My Own Website?!

Starting your own website is a big step. Although it is relatively easy and cheap to establish a web-presence, simply having a website does not correlate with income. Think carefully before you setup your site because its something you want to do right the first time so you don’t get used to one system and then find it does not fit your needs and then you have to switch services a few months later.

Do you want a static or a dynamic website? Do you plan to do ecommerce? What is the purpose of your site? If you want an ecommerce site and do not have programming experience, your best bet is to use a turn-key solution such as YahooStores or Ebay Stores. GoDaddy also has a product. Typically for about $20-$30/ month plus credit card fees (around 3% per transaction) you will get everything you need to setup a webstore. Technically, not that difficult. These packages usually include some basic templates for you to choose from. Most likely you are going to want to infuse your own design into the website – you can use a graphic designer such as www.mondoluna.com (ask for Anna) or even find some cheap foregin labor on www.elance.com. Beware though if using this option, you may very well face some cultural issues!

 So you setup your website and check the next day, and what… no sales?! Where is the money??!! It takes time (4-12 months) for your website to get much organic traffic, that is assuming your site is somewhat optimized and has at least a few links into it. I tell my customers to think of their websites as an augmentation to their existing business. If you sell at stores/ craft shows, home parties, etc. then use the website to refer customers to for more selection. At least at the beginning this is the only way anyone will find you. Think about it – there are billions of websites on the web and probably at least a million selling the same type of product you are pushing. That is a lot of competition! You need to have a strategy to get people to your site.

Maybe you don’t need an ecommerce site. If you just need a place to hang your sign on the web, setup a nice static site – meaning one that does not change much over time. Great way to get free adertising for your store. Or if you want to use the site as a bulletin board with dynamic (frequently updated) consider a blog (www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.org). Blogs are wicked simple to manage and setup in a few minutes. Great way to communicate.

Prostores is a turn-key solution to get your web-presence started

If you have a website or know what you are doing and just need webhosting, try Godaddy. They have a lot of options from basic, cheap hosting … to turnkey solutions with shopping cart integration:

Another great option for turnkey solution for your website is Yahoo Stores. These guys were the one of the first to establish a service targeted at new small online businesses. They have some great plans and have a great track record:

… more soon.