INTRODUCTION

So, you are interested in building an ecommerce website... Good, you have taken your first step in the right direction. The purpose of this guide is to give you the information and resources needed to build a professional, well-functioning, and attractive ecommerce website. Due to advances in computer and Internet technology, just about anyone can build a money-making website - and this guide is going to show you how to do it, step by step.

STEP 1 - PLAN YOUR WEBSITE



It is very important to plan the content, layout, and design of your website, carefully. Spending a little time planning your website, up front, will save you valuable time and unwanted frustrations in the long run. Building a website is very similar, in many aspects, to building a house. For instance, a home-building contractor is not going to begin building a house without looking at the appropriate blue prints first. Although the home builder may have an idea of how the house is going to be built in his mind, he could easily slip up and make a serious mistake, if he does not follow the blueprints or plan. A big mistake can cost you lots of time and money - it is always better to plan ahead.

Planning your website is simple. Just answer the six questions below and you will be ready to move on to the next section...

   1. Who?  Who is going to be the target audience of your ecommerce site? Think about the specific people who will be visiting your website and purchasing your products and/or services. Are you selling products targeted at teenage girls? If so, you want to add the appropriate content and design your website so it will appeal to female teens. It is imperative for your site to appeal to its target audience.
   2. What? What do you want your website to do? Obviously, you want to be able to sell products and/or services through the site, but what else would you like to accomplish? Do you want to provide information about you and/or your company? Would you like to have a discussion forum where you, customers, and potential customers can converse? How about a mailing list? Think about the "must have" and the "I would like to have" features of your website during the planning process. Be sure to add the necessities first, then focus on the luxuries.
   3. When? When would you like take your ecommerce site to go LIVE, on the Internet? Set a deadline and stick with it. Seriously, think about the products you want to sell, how you want the website to look, the features you want to incorporate, and, then, set a completion date for project. A deadline will keep you in focus and "on-your-toes" throughout the entire process. A deadline holds its purpose, however, it is not the end of the world if you do not meet your deadline...unless you are not the boss of this project. Bottom line:  It is a good idea to set a deadline.
   4. Where? Where are you planning to promote your ecommerce site? Think about your target audience and the promotion avenues you need to pursue to catch their attention. What are the names of the websites your target audience visit? Can you get their attention by advertising through discussion forums, newsletters, and mailing lists... maybe radio, podcasts, or direct mail? Do you need an Ebay auction campaign to kick-start your product? Should your website be in the phonebook or on business cards?
   5. Why? This is the most important question you should ask yourself... Why are you building an ecommerce website? What is your reasoning behind spending the money and time to develop a website? Is it money? Is it personal self-gratification? Do you not have anything better to do? You must have a "why" to succeed. What is your "why"? Please figure it out, if you haven't already, before you proceed.
   6. How? How are you going to build a ecommerce website? What tools are you going to need? How much money will it cost to build the the site? *The answer to this question is held within the upcoming sections of the guide...

- Proper planning is very important. Before you proceed, please take the time to answer the above questions. Really think about them. Why don't you take a moment right now, to pause and think about your answers. Remember the old saying: "Haste makes Waste". Don't waste your time by being in a hurry.   *** right now, please pause for reflection ***

Find books/ebooks regarding website planning on eBay

STEP 2 - BUY AN ECOMMERCE WEBSITE TEMPLATE



What is an ecommerce website template? Ecommerce templates are powerful, low-cost, shopping cart software solutions which integrate into major HTML Editors; Macromedia Dreamweaver, Microsoft Frontpage and Adobe GoLive (an HTML editor is software that allows a user to build web pages without the knowledge of HTML code, or the programming language of the Internet). An ecommerce template contains all of the necessary components you need to publish your ecommerce website; such as shopping cart software, basic layout and framework, an easy-to-use navigational structure, graphics, and more...

Why would someone what to use an ecommerce website template?

    * It saves you tons of time and money
    * Your navigation menus and many page links are setup for you
    * The hard work has already been done
    * All you have to do is add your text and images, and you're done
    * Shopping cart software is pre-integrated with all major ecommerce merchants

Let me ask you this... Why would you want to completely "re-invent the wheel", when someone else has done an excellent job inventing it, already? Trust me, there is nothing wrong with using a template - even expert web developers (you know, the guys who dream about computer code in their sleep) use templates when they get the chance to.

Find Ecommerce Website Templates on eBay - find Website Templates

STEP 3 - BUY A DOMAIN NAME



What is a domain name? A domain name is a unique name that corresponds with a unique IP address. An IP address is a specific number that corresponds with the server, or computer, that is hosting your website. Internet surfers access your website by using your domain name, also known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

    Here are examples of some familiar domain names:

        * www.paypal.com
        * www.ebay.com

Where can you purchase a domain name and how much does it cost? First of all, domain names are leased for 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 year periods. You only "own" the domain name for the term of your lease. Unless you renew your domain registration at the end of your lease, the domain name will be up for grabs for anyone. On average, domain names generally run anywhere from $5.00 - $35.00 per year, depending on the company you decide to register with. Most of the time, you will pay less, per year, if you lease a domain name for more than one year. See below for a list of highly recommended domain name registrars that I do business with, on a regular basis. Please, check out their pricing and offerings.

Buy Domain Names on eBay

STEP 4 - BUY WEBSITE HOSTING SPACE



What is a domain / website host? A website host is a computer, or computers, that stores all of your website data (text, images, databases, ect...). When someone accesses your website, they are forwarded from the domain name to the hosting computer, known as a server. Once they arrive at the hosting computer, all of the website data is downloaded off the the server, by the visitors computer, and displayed onto the viewer's browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape, ect...).

