E-Commerce website recommendations

[Modeler]

Hi all,

I'm looking at starting a business in the next few months making and selling first aid kits. I'm going to need an e-commerce website to sell online, does anyone have any experience or recommendations for a provider? I've already registered the domain names with GoDaddy, they want $100 per month to maintain the site. Is that a good deal? Anyone have any recommendations for a provider/designer?

Thanks,

Greg

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[ATCclears]

Greg, what are you getting for $100/month? That seems VERY expensive.

It's hard to get noticed out there. People have the attention span of a flea on the Internet. Have you thought about selling through Amazon.com?

Peter

 

[drew]

I'm also curious what you get for $100/month. That sounds high for hosting.

 

[Modeler]

They design the website, set up all the pages, submit it to Google ads and search engines, set up the shopping cart with Visa/MC and PayPal, and give you 30 "free" minutes of updates each month.

Not sure if that's a real good deal or not.

Greg

 

[ATCclears]

OK, so this is more than your domain name (e.g. baddog.com) and hosting the site. I suppose it's OK if you are selling enough product to be profitable.

I would still recommend that you consider selling through Amazon.com. It's hard to get noticed out there, even if you have a "rock star" website, products, and pricing. In addition, people won't know and trust your site - they've already given "permission" to Amazon.com to hold their name, address, and credit-card data. It's easier for them to say "OK, I'll buy it". If they have to enter all that data again on your site then there is a higher probability that they will abandon the transaction.

Peter

 

[sadiesassy]

I agree with ATClear
I would check with setting a store up through Amazon or understand howto be connected through Amazon. They may have some recommendation.

Go Daddy has to pay for those Superbowl commercials

Second - Particularly in the first year - Get some one who can help set up your system for using Google Ad search words and monitoring them. The cost of where your ad lands varies depending on the words and competition for the space. Go online and type in first aid kits and look at the big players, You will need to be competing for the same space - Rememebr people give up searching for you after about 2 pages. You shold get statisitcs on where you get hits - Use that to adjust your Ad words.
But for $100/ mo the first year of learning - not a bad deal. It was not intuitive for me

Web site development - you can use build your sites or have someone make it for you. The key is - you need to capture them on Page One or forget it. I developed my own website using Dreamweaver and spent about 30 min to an hour every couple weeks - fine tuning it. Most places have a Do-It YourSelf template

Next if you quit GoDaddy after 1 year - Do you get to keep the web site information so you can transport to another site?

There was an article out about 2 years ago about HOst web site comparison - might want to see what is on line. Think GoDaddy was one of the recommended - but it was useful.