Hi Mamas! I know some of you have experience with running a website for your home-based business and I was curious if you could share any tips or tricks you've learned along the way!! I'm in the infant stage of my endeavor and I know I could get all the information I needed if I looked hard enough, but it's nice to hear first hand info from someone who has "been there, done that!". Any and all help you can provide will be GREATLY appreciated concerning web hosting, site design, etc etc... Any e-commerce rules and regulations I should know first and foremost?!? That kind of thing! Thanks Mamas!
When I taught preschool music the last 2 years I designed my own website using Homestead.com. It was very easy and looks pretty professional. They even have the capability of adding an online store to your website if you are selling products. It is very affordable. Just go to http://www.homestead.com and you can see some sample websites. I think they even let you try it for free for so many days.
T.,
Well it depends on how many products you are looking to sell (starting out...you can always upgrade later), how many GB of space you need and if you want a custom design or a template. If you email me some more details I can give you a quote for a custom design. What ever hosting service you get make sure that you have SSL for your e-commerce (customers like their information to be secure).
I used to have a domain name, it was never for profit, just a personal site. If you haven't chosen a host, try UOIndustries.com, pretty good space for pretty cheap. *shrugs* If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me!
If you aren't very tech savvy, try using a site such as www.citymaker.com They have some great templates and make it very easy to create your website and host it. I know of several small businesses that use it, including my own.
What is your business? I started my own little business about a year ago, and found a website called http://www.etsy.com last November. It's for sellers who sell their own handmade items. So if you're selling handmade items I would for sure check Etsy out! Here is my store on Etsy so you can see what I'm talking about.
http://www.bumblebeebaby.etsy.com
I have my own website but I get the majority of my business through Etsy.
What's the website and what type of product/service?
Hi T. - I spent many years building sites for wahms. My first advice is use godaddy.com for hosting. Invest in Frontpage and have someone set up the site in frontpage for you...then show you how to edit the site yourself. I did this for many moms and they were extremely grateful to have the knowledge and ability to do what they wanted with their site when they wanted.
If I can be of assistance feel free to pm me.
C.
