Myquie Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I currently use freewebs for my web hosting but it's been a royal pain to work with lately. Can't even get in sometimes. What do you use for free web hosting?TIA!~Michelle~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystala25 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I currently switched to a paid website, but when I had a free website I used officelive.microsoft.com. It allows you to have your own domain name and was really easy to use and to access. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myquie Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Thanks! I'll have to check that out.~Michelle~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candle Makin Momma Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I haven't had any issues lately.Has anyone bumped their freewebs up to a premium account before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbtddr Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 i have the premium account i hate adds so i got it. i never have trouble getting on the site but when i updated my Internet some of the stuff will not work. up loading a pitcher takes like 5 minuets now. they say they are working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Works fine if you're using IE as your browser, but if using some other kind, there are glitches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecandlespastore Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 I use Oscommerce, which is free. My web hosting is less than $20 a year because I work with a company in the UK called www.almat-computers.co.uk, Stuart is really nice and on the ball. He has lots of templates on the site to choose from, and will install the oscommerce for you and get it all up and running all for that $20, all you have to do is go in and add your products. I got really sick of paying a monthly fee to have a website. $20 a year is superb! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asheebeans Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I used to use zerocatch.com for a few years and had their basic plan. I paid $6.95 for their bronze account. It was okay for starting out, but I eventually switched to DIY. I like it alot! You can have a free site through zerocatch.com, but the popups are downright ridiculous. It is sooo worth it to pay the 7 bucks a month to eliminate them IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassyb Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I haven't had any issues lately.Has anyone bumped their freewebs up to a premium account before?I have, and found it quite useful.As I know *nothing* about web design, I found it very easy to do a half decent looking site with a fair amount of features. I have added movies and all that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dest Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I have used freewebs as my host for over 2 years now & I love them. I just recently paid for a premium membership & have had no problems. I have really liked the staff & support I get from them. Good Luck ~dest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsharp Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Michelle, I sent you an email. I can offer you Web Hosting for a low cost and help you setup your website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal_gal48 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I currently use freewebs for my web hosting but it's been a royal pain to work with lately. Can't even get in sometimes. What do you use for free web hosting?TIA!~Michelle~ Godaddy.com or doteasy.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romasoy Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I currently use freewebs for my web hosting but it's been a royal pain to work with lately. Can't even get in sometimes. What do you use for free web hosting?TIA!~Michelle~We use www.citymax.com. We have tried countless website hosts and this seems to be the most complete, easy to use one---excellent customer service! They even fix things on your pages instead of just telling you how to! Let me know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romasoy Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Godaddy.com or doteasy.comI used godaddy---that's where we bought our url from----but www.citymax.com out did them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 How do the DIY sites work for everybody--as far as sales go? They look nice, but do they generate business?How about the free websites? Do many people have luck getting any sales on those? I just wondered, since I visited one site with so many pop-up ads and flashing signs that it became too annoying to even bother looking at products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovetng Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I personally dont buy from a business that is run through a free website such as site.freewebs.com. it throws me off, i want a actual shopping cart and a secure way to shop.The diy websites i think are great. cost is low, user friendly. Whether they generate sales imo doesnt have anything to do with it being a diy website. Promotion is key and patience is a must. I meet alot of people who are dissapointed cause theve been open a few months and sales arent great. but they dont want to spend the money on essential promotion. its always smart to have at least a 3 yr plan when setting up a site. it can take that long to break even or make a profit. especially at something as expensive as candlemaking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 My personal opinion is that it should not take three years for a website to turn a profit. That may be true for a brick and mortar shop, but not with the internet, because your overhead is so low and you basically have the entire world as potential customers.Like with any business, marketing is always key, and yes it does cost money, but there are a lot of free links and webrings available also.I specifically asked about DIY since someone mentioned it and because it is very popular with many members here. I don't know what the norm