23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

About To Start A Project - Tips Appreciated

by jtgill
19 replies
No not monetary tips, although that would be nice too.
What I am going to be working on is setting up a website for a friend of a friend so he can sell his product online. The product has to do with prints of artwork (have to confirm if it is physical product to be shipped or digital product to download). I am confident that with all I have learned over the years (especially recently since I got into IM) that I can do this but I have never done a website before.

Here is what I was thinking:
  • Get domain name from GoDaddy
  • Host the site with Host Gator
  • Design the site with Komposer including images of the prints with size and cost info, his business info and contact info, etc.
  • Set up links to click for each item for the customer to purchase the item and send to the order page where they fill out their contact information, payment information and verify the order
  • Set up paypal account and possibly other payment methods
The things I would be concerned about is 1) making sure when the customer selects an item to purchase that they are directed through the site correctly and 2) alternative payment methods such as credit cards and how difficult that would be to set up.

I know you guys here at WF always have good tips and advice so I thought I would pick your brains and get your input.

Thanks!
#appreciated #project #start #tips
  • Profile picture of the author Gopinathan T
    Best to stick with PayPal as the payment option now. It requires only a few minutes to get the code for a Buy Now button. Direct credit card acceptance is going to cost a lot money and formalities.

    The Buy Now button will automatically take the customer to the PayPal site, where payments will be handled, and you can specify a link at PayPal for the page to which the customer should then return.
    Signature
    IndiaBusinessDesign.com is about designing your business for full functionality
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[593736].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Monique Abrams
    Hi Jason!

    You plan sounds good! Are you doing any marketing for him?

    1) That will take some personal testing. You should be fine!
    2) Check out http://payments.intuit.com

    Good luck to you!

    Give us the link when you finish the site!

    Kindest Regards,
    Mo Abrams
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[593738].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    You plan sounds good! Are you doing any marketing for him?
    I am planning to approach him about doing marketing for the site also as part of my proposal. He already has some customers from some time ago when he was selling his prints but I'm sure he would love as many as he can get.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[593752].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    Best to stick with PayPal as the payment option now. It requires only a few minutes to get the code for a Buy Now button. Direct credit card acceptance is going to cost a lot money and formalities.
    I am planning on setting up paypal as the payment option at first but was curious about what all is involved with setting up the site to accept credit cards. I figured it is more than I want to get into right now.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[595887].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Sam Rodrigo
    Hi Jason,

    A lot of the solutions that you are seeking will depend on just how many products/ prints, etc. that this FOF wants to put online.

    There are simple shops that run using Wordpress for a few products, while a full blown shopping site can accommodate thousands of product/prints and even put things like "water seals" to prevent a copy/save of an image.

    Perhaps, you should add some details about he scope of the project so that we can advice more specifically.

    Cheers,
    Sam
    Signature
    RICH SAGE BLOG

    LOCAL AFFILIATE GOLD MINE:
    >> CLICK: BiiG NETWORK LAUNCH WSO     <<
    SIGN UP FREE. LIMITED NICHES/LOCATIONS!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[595915].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    Perhaps, you should add some details about he scope of the project so that we can advice more specifically.
    I have not gotten a complete project scope yet. I am mainly trying to give him an idea of what can be done and an approximate quote on how much it will cost him to get started. I will try and put some more detailed info on here to give a little better idea about the scope of the project.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[596539].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author joshmac
      I just started 2 site. One i hired a guy. 2nd i used volusion? it was easy and cheap. Best i could find with a shopping cart.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[596604].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GeorgeRoberts
    Your plan looks good to me, but I'd change one part.

    Get your domain name from namecheap instead of godaddy.

    Godaddy has a shocking reputation amongst people "in the know". They've stolen domains from some of my good friends in the past and one from me which was worth about 3k at the time. - You've been warned.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[596654].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ben Roy
    You should look at using a shopping cart software instead of trying to do it yourself. There are a number of free ones out there that are pretty good. I just put up a site using Magento and I think the software is great.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[596705].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thinkrich
    Gotta agree with GeorgeRoberts on this.
    I would recommend NameCheap.com over GoDaddy
    Besides, GoDaddy jacked up their prices!

    Consider a Shopping Cart, in case they would like to purchase more than one print at a time, and to save on shipping.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[596718].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    Thanks! I will definitely check out NameCheap and the Shopping Cart strategy.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[596745].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    For putting a shopping cart system on the site, what do you recommend?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[597894].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    So far I seem to be getting the opinion that my basic strategy is good and I might just need to look at some other options depending on the full scope of what all and how much he wants to put on the website. I am waiting on a reply from him to get a better idea of the project scope and will let you know what I find out.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[600728].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    Update -

    I received some additional information about this project. He will be physically shipping the products and at first he will offer about 12-16 prints for customers to buy.

    Thanks again for the helpful info.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[616400].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SteelDanno
    Hey Jason,

    If the items are around the fifteen or so dollar mark you might want to give people a Trialpay option too (if that fits your intended business model).
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[616506].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nggablog
    When the products don't have many options to order - consider to use wordpress and ecommerce plugins to build your site. Wordpress known as a blog platform but it has a powerfull capability to handle a shopping cart.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[616831].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
    I also put in a vote for using WordPress instead of a static design - you can still design the theme yourself if you want something unique.

    The reason I'd opt for WordPress is to allow for easy upgrades and expansion. Chances are if this site is successful your friend will want to add more features or perhaps change the whole design. He may want a blog feature to discuss what he's currently working on, or an ongoing series of testimonials.

    WordPress would allow you to easily reconfigure and expand his site when the need arises. You could also find plugins for shopping carts etc that would make your design task easier. And Google seems to love WordPress sites, and that certainly can't hurt.

    Best of luck with the site..

    Bill
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[616844].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jtgill
    Thanks guys for the WordPress suggestion. It sounds like something that would definitely work for what he is wanting to do.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[620306].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TimS
    You could use e-junkie as the shopping cart software. There are also some other similar software/services available. I've been very happy with using them and have several products set up with them without a hitch.

    I second the godaddy comment. I've been moving my domains to namecheap as well.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[624531].message }}

Trending Topics