Hi All
It's been a few days since this topic was posted and I have been humbled
by some of the kind words said about me and the work I have done, so
thanks to those people sincerely. As most people who know me will
attest, I am almost always happy to offer free advice about this sort of
thing (off camera as it were), even give a website the 'once over' if
asked. Having read the replies over the last few days I would say I
agree with some comments, some I do not. So here's a few notes I jotted
down....
One thing I have found over the last 20 years of doing this sort of
thing is almost always your opinion is your DIY website is pretty much
just as good as a professional website...ummmm, nope.
Now, that is not to say you shouldn't have a go at building a website
yourself, absolutely, give it a go, and don't get me wrong, some do
achieve amazing result too. Building your own website is fun and of
course there is a sense of achievement when it's completed too! Even
better, the most wonderful thing about building your own website is that
no matter how dysfunctional it is as a website or how ugly it really is
a design (in a medium where design absolutely matters), almost all of
your friends, all your relatives and even all co-forum members, will all
be extremely complimentary about it, because everyone knows you spent
all that time putting it together, they know how proud you are of it
(because you did it yourself) and as a result no one wants to tell you
your website looks like something the cat dragged in...
So, did build your website for the compliments or for the income it will
bring?
* For most people a website is not a 'bit of fun', it's a proper
business (at some level), if there is an expectation of a commercial
outcome then treat it so.
* Your 'front page' has about 15 seconds to make an impact on the
surfer when they arrive on your website, I don't care how good the
product is, if your site looks amateurish and 'home-made' then a
large portion will leave and take their wallet with them. That's
reality.
* Collecting movie posters is a hobby, buying them involves more than
just emotion, it involves the wallet, please treat you potential
client professionally. It's not just about how nice you are in email
or how well you pack their posters.
* Biggest tip I give DIYers ALL THE TIME - don't clutter your front
page with all that damn writing! Why the first page is so
complicated is beyond reason, if the surfer really wants to know
more they will find the information via the menu; the average
webizen is very clued up on how to surf a website, yours is not the
first one they have been to so there is no need to shove all the
info on the first page. The best thing about this hobby is that we
are selling pictures and yes, a picture is worth (you know the
rest)... telling them who you are, where you are based, what you are
selling, how to use the website, how long you've been in the hobby,
the name of your dog, the colour of your socks and so
on....ZZZzzzzzzz, unlike your friends, your relatives and fellow
forum members, Joe-Average buyer does NOT care! If you are a webshop
then remove the clutter and start selling on the first page!
* If you use eBay then I agree with others (and as I have said so for
a long time), have a back-up plan. Why not have a commercial website
to run alongside the eBay one - you've got the database of clients
who are happy with what they bought off you, point them at your
other website for other purchases.
* Free websites: hmmm...so, you want a professional looking shop, you
want to spend about an hour or so building it, you want to spend
almost no money outfitting it, you want to spend no money marketing
it, you want to put up pictures of the items you are selling taken
with your phone-camera on the floor of your dining room, you want to
get a lot of traffic, oh and everyday you expect lots of orders
because you want to make money hand over fist immediately because
your friends said it would go well - yep, that how it works in
bricks and mortar business too...
* If you sell items on your own website but do so by the old "send me
an email with what you want, then I will send you a bill, then you
pay, then I will wait for the money to clear etc..." OMG - if you
cannot achieve two clicks to purchase then you are losing business.
* I note the question about meeting the web designer designer. Why is
it you don't care about selling internationally but care so much
about designing locally, you expect your clients to trust you
without meeting you but...?
* SEO - Search Engine Optimisation. Ahhhhh - here's a secret...if you
build it they will NOT come. You really have to understand what you
are doing, and it takes quite a while. If Google themselves say you
CANNOT be guaranteed a top spot in search results (excluding paid
ads), then why believe any of those SEO companies that say they can
achieve it? Bottom line, search results are driven by your website
content and it's a hard job to get the content right, it's not
learnt in 5 minutes and if you don't know what you are doing then
good luck:
o Type *vintage poster restoration* into Google - (fingers crossed
on the results as I haven't checked in a while) hopefully, you
will find www.vintagemovieart.ca in the results on that first
page (whether it is google.com, google.co.uk, google.com.au or
even google.ca), when I built Dario's website he didn't feature
in the first 30 pages of the international search results, what
was worse on Google Canada he didn't feature in the first 10
pages (and he lives there)! It took almost four months to start
getting decent results, now as the result of his talent when
combined into his website a bit better his site ranks well. He
now gets as many people visiting his website in one year as he
did in the 10 years he had from his old 'home-made' website.
o "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to
fish and he will sit in a boat drinking beer all day" Sure you
can learn SEO, understanding it to then make it work for you is
the hardest part.
* Social media - ignore it at your peril. At the very least you should
have a Facebook page running in conjunction with your website, just
because you don't understand about FB (or care about it) doesn't
actually mean your clients do - 'nuff said.
Remember that old bumper sticker, "Ass, grass or gas - nobody rides for
free". Having a business website is hard work, don't expect to set it
and forget it and then watch the orders and money to come flowing...
These are just my thoughts, some will agree, some will not, either way
you're a grown up and you get to make the final call on what you do...so
good luck
David Rew
Alan Adler did previously state on 29/12/2013 4:49 AM:
Dear Mopos with Websites -
Have been thinking of following Bruce's advice and creating my own off-Ebay
website to sell (not auction) posters and goodies.
How do you mo-pros who sell on your own sites enjoy that digital venue vs. the
old Ebay paradigm?
Is it more difficult technically (man hours) to use your own site or costly to
keep running than you thought it would be?
How do you drive eyeballs - Is it tough getting visitors?
Do you sell on Ebay and your own site - or strictly your own site?
What do you suggest be included or avoided when building a site?
Any big surprises or epiphanies you've had in the process of building and
running your website that you'd be willing to share?
Hope some folks find this a stimulating thread.
Thanks in advance for your time.
Alan Adler
Museum of Mom and Pop Culture
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
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