on the right.

Once selected, osCommerce will fill in default information regarding the currency. You can edit things like the symbol, where it appears, the decimal point and more. Click the “Save” button on the bottom to commit your changes.

Unfortunately, the currency exchange rate servers are no longer supported. This means you’ll have to make manual adjustments in osCommerce if you market goods to other areas.

In reality, most payment gateways like PayPal automatically make these adjustments when someone purchases a product.

If you want to remove cash types, select a currency and click the “Delete” button.

Changing Languages

By default, the installation of osCommerce comes with English as its primary language. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t have language packs already installed.

You need to download them from the osCommerce add-ons section.

After following the directions to add a language pack to your site, go back to osCommerce and click the link for, “Languages.”

Click the “New Language” button under the language list.

Fill in the options after uploading the language pack to your website. Once the settings are ready, click the “Save” button to continue.

Address Your Target Market

Part of a good marketing strategy is knowing your customers. This means knowing what languages and currencies are ideal to make a purchase. You don’t want shoppers spending too much time trying to figure out prices are content. Focus on who you are selling to and what languages and currencies are the most ideal.

The post How to Set Up osCommerce Languages and Currencies appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Customizing the catalog gives you the opportunity to make the experience optimal for yourself as well as your visitors. For instance, adding specific categories makes shopping easier while keeping your goods organized.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to customize the osCommerce catalog. With a few clicks and edits, you can adjust your products to be unique to your needs and wants.

Customizing the osCommerce Catalog

Installing osCommerce is the easiest and fastest part of setting up an online store. Today, you’re going to learn how your site generates income: by setting up categories and listing products.

From the dashboard, click the “Catalog” button at the top of the left panel.

A list of features will drop down under Catalog. These are all settings you’ll need to modify to optimize your online store. You can add things like manufacturers, change attributes, include reviews and even adjust how specials and discounts work.

Go through each of these sections and modify your settings. Changes in the Catalog section are similar to how they work when changing configuration settings. Simply click on an element and edit from the right panel.

Let’s say we want to add a new category to the store. Click the “Categories / Products” link at the top.

The osCommerce solution comes with several categories built into the system. You can delete this if you’d like. In fact, it may prevent your shoppers from being confused if you don’t actually carry these items.

For this tutorial, I’m going to add a new category for solar powered toys for kids. Click the “New Category” button under the list.

Fill the information in for your new category and click, “Save.” This will be the name, image and sort order according to your store’s hierarchy. Remember that adding a picture to categories engages consumers better.

Now, let’s add a product to the catalog. Click the “New Product” button under the list of categories.

Fill in the information regarding your new product. Bear in mind that details, images and other information are vital for search as well as clarifying the item for buyers. Offer as many details as possible about the item including images that provide even further detail.

Once your item is filled out, click the “Save” button on the far bottom right hand corner.

When you save the item, you’ll be taken back to the Categories/Products page.

Now, you need to add the product to the correct category for optimal exposure. Make sure your new item is selected by clicking on it.

Click the “Move” button on the right panel.

Select the correct category from the drop down list.

Click the “Move” button under the drop down window.

If you want to add products to a certain category without having to move it, simply double click the category from the list and then use the “New Product” button.

If you want to add sub-categories, you can also double-click into a category and click the “New Category” button the same way.

Spend Time Customizing

You have a lot of options to go through in the Catalog section. Making sure these are all set perfectly for your online store will increase your odds of success. Spend the time to change these correctly. It will affect the performance of your site.

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Starting an online store today doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll start making money immediately. You need to customize your store in order to charge correct amounts, shipping costs or even add a company logo for branding.

Today, I’m going to show you how to configure osCommerce and customize it to suit your needs. Just by changing a few options, you can drastically alter how the site performs.

Configure osCommerce

From the osCommerce dashboard, click the “Configuration” button on the left.

A list will expand under Configuration of all the different settings you can change. I suggest carefully going through each of these one by one. This will help you customize osCommerce to operate exactly how you need.

What about changing the settings themselves? Let’s take a look at the store options so I can show you how to make changes. Click the “My Store” link directly under Configuration.

The main screen will change to a list of settings regarding the information of your store. Let’s say we want to change the Zone from Florida to California. Click the section for “Zone” from the list.

The right panel of osCommerce will change allowing you to make adjustments to the property you click. Since we clicked “Zone,” we have an edit button for Zone. Click the “Edit” button to make changes.

Select your zone from the drop down menu. As you can see, osCommerce supports many areas around the globe. Find the one that best fits your location.

Click the “Save” button to commit your changes.

You will change each configuration setting in a similar way. Each time you click on an element, the right panel will show what you can customize.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to go through each of these settings under the Configuration section of osCommerce. This will directly affect the website’s ability to function correctly.

For instance, many shipping modules require the zone for accurate delivery costs. Otherwise, you might not charge enough or perhaps even too much when sending an item to a buyer.

Improper settings can also lead to a loss in sales. In addition to other elements you should check if sales are down, make sure your settings are always correct in Configuration.

Make it Your Own

When you customize osCommerce, you’re making the site more efficient while vastly improving your chances of success. Make sure you go through each of the settings and tune them to your specific needs and objectives. A lot of functions are available, and it could take you a bit of time. But the ends absolutely justify the means when it comes to making money online.

The post How to Configure osCommerce appeared first on GreenGeeks.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to install the osCommerce e-commerce solution using Softaculous. Afterwards, you can start selling your products today and make some money from your website.

Installing osCommerce with Softaculous

From the cPanel dashboard, scroll down and click the “Softaculous Apps Installer.” You should find it in the Software section.

Search the system and click “osCommerce.”

Click the “Install Now” button under the description of osCommerce.

Fill in your website’s information:

• Software Setup
  Choose the protocol and domain that fits your site. For instance, you would want to use “https” if you’re using an SSL certificate to protect your store.
• Store Settings
  This is the information regarding your online shop. Fill in the name of your store, the owner and the business address.
• Admin Account
  This is the username and password of the administrator account for the site. Do not use “admin” as your username. This is a security threat and makes it easier for hackers to gain control.

When you’re done, click the “Install Button” and Softaculous will do the rest.

Once the software has been installed, a “Congratulations” page will appear with two links. One link is for your actual store and the other is for admin access. You might want to bookmark both of these links as it makes access much easier later on.

Click the “Administrative URL” to access your login screen.

Start Selling Today

Using Softaculous is much faster than manually installing osCommerce. If you have all of your information ready, you could be customizing your site in just a matter of minutes.

Once you start adding products to sell, don’t forget to use some of the best social media marketing tools to enhance your sales. No one can buy from you if they don’t know your store exists.

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