Question : walkthrough to install SSL, Paym Gateway, and shopping cart

Hello.

I need someone to step me through the process of installing SSL, a payment gateway, and connecting it to my shopping cart on this site: www.own-designs.com/auto4

Please be detailed. The site is hosted with 1and1. If I also need a payment gateway, I will go with what's most popular or what is cheapest.

A detailed, complete walkthrough is desired.

Thanks.

Answer : walkthrough to install SSL, Paym Gateway, and shopping cart

Ok, as you are with 1&1 they probably have a specific procedure to install an ssl and associate it with your website.  Additionally be prepared to pay some fees associated with this.  

To get a payment processor integrated into your website, you are first going to need a merchant account.  Luckily most payment gateways will include a list of their preferred merchant account providors, such as Barclays etc.  Once you have a merchant account you need to apply for a payment gateway.  Next you will need to order and install an ssl certificate, I recommend godaddy.com for an ssl cert as you are looking at anything from $20 US per annum to 400$us for a godaddy cert and between 400$us to 1.5k$us for a verisign cert.  1&1 should be able to assist/provide you with instructions on their specific procedures to request a cert, and install one once it's been requested.  Once your ssl is installed integrate the payment processor into your cart.  Now, this last step could be quite detailed depending on which one you are going to use.  If you already have shopping cart software setup then see if they have payment gateway modules, see which one is the most cost effective then go down that route.  If not you are going to need to build the payment gateway from scratch using the payment gateway's API.  

After some testing and ensuring transactions are doing what they should, the gateway will switch you to live.