Setting up a website help?!

emmonk

Hi

I make my own greeting cards that I seel to friends and family when I see them. Someone emailed and asked if they could see what I had online as they don't live nearby.

So I would like to set up a website that I can initially display photos of my cards with some details about cost etc so people can let me know what they want. At some point in the future (when I have got my head around how the process works...!) I may want to actually sell them through the site.

I obviously don't want to spend loads on web space when I have no idea how many cards I am likely to sell!

Do I need to buy a domain name and then pay for web space? I think I would like a proper name (www.name.co.uk, rather then http://name.blogspot.co.uk or whatever as no-one ever remembers those!)

Any recommendations on companies that give cheap space, but also who provide easy web page set up as I have no web design experience!

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Emma

isofa

Name, register at https://www.123-reg.co.uk

You can also have space and a site here too.

You could just start off with a WordPress page (free) or Blogger, or just Picasa (google) or Flickr account to display albums of photos - cheapest and easiest option, just link the domain from 123-reg to your page.

M4RKM

oooh.. i posted this today.. this might be interesting to you if you're starting out


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...html?t=1799709

if you're only starting out, and not wanting to sell, personally, i'd look at the site, and if it ain't nice and professional, then I'd just go elsewhere.. you gotta look at your competition and work out how you're going to market yourself, and how you're going to make money

silkcutblue

Go via quidco to get cashback and sign up to something like 1&1. Or consider using ETSY

Yes, they take commision but you get immense through traffic of users.

underlay_guru

We use www.ekmpowershop.com.

very easy to use!

himynameisJohn

Hello Emma,

Wow, that was a bit of a fluke I came across this post as I was just researching something for a client of mine and I started to read your post and it caught my attention. So, while I have a spare moment, here's the lowdown on what you need to do &/or questions you need to ask yourself to come to a decision...

Do NOT buy a domain name & hosting just yet. You've alluded to the fact that you have no web design or development experience, so right now, do not pain your self with the hassle.

Do use something like folksy.com or coriandr.com. Those are both UK £ based websites - think eBay, but for craft and handmade stuff.

Why use these?

1. Costs; much cheaper than having web hosting.
2. Technical requirements; none required - you get your own web page on these sites and you just in put data like eBay, product descriptions, upload of images etc.
3. Trust; if people don't know you, then buying from your own personal site can have trust implications attached to it, which is a key problem when people go down this route. Sites like I've described above again, work like eBay; they use the integration of Paypal to take care of things and just being part of a larger, well developed site will help your trust.
4. Marketing; In my trade (company director of a web marketing company) I get this all the time, "I know have a website, but no one is buying anything and I'm getting hardly any traffic. Another plus site of sites I mentioned, they've been designed to help you sell more by using usability studies to understand people and help their intentions (call to actions) to make a purchase. Furthermore, these websites already have large traffic volumes and marketing budgets to get their name out there. By joining one or BOTH of the above sites, you are guaranteed visitors who are interested in your product(s).

There are more reasons to use, but sorry, just do not have the time right now, but please, any further questions, PM me, or to keep it helping others too whom have same problem as you, just reply below so all can see.

Oh and finally, once you make up your mind in going with one of the above, I would then suggest buying not a hosting package, but simply a domain name of the likes of .co.uk or .com etc... and then '301 redirect' the domain you have purchased to your shop URL on that site. Why do this? Domain names are cheap to buy and if telling someone of your online presence over the phone, or whatever... not only is it easier for them to remember, but it looks more professional too (like you mentioned in your original post). So basically, instead of telling people to check your product page out that could look like emma.coriandr.com you could tell them mydomain.com which automatically redirects them to emma.coriandr.com.

Simples.

Good luck!

John
twitter.com/omfg_followme

PS; Just in case it wasn't clear where I stand with this; please, please, please do NOT buy web hosting and set up your own site. I know it sounds great to have your own slice of the web, but seriously, unless you are an online/offline marketing professional, you will fail.

At this early stage in the eCommerce game for you and from the situational picture you paint, it really makes no sense at all to have web hosting. I strongly recommend against.

timbim_2

If you do want to go for your own page, look at using a Content Management System, such as Joomla! or Drupal. They make it much easier to add content, change the design of pages etc, and integrate well with eCommerce.

Mr_Blueskies

I agree with himynameisjohn. It sounds like for what you need, the 2 solutions that have been suggested would be an ideal first stepping stone.

sam93_2

I agree with timbim. Using a CMS will make it a lot easier for you to add content to your site.

I don't know if you plan on using a website design service, then I would suggest you leave the domain and hosting to them- they would get it cheaper.

If you are going it alone, I suggest streamline.net, many people seem to have had problems with them, but I used them for all of my clients sites, and have never had any problems.

To learn more about CMS - visit here: http://www.eduity.co.uk/cms.php

This is my own site which you may find useful, contact me if you want any more information.

bashar_2

To set-up your website you need three things: a domain, a web host, and a your website code (script)
1- first of all you have to secure your bussiness brand by registering a domain name .. there are hundereds of domain name registrars out there .. domain prices are also very low .. for example the price for a .COM or .NET domain is £9.99 (see 123-reg.com ) however becareful coz there is a little catch! that is, you have to pay for your web host.. see below
2- web hosting typically costs more than £100 per year.. this is the catch I was talking about ... for example, to get 10GB web space with 150 GB bandwidth limit you would have to pay 123-reg around £180/year and even with this you still need to sort out your website code ..

I think you will find this registrar EuroHostingOnline.com very useful for its very cheap prices .. for example a .net domain with unlimited web hosting cost me less than £6 per YEAR!!!

I have came accross this site by Google Ads ... and I've tried its service and it really rocks!

you will also get free one-click to install website scripts, web-site builders, and free full dns management services and much more .. see the prices and features for your self

try also to see tutorials on webdesign and css styles from w3schools.com in case you really want to do every bit by your self.
hope this helps,
Bashar

PS: any body out there can help with how to buy a dedicated web server!:money::rotfl: