New website - questions about remaining tasks

[palmpal]

Hello,

I'm in the process of developing my first website and have a few remaining tasks to wrap up. So far I have my main pages completed and the basic structure for my product pages. I have validated my code to HTML 4.01 Transitional and my CSS validates as well. Basically I am ready to continue adding my products and related pages. Also on my To Do list are issues related to finding a host, setting up a storefront, obtaining a merchant account, researching meta tags, submitting to search engines.

What order would you recommend I tackle these items?

Thanks,
Mona

[Andrew Thomas]

Well, if you havent one yet, you must find a host, so that would be first.

then research meta tags, check your content compliments your meta tags, then submit to search engines (so you get the ball rolling) and then add a store front so your products are online ASAP, also ammending your keywords to fit in with your products, then get a merchant a/c as hopefully you will have enough hits by then to sell your products.

PPC maybe an option to look into to.

[palmpal]

Thanks Andrew!

I did have the site available on our server at home so I could check things out "live." Finding a host first seems logical. What I'm finding confusing now is the whole "storefront" versus "e-commerce" versus "shopping basket" dilemna. Do you know of any resources that discuss the differences? I will have over 30 products and would like to start off just accepting checks, money order and paypal. Mal's e-commerce seems interesting.

Thanks,

Mona

[Andrew Thomas]

Sorry, im pretty new to this to, but hopefully someone can help you on this.

Depending on whether you will develop your own site or use a 'box' product eg Actinic, this is something to consider when finding a host!

I know hotscripts.com will have various scripts to do what you want, but a search on google may provide the results you are looking for,

can anyone else reading this give more info?

[Birdman]

Hello palmpal, and welcome to WW. All you need to do is set up a PayPal shopping cart then you can accept all four major credit cards. It works really well and they send the buyer a purchase confirmation immediately after purchase. The way it works is you add a unique string to the end of the purchase link like so:

https://www.paypal.com/cart/add=1&business=your_email_addy&...
...item_name=the_item&item_number=the_number&amount=cost

It's easy to use. For each different item, change the variables in the url above(except your email, of course). Much cheaper than setting up merchant accounts, although some will say merchant accounts are the way to go. Since you are just getting started, I would recommend PayPal. You can always obtain merchant accounts later if your site becomes successful. ;)

[edited by: engine at 4:46 pm (utc) on Sep. 24, 2002]