The Wholesale Forums

[Mathmos]

I am a complete new at Websites.

I know the most basic of HTML and have downloaded Dreamweaver but can do nothing with it.

What do you guys recommend me to do? To get a cheap, good looking E-Store?

My maximum I could spend is around £100.

Could you tell me in Dummy language everything I have to do, as I have heard of Carts and stuff.


Sorry If I sound like a nagging newbie
Thanks Alot Chaps
Mathmos

[Zak_K]

Hi Matt, it's actually very simple. I would join Petes web hosting services (he is a paid advertiser here), he will offer you free templates which you can customise in your chosen HTML editor (Dreamweaver), once you've finished creating your website fully you can upload it to your server and get Pete to install a free cart for you.

You can then buy a domain off someone like GoDaddy.com and your up and running. Pete will also give you a hand promoting your website and whatnot.

[Mathmos]

Will get in touch with him. For what you just described what would the pricing be?

Would you buy of one of those websites?
Would a complete newbie to coding be able to handle this?

[Zak_K]

I think the cheapest hosting plan with Pete costs $5/month, you need to also purchae a domain which depending on the domain itself costs around a tenner, which will cover you for the year, although it works out to be cheaper if you commit to it for a longer period.

Depends how you define 'complete newbie' I consider myself as a newbie aswell but I reckon I can handle that quite easily. So unless you want to pay someone to design this website for you the 100 quid budget would be more than enough.

[Mathmos]

Ok Cool.

Thats the bit I dont understand. Does it need to be designed? I thought not as Pete would supply you with a good template.

[Zak_K]

Originally Posted by Mathmos

Ok Cool.

Thats the bit I dont understand. Does it need to be designed? I thought not as Pete would supply you with a good template.

He will supply you with a template but the rest of the content needs to be suppled by yourself. i.e. products, payment methods, returns etc etc.

If you have a website designed it will cost you around 1k, although some will charge you more and some will charge you less.

[Mathmos]

£1000.
Im starting new, definatly dont have that kind of money for a website.

So I will have to add in all the text and picture? But the template is the physical apperence? Could I have an example please?

Sorry for being slightly dim

[Zak_K]

I see Lewis is online, perhaps he'll stop by this thread. When you say you want a 'good cheap store' I don't reckon thats worth it. Your customers should buy off you in confidence and if your website looks cheap and nasty it won't help one bit.

Why don't you put that idea on the back burner for now, and trade on eBay until you can afford something like this and you have a solid customer base as well as a consistent line of products?

[Mathmos]

Think I will do that, but still want to understand the website part of things.

Can I design my own website and then put in Cube cart to handle purchases etc?

[Pete]

I can help you out. Not a big deal.

Think about renting a shop in town, or a store front at the mall. Then think of me as your landlord.

I will supply the walls, the roof, the plumbing, etc. I'll give you the PLACE to do business.

But it will be empty, just like that spot you will rent at the mall. YOU have to put in the stock, do the advertising, arrange for your signs and displays, your shelving, etc.

As far as the design, or the front wall and sign of your shop, there are a number of options and I have clients that do each.

You can leave it the color I paint it and start selling.

You can leave it the same, but put up your own Logo or Header across the top. These can be designed by a friend or bought for very little. @ $ 25 or so.

You can choose from a number of free and low-cost "skins" that completely change the front of the shop. They will not be unique, but they will be used so few places on the net that the chance of someone else in your line of business having the same one is very low.

You can have one custom designed. Prices here start a bit above your budget, maybe $ 300 and up.

As Zak pointed out, you cost with me would be in the $ 5 per month range. A bit more if you pay monthly, a bit less if you pay by the year.

Loading the products, adding the images, writing your policies and doing your promotion to get visitors to your shop are up to you.

If you want someone to do it all for you, you need deeper pockets than what you have.

You can also find some "pre-loaded" shops, where you sell what the supplier wants you to sell and where they usually own the shop and you cannot move and take it with you.

With me, it's your shop. If you think Pete did you wrong for some reason and want to pack it up and move elsewhere, you can do that at any time. My goal is to help people become Independent Business Owners. You have no strings with me. I'll "boot you in the butt" to help get you going, but it is your business from the start.
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