Getting Started Selling Online

If, like me, you grew up with video games you’ve probably perfected the play-around-with-it approach to tasks! But there is A LOT to know when it comes to running a website, especially if you need that website to make sales. It’s also common to get excited about learning a new system and then find it time consuming and frustrating. With so much information out there it can get overwhelming…

Whether you want to transition your business to doing some online sales, you have an online inventory you’d like to move away from your current platform, you want to start selling subscriptions or bookings online or you are just starting out in sales, I can help you get everything setup and support you as you learn and grow your business.

To get started selling online you will need:

• A Domain Name:

  (.com is best but I’m a big fan of .ca as well for Canadian companies) Use a domain search tool to see if your name is available. We always include 1 free domain registration & email with your hosting package, but don’t worry if you already have a domain, we can transfer it here at no extra cost so you save the annual fee for as long as you host it with us.

• Fast, Reliable Hosting:

  We’ve tried a few different companies and found that the uptime (how much time your website is live online – this should be nearly 100%) and customer service can vary wildly! We’ve settled on an excellent virtual private server as well as our own Parry Sound server so you can be sure your data is safe, backed up and your website will be up and running reliably.

• Site Security:

  This is a big issue on the internet today and is a subject that shouldn’t be overlooked. No matter what form of payment or information you are collecting you should have your online store protected by SSL. A lot of website providers leave it up to you to purchase and install an SSL certificate. Others, including us, take internet security so seriously we’ve started automatically including SSL on ALL our client websites from the start! This can really streamline the process of getting your store online..

• Shopping Cart Software:

  There are plenty of choices for software that will allow you to create product listings but you also need to consider what other features your shop will have (examples: coupons, gift cards, payment processing, shipping and tax setup, sales reports, google analytics, newsletter opt-in, Facebook and google products connected, user roles and much more…) Most platforms offer paid extensions which might be made by a third party and need to be kept up to date, there are also security vulnerabilities to consider when installing an extension/plugin. There are also platforms that don’t allow you to install third party plugins at all which can reduce your options and force you to pay for features that would otherwise be free. We have over 10 years experience with multiple eCommerce systems so you can trust that we will be able to help you get your store up and running the way you want it!

That’s the basic setup you will need. If you want to know more about how I design eCommerce websites read my article Every website is an eCommerce website

If you want to know more about why I use WordPress and how what I do is different from some of the generic methods of setting up a website read my article Hosted WordPress vs. WordPress.com, Shopify/Wixx/Squarespace and Godaddy

I’d love to chat with you about eBussiness strategy and your website goals. It’s kind of my passion!