[RiverMan]

Hello,

I am in the process of trying to develop a web-page. I would very much appreciate some suggestions from those of you here that know alot more about this than I do. I use a computer everyday but know nothing about HTML coding.

1. I would like to use software that will allow me to make changes as necessary to my page. Can someone suggest a common software package that I can use to begin building my site?

2. I will need to allow customers to make purchases from the site but want to keep my costs low until I see if the products are going to go. I know some use PayPal but I am worried that this will discourage many folks who want to just use a credit card from using the site, any thoughts?

3. What about domains? I have been told that many use their local ISP to host their site. I noticed that Yahoo and others will host my site, any thoghts/suggestions on this? The host must be online 24/7 and very reliable.

Thanks for any suggestions!


RiverMan (jed)

[Fireball Lures]

First off I would recommend any software is good and some are cheaper than others for starting out I would use something not very expensive like front page it's around 150 bucks I believe and pretty simple to use. I would find a good host and TU has some great deals it looks like I currently use netfirms to host my site and have had very little problems with my host a couple down times but an hour at most. Look for a host with good tech support if you run into a problem they can help you out thats what I go for. As far as the shopping cart Paypal is ok I guess and I myself only have paypal. Not sure if it hurts sales or not but I will tell you this internet sales aren't as easy as you may think. It takes alot of time and effort to get sales and keep sales. My website doesn't so me much I get more orders from ebay customers and word of mouth than anything. So maybe my ideas aren't the best to follow. Once I find out the secrets I'll let you guys know


Nathan

[redg8r]

Hi Jed,

I'll just throw in my 2 cents & let some of the other guys help with thier comments, I've been at it for years, so I kinda gotta habit of losing people new to web building quickly.

1) Alot of people prefer MS Frontpage, you might even have frontpage express preloaded on your PC but it rarely uses valid HTML its Microsofts version of HTML & will require "frontpage extensions" installed on your webspace. I hear good things about arachnophelia http://vps.arachnoid.com/arachnophilia/ and CoffeCup http://www.coffeecup.com/

both are free I think, I use 1st page 2000 but it is currently unsupported & the download has been messed up on thier site for years now i guess.

Take a look here for easy html tutorials http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/ thats where I started long ago.

2) if you really need to keep prices down, Paypal is just about the only way to go without paying monthly fees, giving up credit reports, or big service cuts where they take $ off the top of every sale. Heres some I'm familiar with:
www.authorizenet.com
www.clickbank.com
www.worldpay.com
www.goecommerce.com
Remember that Ebay just bought Paypal, so thier user base will get much larger.

You will also need a shopping cart of some sort to direct sales to those payment providers, if they dont offer one themselves.

3) the processes you mentioned will get you a free name like "riverman.myisp.com" or "members.geocities.com/~riverman/"
if you need a dedicated domain like "riverman.com" I recommend godaddy.com. Domains are @$9.00 a year. you will need to buy webspace or be able to transfer your doamin name to your free webspace (if allowed by the host)

hope that helps, these guys will give thier take I'm sure.

[RiverMan]

Thanks for the replies, very much appreciate it! I fully expect that sales will be slow, that's fine, not getting rid of my day job.

I will go take a look at the page developers you suggested Red and see if I can come up with something. Will probably have more questions for you guys soon.

I haven't forgotten about sending the containers to you Red for the foam, just been busy dealing with some other stuff right now. Thank you again!

RM

[funny farm]

My site is 20 bucks a month and its all done with your mouse , no codes needed and you can still do manualy HTML .

The drawback is its a template site and they have like 15 different templates you have to use one.

Very easy , I am not a genuis like G8R , so I dont do anything but click my mouse to build my site . I have sold many many lures from it so It cant be all that bad . Just boring is all cause of the termplates .

[RiverMan]

Hey thank you Funny Farm. I have visited your site many times and felt that it looked great by the way!

Jed

[jrfan8]

What program do you use to build your site? I use net objects fusion and coffee cup. Coffeecup is great for editing html especially if you are a beginner(like me). With net objects you can design your own layouts. I find it to be very easy. I designed my first site with it and have continued to use it for several sites.

[Gr8flyz]

My website has been up for a few years, and it has increased my sales, but word of mouth has been the best advertising for me. Some folks find my site by searching, but only because I've spent a lot of time submitting my site to search engines & linking with other sites.

I use Macromedia Dreamweaver to build my pages & it does a great job, but I've learned a few things as I've played with it, so now it's simple to use for me. It may not be for someone who has no knowledge of HTML. However I have a son who is brilliant with web designs & graphic arts, so whenever I need help, it don't cost me much, and whatever I can't fix, he can!

I also use Paypal for my shopping cart & for accepting credit cards. I've looked at buying software for a shopping cart, as well as Merchant Accounts for credit cards, and Paypal is not a bad deal. It may limit my sales, but so far I've not seen any problems with it. The best thing I see with Paypal is the fees you pay for it's use are only charged when you make a sale, regular Merchant Accounts charge per sale fees, and in most cases regular monthly fees, even if you don't sell anything that month. Plus they usually charge extra for internet based businesses, and you have to either use special software or either rent or buy special equipment, which is a substantial investment.

The only drawback to Paypal is the shopping cart cannot be used by buyers who wish to pay by mail, so these types of sales still have to be done manually. But so far, that's not been a problem for me.

My biggest problem has been having time to go fishing, I have finally gotten my business to the point that I stay busy, and sometimes too busy even to go fishing! It's taken me 14 years to get to this point, and the customers still have to come first!