is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovetng Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Well I state 3 years is a good plan if sooner great right? lol It can take anywhere from 9 months to a year to get good rankings and thats with good site optimization. Not always the case but mostly. My old b & B biz turned a good profit after just about a year. with heavy promotion and search engine optimization. but only after 2 years is it #4 down on the first page of google which is great. i dont own it anymore but i still think its awesome lolI cant speak for others but the majority of my sales dont and didnt come from top sites and rings, but paid promotion. I do agree that doing link exchanges is a GREAT free way to network and promote.Ive worked with about 6 different sites/carts and diy is still my fav, maybe because its what I started with lol but i still host there cause i do like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Can you share what paid promotion worked best for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovetng Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I did alot of promotion at directories. Places that cost about 25 a year or are monthly. faithfulfriendsonline.com, gramma frans attic, shoefly pie merchantile. I get quite a few hit on my design site from the first two. and a little less from the last (its newer) there are tons of these places. some of these places have magazine co-ops. they purchase page adds and then sell you pices of it for cheaper than what it would normaly be. these are great. I did this twice when I had the old biz and my hits and sales peaked while they were out.Since I did b and b and had baby b and b i did alot of ads on places like diaper hyena and diaper pin. basically whatever I did, b and b, candles, etc... I tried to pormote each of those thing at the most popular directories and markets.I also had craftbiz promotion do my link exchanges ( I HATE doing them lol) they do everything for ya which is great.Another thing I did which is more expensive but DEFINITELY the best thing I did was pay for craft site medic to do my main promotion. I paid for a year of it and granted it was costly but they are the reason the site is number 4 on google. they optimized my site told me what i needed to chnages and then promoted and submitted my site. best thing by far.but again im not knocking the beauty of free link exchanges. thats where craftbiz came in, they are tedious to do! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candle Makin Momma Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I use a freewebs site and I have a shopping cart through paypal. Works great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Are you happy with the volume of business you get from it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochaMama Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I use Oscommerce, which is free. My web hosting is less than $20 a year because I work with a company in the UK called www.almat-computers.co.uk, Stuart is really nice and on the ball. He has lots of templates on the site to choose from, and will install the oscommerce for you and get it all up and running all for that $20, all you have to do is go in and add your products. I got really sick of paying a monthly fee to have a website. $20 a year is superb!I took a look at the site and the prices (once I used a currency converter) look pretty good. How long have you been using this site and do you get orders from overseas also?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecandlespastore Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 We use www.citymax.com. We have tried countless website hosts and this seems to be the most complete, easy to use one---excellent customer service! They even fix things on your pages instead of just telling you how to! Let me know what you think.I used to use citymax too, and then I switched to shoppingcartsplus.com, same company, more features, $5 more dollars a month. Then I decided I was fed up with paying a monthly fee and went with Oscommerce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecandlespastore Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I took a look at the site and the prices (once I used a currency converter) look pretty good. How long have you been using this site and do you get orders from overseas also?ThanksI get a lot of orders from overseas. I have been with Almat only 2 months, but my domain name has been out there for a long time. People know me from Ebay and other auction sites. I am also a Silver seller on Amazon. Every email, every product, gets my website link added to it. I submit my products into Froogle, I use Google Adsense on my forum, and get about $150 in free money deposited into my bank account from Google monthly, which I try to turn around and use for promoting the site. I have not had to come out of pocket at all for any promoting. I can say hands down that Oscommerce has been the best I have ever used, and I have probably used all the major hosting plans out there. It should not cost $200+ a year just to have a good website. With Oscommerce I have my merchant account setup for payments. I also offer Paypal, and I am getting Google Checkout integrated because its free till the end of 2007. The Oscommerce itself is 100% free. Almat is about $23 but that is for 1 year of hosting with the 500 developer plan, on which you can literally have unlimited products and pictures, you will never use up all that space. Stuart also hooks your template up like no one else! That man rocks! I went a step ahead and bought myself my own security seal which protects my customers credit card info, which cost me a little extra. But Almat has one big security seal that is shared and very secure, which does not cost anything at all. So I pretty much paid about $40 total for an entire year and I don't have to worry about a monthly charge of $19.99 a month or $24.99 a month like I was paying for citymax and shoppingcartsplus. Now that added cost does not have to be added to the products and my customers can save a little $$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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