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Ecommerce & SEO
The purpose of any business website is to promote a product or service online. The purpose of an ecommerce website is to take it one step further and to allow your visitors to purchase your products or services directly from your website. This...

eCommerce Solutions
Copyright 2005 Paul Sanford All of the long, grueling nights and an unknown number of working weekends spent converting your dream into reality finally paid off—in a big way! Affiliates are signing up every single day and the clicks have really...

eConnect: eCommerce development for Microsoft Great Plains
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains has several options to enable web ordering. Traditionally Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise had eOrder – this is ASP pages based ordering application, enabling you to place or retrieve your Sales Order...

Merchant services add ecommerce functionality to any business
According to paymentonline.com, this includes credit cards processing systems with a Merchant Account to receive payment from the customers. Merchant Accounts are an important element in any ecommerce venture. Merchant services provide...

What's Toll Free Numbers Got To Do With Ecommerce?
What's Toll Free Numbers Got To Do With Ecommerce? Sometimes skimping on things can save you good money. But skimping is not always the wisest business strategy. For example, I could've written this article in the windows program notepad as...

 
eCommerce, How much does it cost?


Making profits with your existing website design or creating a new online store can be exciting, affordable and most of all; rewarding. Mmmm . . . that's what the last sales guy told me.

What is eCommerce (or selling via the Internet)? It is similar to selling through a physical building's business storefront, with one big difference: the costs for eCommerce are lower. The lower costs alone make it a lot more affordable for someone to start up a business or expand their storefront business onto the Internet.

So, the cost to do online business depends on how much time and effort you are able to put in and the eCommerce developer you choose to work with. Generally, developers should try to enable their clients to be as independent as possible in areas such as daily site updates, processing online orders, customer feedback and low or no cost (except time) online marketing.

Hosting costs are determined by: the amount of 1) server space you require for product photos, e-mail accounts, and 2) bandwidth - the more customers that visit your store, the more bandwidth you will require. Typically an online store setup may cost $15 to $90 per month for hosting.

Other costs include online store program and designing the storefront. There are many programs to choose from with some being free to some costing thousands. As with anything you buy, you do get what you pay for. Clients like to use online store setups that are easy for them to use when they need to do product updates and simple design changes. That way the initial higher cost for the client's online store will be offset by ease of use and low maintenance costs to operate over the long term.

Next we have graphical design costs, that can range from $70 for a pre-designed store template to a built from scratch setup that can cost $500 and up. If you have only a few


products I would suggest starting with the pre-designed store template as the cost is low and the look is quite professional, with only a small amount of time required to input text and make some minor modifications to suit your requirements. If you have quite a few products and they are quite different from each other, you may incur more cost to develop the graphic design as each product category will have a look designed just for that category.

Finally, we need to open up the store for business: market the store and bring in some customers to buy the products. As mentioned earlier, there is no-cost marketing that can be done. For example, the site can be submitted to the primary search engines, adding the store listing to online directories that are relevant to the product or service, and exchanging store links with other sites that are similar but not direct competition.

What are we selling? When your starting out with a new product, try to stay with a unique product that is light in weight, as shipping costs are often overlooked in starting up an online business. If you already have existing products to sell, revisit shipping costs and see where you can find savings.

I find most business owners sell what they are most passionate about. Some of your present hobbies or interests could sell as the end product, as items purchased by other people. Some of the most successful online stores are a result of one's passion and desire to share their dream with others and if done logically and thoughtfully with a good web developer, can result in financial rewards at a low investment cost through an online store.

Since 1997, Dennis Dadey, Chief Designer at IR Design, has been helping people with e-commerce applications. Find out more about IR Design at http://www.irdesign.com.


