seting up a web based business

overthenest

folks,

looking for some info, just say i had a low cost product i wanted to sell through a web site, how would i go about setting up a web site and how much would it cost? also how would payments be made?
would i have to register as a company?

Many thanks in advance.

AstonMartin

Contact a web designer. Basic site will run about e500.

you can be a sole trader, quick and easy.

many threads on payment methods here if you look.

depending on your product people may offer good advice if you care to share.

EIREHotspur

this is always my advice to non techie people who want a website.

Decide how much you are prepared to spend on a website.

Decide what you need on your website, do you need to edit news yourself etc

View different websites and note designs you like

Then fit the designer + prices to these answers.

HellFireClub

Another way of going at it, and it's one that I would personally recommend, would be to throw yourself completely into the IT world for a few months and learn how to build your own site and manage it.

That's how I went at it and although at times it was a difficult hill to climb, it was a very rewarding experience to get to the top and be fully in control of all that happens on my site now, without ever having to fork out for changes to be made, etc.

EIREHotspur

I think we both contributed to another thread along the same lines way back.

Some people will just not have an interest in web design or how it works.
I have come accross very professional people in every other aspect of how their company operates until it comes to Web Design....they just don't want you to mention stuff that will make them uncomfortable or silly.

I love doing websites but I would only be interested in doing one that people can updates themselves because anything else will just be a waste of their money and I am not into ripping people off by charging them for updates.

Websites are to draw people in and keep them coming back.....otherwise they are wa waste.

donalg1

If I set up a website for someone how do I make it so they can add to it or change it. Or do most people that designs websites edit them also when needed?

Axwell

donalg1 wrote: »

If I set up a website for someone how do I make it so they can add to it or change it. Or do most people that designs websites edit them also when needed?

You build it around what is called a content management system or CMS, there are a few different options but if you are asking this then I would question whether you should be designing a website for someone in the first place if its for a professional business or company.

tricky D

HellFireClub wrote: »

Another way of going at it, and it's one that I would personally recommend, would be to throw yourself completely into the IT world for a few months and learn how to build your own site and manage it.

That's how I went at it and although at times it was a difficult hill to climb, it was a very rewarding experience to get to the top and be fully in control of all that happens on my site now, without ever having to fork out for changes to be made, etc.

There's an opportunity cost involved in doing it this way and learning for a few months means it is in the thousands if not in the five figures. Too often this is not considered by these kinds of start-ups resulting in a large false economy. It's also quite easy to get critical aspects wrong and do serious damage to the business. Web solutions have a lot more going on than many people think.

overthenest

AstonMartin wrote: »

Contact a web designer. Basic site will run about e500.

you can be a sole trader, quick and easy.

many threads on payment methods here if you look.

depending on your product people may offer good advice if you care to share.

thanks for your message, tell me, would the person who sets up the site for me be able to add the payment mechanism to the site for customers to pay online?

cheers

HellFireClub

tricky D wrote: »

There's an opportunity cost involved in doing it this way and learning for a few months means it is in the thousands if not in the five figures. Too often this is not considered by these kinds of start-ups resulting in a large false economy. It's also quite easy to get critical aspects wrong and do serious damage to the business. Web solutions have a lot more going on than many people think.

I've personaly witnessed one of my mates a few years back nearly going out of business because he got the wrong service provider in to manage an IT project within his business, including a web delivered function.

The costs can be seriously seriously high, and there can be no end of small print to legally cover the IT consultant if the project ultimately doesn't do what the customer wanted it to do or expected it to do.

Speaking purely for myself, I don't believe that you cannot put a price on being fluent with the framework that your website is running on, on having the ability to expand your website in any particular direction in terms of content or functionality, without having to get in the queue and get quotes and then sign off on stuff, review the work that has been done, (while still not actually knowing the time involved in making the changes, etc, because you haven't a clue what is going on behind the scenes), I don't believe a price can be put on that.

I accept that you can get a decent IT partner who you can work with and you could get lucky, but if you get it wrong, (and I've seen it happen to more people at this stage than I've seen who have gotten it right), then you are down a lot of money and a you are basically dealing with a busted flush at that stage.

In years gone by, folks had 20k upwards to throw at getting an ecommerce site online and if it didn't happen, you could come up with more to try it a different way with someone else. If you lose that kind of money these days, you might not have a second chance I reckon.

YouBuyLocal

Depends on the product. Can you tell us what it is and in what sector?

Do not ever set up a website. I do not agree with most of the advice here so far and stress that you could be wasting a lot of needed cash. A website needs SEO and a social media campaign. Have you any experience with these? It can take a long time to understand and develop these strategies.

Start out with Done Deal, Adverts.ie, etsy.com, ebay.com and others, there are so many platforms where you can test the market, you just need to find that niche or hub so consumers can find you. Here is an example: http://www.leafliving.com, where you can get environmentally friendly products. I don't know if that is your niche, but if not you can find one.

You can also set up a shop on Facebook where you can sell up to 5 or 10 products for free without incurring a charge except for credit card/paypal.

business bloomer

overthenest wrote: »

thanks for your message, tell me, would the person who sets up the site for me be able to add the payment mechanism to the site for customers to pay online?

cheers

Yes, obviously he would. The easiest way to do this is (for you) to have a PayPal account (no monthly or setup fees). Customers will click on the "buy now"/"add to cart"/etc. buttons, and their transactions will happen on PP servers - it means you don't need to purchase any security certificate for your own website.

There are a lot of affordable web developers that would give you a full e-commerce website. Sometimes thay might charge you like if it was an advertising campaign: nothing, but they might want 20% of your sales or something like that.

Just look up on Google or - as in Ireland it really works - ask some friend/colleague, they'll be happy to give you some good referrals

tricky D

HellFireClub wrote: »

I've personaly witnessed one of my mates a few years back nearly going out of business because he got the wrong service provider in to manage an IT project within his business, including a web delivered function.

Speaking purely for myself, I don't believe that you cannot put a price on being fluent with the framework that your website is running on, on having the ability to expand your website in any particular direction in terms of content or functionality, without having to get in the queue and get quotes and then sign off on stuff, review the work that has been done, (while still not actually knowing the time involved in making the changes, etc, because you haven't a clue what is going on behind the scenes), I don't believe a price can be put on that.

Pricing the opportunity cost is simply the time spent by your rate. However, don't get me wrong, if you are to hire someone, obviously a decent backgrounding is required to mitigate against the problems in my paragraph below.

HellFireClub wrote: »

I accept that you can get a decent IT partner who you can work with and you could get lucky, but if you get it wrong, (and I've seen it happen to more people at this stage than I've seen who have gotten it right), then you are down a lot of money and a you are basically dealing with a busted flush at that stage.

In years gone by, folks had 20k upwards to throw at getting an ecommerce site online and if it didn't happen, you could come up with more to try it a different way with someone else. If you lose that kind of money these days, you might not have a second chance I reckon.

The problem with getting a talk the talk and walk the walk contractor or employee is a major problem in the industry for 2 main reasons: there's almost no barrier to entry, anyone with a computer can call themselves a web designer and over 90% don't cut the mustard at all; there's no professional accreditation for what is a professional service, even many of the course accredtitations are almost worthless.