I highly recommend contacting David if you're looking to get a
website created or a makeover.
As I said, I considered him before landing on my friend Pete who is
currently working on my new MoviePosterBid.com Website
Pete by the way is the fellow who designed Walter Reuben's website
http://www.walterfilm.com/
and it was Walter who recommended Pete to me. (Thanks Walter)
David said lots of good stuff in his post, but one thing he did not
mention: there is a certain benefit to learning HOW to build a website.
You get to learn HTML code or other light programming language as
well as design issues & writing talent. This is actually invaluable
help when discussing with programmers like David what you're looking
for and how things function.
In any case.. If you need a site, I recommend David highly or my
friend Pete. There is nothing like accessing the knowledge of others
to improve yourself.
Rich
At 01:20 PM 12/30/2013, David wrote:
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:
* Type vintage poster restoration into Google - (fingers
crossed on the results as I haven't checked in a while) hopefully,
you will find <http://www.vintagemovieart.ca>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.
* "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
<http://www.filmfan.com>www.filmfan.com
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