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By EmailE-commerce: Boxed-in - 107 days ago
Deciding on an e-commerce solution can be a daunting process. There are so many web hosts, scripts, and e-commerce hosts to choose from. We hope to shed some light on the subject with some important information that may save you a lot of time and money.
Many web hosts are now marketing what we like to call the “e-commerce-in-a-box” solution. This e-commerce option is very appealing to many, especially those new to the web.
The pros to this solution are easy setup requiring no installation, often a plethora of template choices to change your design and layout, WYSIWYG editors, and easy one-stop shopping for your business solutions. This all sounds fantastic right?
Let’s be honest. We both know, you have been tempted by this so-called perfect e-commerce solution or maybe you have already signed up. We don’t blame you, but before you invest too much in your new site, let’s take a look at some cons. You may just change your mind.
The first issue you are likely to face with the “in-a-box” solution is a lack of flexibility. Many people come to us requesting help creating a custom template for their new e-commerce-in-a-box site. They have spent hours searching through the templates that came pre-installed with their cart but nothing “fits” their business just right. They decide that a custom design is in order. After all, each site should be as unique as the business it represents, or maybe not.
Unfortunately, many of these e-commerce carts do not allow full access to the CSS or source files so creating a custom template is impossible. We have also found that many services claiming to offer “the ability to create custom templates”, rarely allow the level of access a web designer needs to create a true custom template. Like us, experienced web designers will likely pass on a projects such as these; knowing they will ultimately be a waste of time and money for everyone involved.
Another issue we hear far too often from those requesting our services, is that they feel trapped in their boxed-site. They don’t feel like they have control over their business. This is not surprising, because in reality they don’t. Here is why.
Without access to the source files or database, there is very little you have control of. If you want to add a feature or change how something is displayed, you simply can’t. In addition, you are at the mercy of the e-commerce host in regards to upgrades, maintenance and the like.
What if the company who hosts your cart goes out of business, you discover the customer service is awful, or your site is down a few times a week during peak traffic? What can you do? Absolutely nothing but pick up and start over somewhere else. This can take months to re-establish your site. In the mean time, your web site will not only lose its search engine rankings but the customers you have worked so hard to maintain.
There is another way and it is really quite easy if you choose the right professional to walk you through it. An experienced web designer can assist you in setting up your domain name, web hosting, e-commerce solution and custom design. You will have full control over your hosting account, email, databases, and files. You can back up your site regularly so if the host were to go out of business or the customer service is awful, you can take your entire site and move it somewhere else. You will be back in business in a couple hours. Why would you choose anything else?
If you need assistance finding the right e-commerce solution for your business, please contact us for more information.
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Simply balanced - 130 days ago
The Web 2.0 Look is all the rage in web design, but is it really in our best interest? Simple may not always be better if the end-user can’t find what they’re looking for.
Simple design aesthetics makes sense. Faster load times, less clutter and a get-straight-to-the-point presentation. But some web designers and site owners have taken this concept to the extreme.
Many are sacrificing quality content for the sake of a simple design. Instead of tossing out design elements to include quality content, they are excluding meaningful content to maintain a simple design. This goes against everything we know to be true about the web.
Websites are meant to deliver information and search engines crave quality content. Let’s not lose site of the most important elements, content and navigation, for the sake of keeping up with the Apple’s. As with anything, balance is the key.
This trend will die as all others. But websites with quality content and user-centered designs will live on. Even if they don’t have the ‘Web 2 Look’.
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ROR Sitemap Generator - 156 days ago
This free tool will crawl your website and generate a ROR Sitemap with up to 1,000 URLs for ALL search engines, not just Google. ROR is a rapidly growing XML format for describing any object on a website (sitemaps, products, services, menus, images, reviews, contact info, business info, etc), so any search engines can better understand its content.
Note:To make your ROR Sitemap automatically readable by all search engines, choose the “ror/rss” format.
Go to ROR Web to generate your own ROR Sitemap.
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Favicon maker - 156 days ago
We love this tool here at Primp My Site! Check it out, and give your site a little primp!
This tool is by Dynamic Drive
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Gradient Image Maker Tool - 156 days ago
Here is what Dynamic Drive has to say about this handy tool
Gradient images are used everywhere in web page design, ie, as the background of form buttons, DIVs, to act as shadows and other interesting visual effects etc. We created this online tool to allow you to painlessly generate a gradient image of 3 types, with instant previewing so you get exactly what you had in mind. Enjoy!
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