E-commerce recommendations?

[OneGrassRoot]

I have VERY basic knowledge of setting up a website and most definitely require templates, but I do like to have the ability to have some hands-on features to change content, add features, etc.

If I were to set up a website for e-commerce, where is the best place to do in your opinion?

I have several sites hosted at BlueHost, but they are very basic sites and I'm doing my best to learn basic programming. Can't handle the intensity of creating an e-commerce site without much more user-friendly options.

:)

[Gore1FL]

1. Are you looking to be able to acdept credit cards securely?

or what exactly?

[OneGrassRoot]

2. Yes...

I'm not looking to do anything fancy - just be able to list items for sell and receive payment. It's just that there are SO MANY options out there, I don't know where to begin. And, I assume that some are better at e-commerce than others. Like I said, I use BlueHost for other domains and they can "do" e-commerce, but most people who use them have more web development experience than I do. So, I was wondering if there are other options you guys can recommend for a newbie who wants to do it myself but needs a template layout?

Thanks :)

[Gore1FL]

3. You might want to look at something like Google Checkout or a similar service

They cost a little, but they take care of the secure end of everything and provide everything you'll need to get going.

[OneGrassRoot]

4. Thank you very much! n/t

[OneGrassRoot]

5. Oh, I see what Google checkout is now....

I'm looking more for actual website templates - for the websites themselves - not just a method of payment like Google checkout and Paypal. I need to develop the actual website itself. :)

Thanks again

[Gore1FL]

7. Then try this approach:

Go to the possible banks your credit cards would be processed through. Tell them you needs. I would think they would probably provide you with that part of the code. (They probably already have it, and would give it to you for the money they would make off of credit card purchases).

If that doesn't work

You could look at places like:

http://www.networksolutions.com/e-commerce/ecommerce-pro-package.jsp?siteid=246&channelid=P103C246S570N0B9A1D391E0000V101?urlredir

http://www.volusion.com/?click=99077 (Obama's site is evidently a client here)

http://www.esitesbuilder.com/

[DaveJ]

6. Great question. I don't know the answer.

I'm accustomed to building websites myself from scratch. But today, it's not only about design but functionality.

For instance, if one's goal is to make friends, people make their homepage on MySpace, Facebook, etc. If they want to share pictures, they create a page on SmugMug, DeviantArt, etc.

Since your goal is ecommerce, you want to find a good ecommerce site. Understandable, but I have not tried it yet.

So, obviously you can do a Google search for ecommerce site providers like this: http://www.google.com/search?q=ecommerce+site

And get providers like this and look at their sample websites: http://www.mals-e.com/demo.php

This is sort of the cutting edge Web 2.0 approach I think. I will probably get into creating such a site when I have something to sell.

[OneGrassRoot]

8. Thanks Gore1FL and djohnson, I was in the middle of Googling...

this whole thing myself and saw the same sites you both mention here.

Without getting into too much programming jargon (my brain truly can only absorb so much...lol), one aspect I want to be sure about when dealing with templates is the whole SEO thing. Maybe nowadays all programming languages are equal with regard to search engine hits? It seems someone told me Java-based stuff wasn't so great for a while. Oy, on one hand I really want to learn this stuff, but when I start, my brain gets overloaded easily. LOL

Thanks again for the feedback. It's truly appreciated! :hi:

[OneGrassRoot]

9. Wow, at first glance, volusion is very cool....

they lay out everything nice and neat, show comparisons, provide a little education as to why some places charge what they charge (yahoo e-commerce, network solutions/godaddy-type sites).

Free, open source is always where I start...lol...but in lieu of something like that, volusion really looks great.

:)

[DaveJ]

11. Yea, Volusion does look cool...

I just saw this after I went on my diatribe below.

[DaveJ]

10. My opinion of SEOs

Some ecommerce providers promise better search engine hits, but I don't believe them. Google themselves offer $50 of free 'adwords'. Google is the master of the web, but they also try to be objective making it hard to manipulate them into increasing a site's exposure.

I think the key is just to have a good product and promote it well.

Something to look into is "organic searches" which you don't pay for (pay per click ads can cost a couple of dollars each so I would avoid them).

This is one idea... create information that people cannot find elsewhere, in order to draw people to your site. In the process of creating a business, you might try to find information on the web and come up dry, so if you provide that information, when others are looking for the same thing they will find your site. Your hit count then increases and that's the goal.

It depends on what you're trying to promote. If it's a good product, others will create links to it on their site which will also increase your rank.

In terms of site development, it depends on how much time you have. If you have time, I'd suggest learning to create your own website using Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition which is free. If you have a product that will sell without a custom made site, sell it first using premade ecommerce template then get someone else to create your site.

It's probably best just to find a good provider and using a template. A major company like Godaddy.com has some nice looking sample sites here: https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/hosting/hosting_build_website.asp?ci=9028

I hate to say it but I'd stick with the major companies.

[OneGrassRoot]

12. Very cool...

I thank you for sharing that. Never heard of Visual Web Developer, but it sounds like it's just what I need. You're absolutely right. Gonna check that out right now. :)

All good suggestions. Thanks again, djohnson!

[man4allcats]

13. If you're new at this and want to know all the latest info

about building a web site and you want that info presented in a readable and user friendly manner, you should check out Dennis Gaskill's book Web Site Design Made Easy, Third Edition. I have basic HTML knowledge myself, but I wanted to add CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to what I already know so I bought the book. I can certainly recommend it, and no, I am not an affiliate so I don't make a penny if you buy it.

If you want to know about internet marketing from one of the best and certainly one of the most reputable internet marketers on the web, I recommend Jim Daniels. He has a CD he designed and sells called ezWebBusinessBuilder which walks you through the entire process. He set it up to be a simple point and click, newbie-friendly tutorial. As good a product as that is, for the same amount of money (less than a hundred bucks) you can get his newer product which includes the aforementioned tutorial on CD plus a whole lot more (Scroll down that page and click on the image of the key for complete details). And yes, I am an affiliate for both of these products so if you buy either one (I would recommend the newer one since you get the CD plus a bunch of other stuff for the same money) I will make a profit. I don't have any problem admitting that because I don't have any problem marketing for Jim Daniels. He's as reputable as they come.

Best of luck with your efforts.

[OneGrassRoot]

14. I just saw this....thank you very much for the recommendations! n/t