website help?

mollymoo45_2

Hi everyone,
i'm thinking of setting up a website for products im going to be selling ,and i have NO idea what is involved.
I have domain names but i dont know where to go from there, i have looked on 123reg.co.uk at website building, but they look so basic!
i would like a smart looking website with an online shop where i can take credit/debit cards i have no clue as to what these websites are called, how much they cost or anything, all i know is that i now have the domain name i wanted!
sorry to be so clueless, but i know someone here will know what i'm on about !

Thanks
Mollymoo x

save-a-lot

Hi

Try https://www.scriptlance.com and let a freelancer set it up for you. People bid on your project, simply pick a designer/developer with good feedback and a good price.

Scriptlance and various like it are Global sites, so you get Global prices, so a heck of alot cheaper than getting someone in the UK to do it.

Browntoa

this is a more or less "off the shelf" free online shop

http://www.oscommerce.com/solutions/oscommerce

there is a demo shop here so you can see what it looks like

http://demo.oscommerce.com/

crossleydd42

To be honest, I think it's too easy to go for a 'bells & whistles' website at some expense, when a basic one can be built quickly and cheaply that is 'fit for purpose'. And fit for purpose is waht really counts.
Most potential customers are primarily interested in finding what they want and doing their business easily and quickly. The way the site looks is of little importance. Go for simplicity initially and improve the site in time if you feel it's necessary. God luck to you, anyway.

mollymoo45_2

Thank you all for your messages, things are becoming clearer, do you think if i made my own from 123reg, will it have/be able to have an online shop?

also another question that i forgot about earlier is how do i get listed on search engines? like google- i have googled it (!) and adsense comes up but i dont know how or what you pay for the privilage of being listed...

Thanks again so much for all your help, i really appreciate it.
Mollymoo x

Astaroth

I would look elsewhere for hosting than 123-reg, they are very good for domains but there are certainly better for hoasting.

There are 2 elements to google, firstly in natural listings - these are the main body of the page and all comes down to search engine optimisation. Who ever sets up your store should do this for you but there are plenty of third party agents who do this and this alone. One of the limitations of many of the off the shelf ecommerce packages is that they arent great at SEO - do a google for SEO and you will bring up lots of articals to read. The thing to remember however is that google (and other search engines) ranking system is top secret and therefore all info you read about sandboxing etc are only the theories of people who have tried to improve their ranking and not "fact". There is no cost involved for actually appearing in the natural listings but if your SEO isnt very good and you are in a highly competitive market you may not appear until page 500.

The other listings you get at the top of the page and side bar are sponsored links. Through adwords you "bid" on how much you are prepared to pay to be shown in these boxes for specific search terms. Your "rank" is then determined by how much you are bidding against others bidding on the same search terms - needless to say "cheap insurance" is very expensive but "purple fluffy dice" are probably much cheaper. There is the option to simply set a monthly amount and let google optimise your exposure - whilst we never use this function many smaller companies find it is adequate for their needs.

mollymoo45_2

Hi, my domain name is a brand that has not yet been launched here, so will my website just appear in google for free then,or is it a service you have to pay for? if someone searches for the brand name i have, when i google it only 13 links come up and they are foreign sites?

sorry for all the questions i really have no idea about any of this!

Mollymoo x

mollymoo45_2

Sorry, i meant to say my brand is a well known world wide brand, but the product i am talking about has not yet been launched here in the UK..

Mollymoo x

irnbru_2

mollymoo45 wrote:

Sorry, i meant to say my brand is a well known world wide brand, but the product i am talking about has not yet been launched here in the UK.

The first thing your developer should do is put up a holding page and submit your domain to the various search engines. Their bots will eventually visit and you will appear (at some position) in their listsings.

If there is a worldwide site for the brand you should ensure you're linked to by them as well.

On subsequent visits your changes (holding page -> shop) will be picked up. It's a straight-forward process.

richt71

mollymoo45 wrote:

Hi everyone,
i'm thinking of setting up a website for products im going to be selling ,and i have NO idea what is involved.
I have domain names but i dont know where to go from there, i have looked on 123reg.co.uk at website building, but they look so basic!
i would like a smart looking website with an online shop where i can take credit/debit cards i have no clue as to what these websites are called, how much they cost or anything, all i know is that i now have the domain name i wanted!
sorry to be so clueless, but i know someone here will know what i'm on about !

Thanks
Mollymoo x

Elance.com is a place like ebay but for web design people amongst other tech type people. You post what you want...how much you'll pay. Then they'll bid to design a website. They are rated by previous customers and usually provide a sample of work. You can ask questions of any of the web design bidders. You usually pay 50% upfront and the rest when you're happy.
In terms of taking payments I'd suggest paypal to begin with as it's free and easy to set-up. If you start doing well it may be cheaper at that time to swap to a pay per month merchant account provider where the costs per transactions are cheaper. Hope that helps?

mollymoo45_2

irnbru wrote:

The first thing your developer should do is put up a holding page and submit your domain to the various search engines. Their bots will eventually visit and you will appear (at some position) in their listsings.

If there is a worldwide site for the brand you should ensure you're linked to by them as well.

On subsequent visits your changes (holding page -> shop) will be picked up. It's a straight-forward process.

Can i do this myself via 123reg? and also who is the best for hosting? any ideas?

again thank you all i have printed off all your input, and am slowly but surely absorbing it!

Mollymoo x