Why do you need a hosting provider? You must have a host for your website. However, you do not have to use a third-party hosting provider. You can host your own website if you have the right equipment to do so. In order to host a stable website, you need one or more servers (multi-processor computers costing thousands of dollars) and a VERY high speed Internet connection. When I say VERY high speed, I am talking about T1, DS3, or GIG-E type connections (these are very expensive connections ranging from $800.00 - $5000.00+ per month!!!). And yes, you need these types of connections to support the amount of bandwidth associated with multiple, simultaneous website viewers/visitors. Leasing hosting space from a provider is much cheaper than buying the equipment you need to do it yourself.

Find Website or Domain Hosting on eBay

STEP 5 - DESIGN & PUBLISH YOUR SITE



Where do you start? Just be creative, innovative, and keep everything simple. Be patient... You will accomplish the goal you want to achieve. Just follow the tips list below, and your ecommerce website will turn out just fine. To answer the question, "where do you start?"... I advise you to build your homepage first and go from there. Read the tips below to for building your homepage and the rest of the site.

Website designing / developing tips:

* Look at other websites - Take the time to review other websites that are similar to your's. Pay close attention to what you like and do not like about each one. Answer the questions below as you are looking over each website and use the information to layout and design your site.

         1. Do you like the navigational structure - is the site easy to navigate?
         2. Do you like the color scheme - is it easy on the eyes?
         3. Is the site's content easy to follow - do you get confused and/or distracted while reading it?
         4. How fast does the site load into your browser - Instantly, 30 seconds, over a minute? The faster the better - A well-built website's homepage will load within 5 seconds or less.
         5. What features do you like about the site - newsletter, discussion forum, frequently-updated content, ect..?

    * Pick a color scheme and stick with it
    * Keep it clean, simple, and professional
    * Use graphics, but use them sparingly
    * Test your website for broken links
    * Set all of your external links (links that are not associated to pages on your site) to open in a new window

Find books/ebooks regarding Website Design on eBay

STEP 6 - MERCHANT ACCOUNTS



A merchant account allows your ecommerce website to accept online payments. Merchant  accounts are very important! This is what you need to know...

How does online credit card processing work?

       1. Consumer: The consumer decides to purchase a product or service, from an online merchant (ecommerce business), and enters his/her credit card information on a secure webpage. A secure web page encrypts the credit card number and the consumers personal information using SSL (Secure Socket Layer). Secure web pages should always be used when processing financial information - this prevents third parties, such as hackers, from seeing confidential information.
       2. Shopping cart software: Next, the shopping cart software, which is integrated into the ecommerce website, collects all of the consumer's order information and converts it into a special file that can be transmitted to and processed by the credit card processing company.
       3. Merchant's credit card processing company: The merchant's credit card processing company, or payment gateway, receives the transaction file, transmitted by the shopping cart. The processing company determines the consumer's credit card issuer and transmits a request to charge the card.
       4. Consumer's credit card company: The consumer's credit card company verifies all of the information in the file and notifies the merchant's payment gateway if the card number is accepted or declined.
       5. Merchant's credit card processing company: The processing company receives the accept/deny notification from the consumer's credit card issuer, then the notification is transmitted to the merchants shopping cart. The shopping cart will tell the consumer if the transaction is able to be processed and notifies the merchant of the order. Then, the processing company handles the transfer of funds from the consumer's credit card to the merchant's bank account that is associated with the ecommerce merchant account. The merchant receives a receipt and the money is transferred into the account with 72 hours.
       6. Fees: All processing fees are deducted from the merchant's bank account and the credit card transaction is complete.

Signup for a PayPal Merchant Account or other

STEP 7 - PROMOTE YOUR SITE



Promoting a website is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in the ecommerce business world. A site's advertising campaign is one of the most important aspect of the website. You can design a perfect website, but if no one can find it, what good is it to you and your business? Promoting a website is an ongoing process that can become very expensive - but I am going to tell you how to get great ranking for FREE

How to promote your website:

Search Engine Submission (FREE): Most visitors find websites by doing a keyword search via major search engines, like Google, Yahoo, Dog Pile, AOL, MSN, ect... In order for the search engine to locate, or index, a website, the website URL (domain name) must be submitted to the specific search engine. Search engine submission is free, for them most part, but there are certain search engines that charge a submission fee. On a happy note, popular search engines like Google, MSN, and Yahoo, do not charge for URL submission.

    * Place main keywords and phrases in the title tag
    * Use meta tags - keyword, description
    * Use image "ALT" tags
    * Exchange links with other websites relating to your site
    * Add a sitemap page to your website
    * Add a ROR file and Google SiteMap to your main directory
    * Submit your site to DMOZ

Pay-Per-Click & Banner Advertising (Not FREE):  Pay-Per-Click and Banner Advertising are very effective ways of promoting your website - I highly recommend these methods. However, pay-per-click and banner advertising have the potential to be very expensive. Before you signup for a pay-per-click or banner campaign, do plenty research on each method, and be sure to have an assigned advertising budget - Pay attention to the your websites ROI (Return on Investment).

Other ways of promoting your website:

    * business cards
    * classified ads
    * newspaper/magazine articles
    * newsletters
    * discussion forums
    * radio & television
    * word of mouth

Take the information in this guide and research these topics in more detail... You will be successful.