What a Minefield!

[Alexam]

I would like to build a web site for a small venture of selling trinket boxes built by my son and I. Someone suggested he site called Wix.com and I have been playing around with that and put together a few pages that seem to please us, with several photos and information about what we do.

I have just made a search and found a very high persentage of adverse comments about the support and the fact that it take a very long time to get noticed using Wix, so may have wated the past week building a site.

Further searches today threw up a minefield of recommendatiuons of what's the 'right' one to use, but it's so confusing to someone with a low level of IT knowledge in promoting this sort of thing.

I expect there will be various opinions of what's right and wrong, but would like to know what UKW members have to say on this. We will only be looking to sell to the UK market and it will only be 'small beer', but would like a site that is nice with photos and that will look professonal, hopefully not costing an arm and a leg.

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

Alex

 

[deema]

The size and reach of eBay or Amazon is a far better tool for starting to sell products initially as a Web site needs building and a lot of work to get it up the search engine system to be on the first page.

Your other option which completely free is to use social media. Setup a Facebook page and a twitter account and start generating interest that way. This linked with eBay or Amazin are IMO the best solutions for a new business adventure rather than trying to go for a WEB site / web shop.

 

[mind_the_goat]

Have a look at Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/
I have no experience of it but it's aimed at handmade products.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks guys. May have another look at Etsy, although only really looking to sell in the UK.

 

[RobinBHM]

Any form of online presence needs great imagery.

It would be well worth while considering a light tent. There is quite a lot of advise online now for product shots (including this this forum).

As you are finding website design is a minefield! Id be tempted to try etsy and build a website at the same time.

 

[kostello]

Folksy is a UK version of etsy

 

[Alexam]

Have looked at Folksy but it's not as good as Etsy, which I have beenlooking at for the last few hours.

I appreciate the photography side Robin. This was a previous hobby of mine and I still have some good kit, but know what you mean about a light tent. May be worth getting one and I still have a couple of Canon flash units that would work well with that.

All good feedback so far. Thanks agian Guys!

 

[zodiac]

Take a look at cubecart .. more work than a free website service like Wix but search engines and customers will be able to actually find you !

 

[zodiac]

http://www.cubecart.com/demo

 

[Alexam]

Thanks zodiac. I need less work if possible. However, I am still thinking about it all and trying to discover how it all works, what it costs and the benefits.

Alex

 

[RogerS]

Why use a site such as Wix when it costs very little to have your own web domain and hosted on a free site such as 5quidhost? Website creation packages are freely available.