Is it a waste of time having a "free" website??

[Michi]

Ok, I keep having people (potential customers) ask me for my website addy or if I have a website, and I keep having to say "I'm working on it" or "I hope to have one by the end of this year."

My ultimate goal is to have BizzyB's do my graphics etc. and then get a website made for me (I just don't think I can do this myself??), but since I'm not really making any money at this right now, I need to wait on that for a bit, but at the same time I may be able to speed that up a bit if I did have some kind of website. :undecided Does that make any sense?? LOL

I found a site that offers free websites and I can pay a one time fee to link my domain name to it, but I'm just wondering if it's even worth putting in the same amount of energy putting together this site as I will have to do it all over again when I'm able to afford a "real" website??

Anyone have any advice/opinions on this?

I feel like I'm missing out on sales b/c I don't have a website etc.

I don't know what to do??

[MichelleOH]

I personally would skip the 'free' website and go directly to the real thing. If you can afford to have your website designed for you right now I would go for it! the busy season is coming. PLus, you have to spend money to make money:)

[Funky Monkey]

Personally I don't think free webs are woth it. They give the impression to the customer that the business isn't interested in a serious presence on the web.

It is also an image thing... think of this.

owning my own domain my web address would be :

www.funkymonkeybodyproducts.com as opposed to:

www.freewebpages/funkymonkeybodyproducts/

Of course that is my opinion.

Edited cause I didn't wake up with the spelling gene today.

[Michi]

That's what I thought too, but I CAN'T really afford it right now.

I DO have my own domain name and the free website lets you pay a one time fee to link it to their site, so I could still use mine but then when it pops up it shows the "freewebpages" or whatever still. :undecided

Ok, besides the money issues, I've got major photography issues as well, as in they are non existent, crappy ass picture taker for sure.

Maybe I'm just not meant to have a website at this point.

Thanks

[Funky Monkey]

If you have the domain name, you can always bounce it over to the free web if that is where your design is posted. I don't see an issue with that for the short term. Eventually you'll want it all on your own named domain. And pictures, Shani on here has some of the best pictures I have ever seen. Her website is: www.mygiftblvd.com - maybe she can give you some ideas.

Hope I'm helping

[Raggedy Dani]

What bout getting a minishoppe, paying 5 dollars a month

you can only list up to 20 products but it's well worth it.

If you want more info...give me a holler i'll give ya few places you can go to

for minishoppe

Hugs

Dani

www.raggedydani.com

[Shani]

If you have the domain name, you can always bounce it over to the free web if that is where your design is posted. I don't see an issue with that for the short term. Eventually you'll want it all on your own named domain. And pictures, Shani on here has some of the best pictures I have ever seen. Her website is: www.mygiftblvd.com - maybe she can give you some ideas.

Hope I'm helping

Thanks for the compliments on the pics, Ginger:D When I first started taking photos, I sucked! The main thing I had to do was learn the features of my camera and how to use them. Once you have that, the lighting and photo taking will come with it. I don't do anything elaborate. My dh built a lightbox for me out of wood, I use a white posterboard as the backdrop. I throw a white bed sheet over the top and sides of the homemade light box and put a lamp on both sides, the top and in front of the product. Snap a few photos, go into my editing program, do a few touches, resize for the web and BAM! I'm done!

I also want to thank Ginger publicly for doing the beautiful navigation bar on my site. Thanks girl, it is greatly appreciated!

[KristinesShower]

I'm sorry I will have to disagree with the statement:

"They give the impression to the customer that the business isn't interested in a serious presence on the web."

My site is a bizhosting site. It was free for the first 6 months I was in business because I never put a cart on it. Only after I put the cart on it started costing me some money, but I liked the style so much I stayed with them.

Try www.bizhosting.com and mess around a bit with it. You don't have to have a cookie cutter site, you can actually do your own html too & in my personal opinion I think it is a good way to start.

[Funky Monkey]

I also want to thank Ginger publicly for doing the beautiful navigation bar on my site. Thanks girl, it is greatly appreciated!

You're making me blush!! And you are very welcome! Any time you need me, just hollar!

It's ok that we disagree, but I still maintain my point. If a customer calls and asks you for your web address, how much of a PITA it would be to have them go through such a long name (ie: www.freewebs.com/companyname/ ) It just doesn't look as professional as a direct domain name. The "free" websites give the impression of a very small small company. :smiley2:

[KristinesShower]

Oh I totally agree with that - if you're gonna go free at least pay for the www dot my site dot com thingie so you don't have to give them that big address.

[Michi]

Thanks for that link Jennifer I will definitely check them out-I do so love YOUR site, so they must be doing things right.

I DO have my dot com addy already so I can use that on my business cards etc. if I can link it to my website through my host, right??

