Web Site

[journeyman]

Hi
I'm thinking of setting up a web site to show and sell my stuff. Any info and advice would be welcome as I don't have a clue where to start, what I should steer clear of etc.
Thanks in advance
Mick

[miniwoodworker]

Mick, do you plan to set it up yourself or have someone else do it for you? In any event, here's some suggestions that I hope will make the process a little easier and cost effective.

Layout your site on paper first. Think of it as a house and each page of your site is a room. Your home page is equivalent to the front door. What do you want people to see first? On your home page, provide links to each section (room) of your site. My suggestion is to keep your home page simple and easy/fast to load. Google is a good example. Probably one of the most visited on the net, yet it would be hard to find a more simple home page design. FWIW, I've left many sites, without reading, because it took FOREVER to load their home pages.

Check on the cost of running your site based on the service provider you choose. Some will have extra costs associated with a commercial site. "Free" sites often have requirements, such as banner ads that you may not want.

While you're doing that decide on your policies for selling your work. Payment method(s), freight, returns, privacy notice, etc.

And, do you plan to offer tips and techniques, accessories such as picture hangers, display stands, etc. If so you'll need pages for those. Do include a "About Us" page that gives background info about yourself. How long you've been scrolling, any awards you've received, what got you started -- information that separates you from the competition and mass produced discount store merchandise. Emphasis on the quality of handmade artwork.

Decide on your order processing software, early. It's been a while since I've worked with this, so I don't have current info on a package to recommend. However, which product you choose will determine how you layout your site. You don't want to spend time designing XYZ only to learn the program handles it as ABC. Hope that makes sense.

One way to help you get started with your design is to go to a web site that you like. One's that's easy to navigate. One that has an easy to order system. Study the design of that site. This isn't to say that you should copy that site. But, it will help you focus on what's important to you for yours.

If you contract out your site, the more layout/design work you do upfront, the less expensive it'll be for you. Often, it isn't the initial cost that gets you. It's the revisions, "that won't work", "I forgot to mention", etc. that may double/triple your investment. The last thing you want is for all your profits to go into setting up/maintaining a web site.

If you do the work yourself, having everything, you can, already worked out on paper will make the process much faster and easier. It'll save a lot of hair pulling as you'll automatically avoid a lot of "gotchas".

Hope some of these thoughts are useful and will help you get started. Good luck with your decision.

[tony coleman]

hi mick
i am in the process of setting up my own web site{adressed below},but at the moment its more for displaying my work rather than selling.alot of what lee says is good advice.i got my son too help me set it up as i wouldnt know where too start.if you go too WEBS.COM it helps too set up a free site.whatever you choose good luck with it.

[journeyman]

Thanks for the advice guys
I would like to design my own web page Lee, but I am like Tony and don't really know where to start, a site like webs.com may be the way to go. I have got an idea in my head on what I want the page to look like, but I hadn't thought through most of the things you mention Lee. I shall take pen to paper and start a basic design before I commit myself to a web builder site. I agree that looking at other sites will give me some idea of what I should be aiming at. Thanks again for your advice guys
Mick

[Scrolling Days]

Mick, don't forget the obvious part; you need to purchase a domain name first. One thing to check out before you buy that, however, is what specials are offered through the web hosting/building company you use. Some of these will offer a free domain name with the purchase of a hosting contract. I would check that out first, and it might save you some dollars in the long run.

Try to get an idea of how big a site you want, as most plans are sold based on available memory and bandwidth provided. If your site will be just a few pages, go with an economy plan. If you think it will grow, get one which is bigger.

[Firedkm]

I have my site hosted with fat cow My old site loaded really fast and did what I needed it to do. They have all sorts of tools to make a web site even ecommerce tools. I have since switched to a different program for my site it loads slower now.

[Forester21]

You can always take the easy way and have a "shop" on a larger site like etsy or artfire. They do the hosting, you add your products etc. You usually pay for a listing fee and percent once sold.
Theresa

[justjimmyb]

Anyone making money selling on the web?? I'm not talking about the break even money makers. I'm taking about you covered everything ( i.e. wood,blades,your time,lets not for get over head that little thing we all forget like electric, paper,printer ink,shop space etc......)and put money in your pocket.
From what i see on the internet the workmanship is lost on a little picture. Sometimes the only way I make a sale is when its in someones hands. With people at craft shows going to the hobby store buying stuff then passing it off as handcrafted I would never buy something crafted off the internet.

[jim_mex]

Hi Mick - check your emails - I'm not sure if i sent to the correct one!!!

[Pajaro]

I guess it depends on how much you want to spend on Google and other search sites. I have had a site for over three years. I don't spend any money getting the search sites to move my listing up. I have only made 3 on line sales. I am leaning to getting ride of it. No matter how good your site is., it wont do much if you don't pay the search sites.