Pen Turning Website - How do you start one up?

[rkimery]

I see a lot of Pen Turning websites attached to signatures here where you are selling your wares. I think it is a great idea and is the future of this business we are in. A silent saleaman as it were. Has there been a discussion (on IAP) on how one might start up a website. (IF so I cannot find it, sorry.) Some Pro's and/or Cons? Some Do's or Don'ts? Maybe a "Wish I had done that" on the website you now have(?).

I am very interested on learning how to get going and setting one up.

Anyone have thoughts on pricing? I don't want a cheap site, I want one that looks (Bussiness type) good and will pay off. But, like all of us here, I do need to watch the monies!

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[markgum]

Web Site Development Forum

 

[Rangertrek]

If you have the know how to do your own, you may want to try Zoomla or ZenCart. They are both shopping cart oriented. Takes a while to learn the software; but, its FREE.

If you have to hire a pro to build you a site, it may be difficult to may it pay for itself.

Also look at ETSY, low cost to sell you pens. Lots of competition there and elsewhere.

+1 for Web Development forum under marketing.
Good luck.

 

[its_virgil]

Do a google search on "website templates" and you will find lots of "canned" websites. Most have directions on how to change things to fit what you want to do. They come with shopping carts. That is how I started.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I see a lot of Pen Turning websites attached to signatures here where you are selling your wares. I think it is a great idea and is the future of this business we are in. A silent saleaman as it were. Has there been a discussion (on IAP) on how one might start up a website. (IF so I cannot find it, sorry.) Some Pro's and/or Cons? Some Do's or Don'ts? Maybe a "Wish I had done that" on the website you now have(?).

I am very interested on learning how to get going and setting one up.

Anyone have thoughts on pricing? I don't want a cheap site, I want one that looks (Bussiness type) good and will pay off. But, like all of us here, I do need to watch the monies!

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[76winger]

My own thoughts on this subject:
I've taken the Etsy and eBay route to start selling my own stuff because I figured I'd have a bigger audience putting my stuff on those sites that I would creating my site and then jumping through all the hoops to draw the necessary shopper attention to it. It just seemed like a good place to start to me while tried to decide if I'd be making and selling for the long haul or if it's just a passing fad for me. If I commit to it for the long haul, and it's profitable, then there's always the option of a dedicated site at a later time when I can justify the costs of maintaining it.

 

[timberbits]

Some Pro's and/or Cons? Some Do's or Don'ts? .

You can get free website provides out there. The pros are that its free but the Cons is that they put advertisements on page.

I would say Don't set your website up with one of these.

You can have a look yourself at one of these website. He is trying to sell pen kits, but the question you should ask yourself is - would you purchase from him? http://www.penkitsandturningsupplies.com/pen-cases.php

The free pokies and free online dating would quickly turn any potential customers away from your site.

Have a look at other web sites that you like and usually there is a link on the bottom of the site to the organisation that hosts the website. You might want to call them or contact them to see if it's in you budget.

You can get away with setting up a good professional website for under $500 set-up fee, and thats including registering and hosting your own domain name. Monthly payments after that can start as low as $5/month. Some places now are even offering it for $20/year.

Low monthly payments usually mean little technical support and training as well. So expect to do a bit of research and reading on how to administer a website.

Hope it helps.

Timberbits

 

[spnemo]

I don't think all free websites are bad (mine is free). The downside is that it is a lot of work to optimize your site for the search engines.

I would suggest you start by learning to take really good pictures of your pens (something I am still learning). Then learn the basics of a free site and try some things out. After a while, you will learn what you like then you can go to a developer and spend the money.

 

[Padre]

There are some basic steps you need to do before you get your site 'up and running.'
1. Determine your domain name. A domain name is unique to your site. This domain is penturners.org. Mine is penmanchip.com

2. Buy your domain name and whatever extensions you want to get: .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, and on and on. The most recognizable is the .com and .net

3. Figure out who will 'host' your site. I currently use Bluehost (thank you Curtis) and they are very good. There are lots and lots of website hosting companies out there so do your research.

4. After getting your domain and hosting provider, build your site.
a. Most hosting companies provide a simple website building program.
b. There are computer based programs as well: Dreamweaver is the big one, but there are lots more. I used to use Serif.
c. There are 'web' based programs, usually free, such as Joomla!. I currently use Joomla (thanks Curtis!) and love it.

Hope this helps a little.