I've probably lost hundreds of $$ worth of sales already, so I should just invest some $$ and get the friggin' website wherever huh? :undecided

I guess other things besides the website cost is holding me back also-the pic. taking problems, and I'm just such a big chicken, thinking that nothing *I* do will be good enough to draw people in, or that they'll see my site and think it's cheesy and therefore I must not be too serious etc.

This is the main reason I don't sell very much, not a very good sales person, not a lot of confidence in my abilities. Although I KNOW I make exceptional products, I just don't know how to convey that to others, either through talking to them, or wording, pics. websites, etc.

Ok, I'm depressing myself now, so I'll just shut up.

Thanks again to all that replied and advised me.

[Michi]

Ok, went to bizhosting, but don't see anything about free hosting, other than they offer first month free, then it's **gasp** $21.95 a month, plus $14.95 set up fee. :undecided :undecided

Hmm I guess I'll keep looking around....

Plus I really want BizzyB to make me a logo, and some matching graphics etc. for my site, since I suck at that also, and I know I need about $75-$100 just for that.

Too much keeping me from actually becoming the business I want to be, dang it!!

[creativecandles]

Ok, went to bizhosting, but don't see anything about free hosting, other than they offer first month free, then it's **gasp** $21.95 a month, plus $14.95 set up fee. :undecided :undecided

Hmm I guess I'll keep looking around....

Plus I really want BizzyB to make me a logo, and some matching graphics etc. for my site, since I suck at that also, and I know I need about $75-$100 just for that.

Too much keeping me from actually becoming the business I want to be, dang it!!

DIY is only 20 a month, and Beckie at Bizzy B's can do your stuff. She is awesome!!! LOVE her work. I would go for it---just take some pictures of your candles and stuff, it will be ok You don't have to do anything fancy, take them in an area that has direct sunlight--or is well lit, turn off the flash, as that tends to really wash out the details, and then edit them on your computer, they will be great!!

[KristinesShower]

I did get my site in 2002, so things may have changed a bit - but really $21.00 a month is a steal for a website

[MichelleOH]

Michi, I'm with DIY and I'm loving every minute of it. Becky did my web design graphics and I like them. I don't have a whole lot of web design experience and i was able to do it ALL myself! I'm hear if you need to talk!

[thecandlespastore]

I'm with www.Shoppingcartsplus.com. they are a very good company, been using them for years. I have tried others but IMO they have been the best for me. You get 10 days free to test it out, and get things added to the site. They submit your items free with Froogle and Google, you get $50 toward advertising with Yahoo, Shopping.com, and other places, and you dont have to sign up, just use the $50 for each of them and cancel if you dont want to keep it. So many templates to choose from, DIY designing, and 1200 items are included, plus a free shopping cart, Ebay item listing integration.

[Crystala25]

If you go to officelive.microsoft.com they have a few options right now with their beta testing. You can have a free site with no shopping cart which has some great designs or I think the regular e-commerce web sites are free until the beta test is over, I'm not positive but you can look more into it.

[pinetreecandles]

I'm currently building a site that I pay 8.95 a month for. It has plenty of space and bandwidth. If I find later that I need more, then I can change to a larger plan and it's still under 20.00 a month.

I guess the only drawback is having to build my own site and shopping cart. The only reason I haven't gone live is the pictures. I can't take a picture to save my life..lol

If you want the link to the hosting site, let me know.

[thecandlespastore]

I saw that too and started to sign up until they asked me for a credit card. Knowing me I will forget to cancel if I dont like it and then oops, there's some big charge on my card that I did not want that they will take months to refund.

If you go to officelive.microsoft.com they have a few options right now with their beta testing. You can have a free site with no shopping cart which has some great designs or I think the regular e-commerce web sites are free until the beta test is over, I'm not positive but you can look more into it.

[Crystala25]

I saw that too and started to sign up until they asked me for a credit card. Knowing me I will forget to cancel if I dont like it and then oops, there's some big charge on my card that I did not want that they will take months to refund.

I did the free one, its free before and after the bate testing. If you have ever signed up for paypal, they ask for a credit card to verify your identity, this is the same thing. Unless, you choose the site with the monthly charge. I will upgrade when I am ready though. I don't sell online yet, I just have the site up so that when I put my business fully online, I already have my basic layout and don't spend too much time on the site. But, I do that too, I sign up for free trials and forget until my card is charged the next month. Thats how I got stuck with that netflix thing.

[Aspencreek]

Go and check out www.godaddy.com that is who I have my website through. You can make your own site with the website tonight option. They are cheap, like 4.95 a month and you can purchase your domain name for 1.99!!! I have always been impressed with their customer support and all of the things they have to offer is non-website people.

[iammommytwo]

here's a free "domain name" one I found

http://www.dot.tk/en/index.html