 

E-Commerce Times: Because E-Business Means Business
Everything you need to know about doing business on the Internet. Information for C-Level executives and small-to-mid-sized business managers.
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ECommerce-Guide to News, Reviews and Technology Solutions
ECommerce-Guide provides ecommerce business owners with e-commerce news, hardware and software reviews and tutorials, technology solutions and information ...
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Electronic commerce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Electronic commerce (also referred to as EC, e-commerce or ecommerce) ... Even in product categories suitable for e-commerce, electronic shopping has ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
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Daily e-commerce news for managers of business covering marketing, transaction processing, security, retailing and service delivered over the Web.
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New Zealand Government E-Commerce
Resource containing information on electronic commerce, including law, trade, tax, privacy, consumer protection, and help for businesses.
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eCommerce Guidebook for web hosting
The eCommerce Guidebook provides many resources, including a directory of online transaction providers, a tutorial, and many other resources.
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ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions for Marketers
Includes columns with commentary and analysis on a wide variety of internet marketing subjects ranging from B2B marketing to search engine marketing.
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Shopping cart software integrated into Frontpage, Dreamweaver, CSS and Golive ecommerce software templates.
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Information from the FTC on E-commerce and the Internet. Includes anti-fraud tips.
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Economy & Work: eBusiness | Europa - Information Society
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ec.europa.eu
 
Online Business
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onlinebusiness.about.com
 
eCommerce Info Center- ONE-STOP for eCommerce info, services ...
eCommerce Info Center, created and maintained by Slim Baltagi, will make it easier and faster for you to find out relevant eCommerce information, ...
www.ecominfocenter.com
 
eCommerce Innovation Centre
Practical resources for small business involved in or considering eCommerce implemetations. Expert Advice and Assistance.
www.ecommerce.ac.uk
 
Web Marketing Today -- E-Commerce, E-Mail, Internet Marketing, and ...
Articles, tips and advice on e-commerce and effective Internet marketing strategies.
www.wilsonweb.com
 
Web Marketing Today Research Room for E-Commerce
The largest collection of annotated links to web marketing and ecommerce articles and resources to be found at any single place on the planet.
www.wilsonweb.com
 
The 2005 E-commerce Awards - Welcome
The UK national E-commerce awards organised by the DTI and Interforum.
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk
 
Mal's e-commerce
Mal's e-commerce ... Customize the look and feel of your store; No scripts or applications to install; Build as large an e-commerce site as you want ...
www.mals-e.com
 
Howstuffworks "How E-commerce Works"
E-commerce has exploded in the last 10 years. Find out how e-commerce works and how you can harness the potential of e-commerce, from affiliate programs to ...
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Ecommerce Guide - Terms You Need to Know to Do Business on the ...
An online computer dictionary and internet search engine for internet terms and techincal support.
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Shopping Cart Software Ecommerce Solutions
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Content Menu
  • 7 tips to increase sales with your ecommerce web site

  • accepting payments online an ecommerce web site overview

  • advertising your ecommerce web site

  • an arm a leg for ecommerce

  • an ecommerce internet merchant account

  • ask mr d ecommerce sales

  • a successful ecommerce website part 1

  • a successful ecommerce website part 2

  • blocking and tackling a quick look at some ecommerce fundamentals

  • blogs podcasting and rss ecommerce impact

  • blogs podcasting and rss how will these technologies affect ecommerce

  • building ecommerce websites that work part 1

  • building ecommerce websites that work part 2

  • building ecommerce websites that work part 3

  • building ecommerce web sites where do i start

  • canadas ecommerce opportunity

  • canada and ecommerce

  • choosing an ecommerce shopping cart

  • comparing ecommerce software programs 5 tips

  • cost effective ecommerce solutions

  • developing a winning ecommerce marketing strategy

  • developing a winning ecommerce strategy

  • divesify with ecommerce

  • drop shipping is ecommerce snake oil

  • ecatalog a key component of your ecommerce initiative

  • ecommerce 101 online credit card processing

  • ecommerce and other strange animals

  • ecommerce a new artform

  • ecommerce a plan

  • ecommerce boost your business roi

  • ecommerce communications and the global internet community

  • ecommerce development for microsoft great plains tools and highlights for programmer

  • ecommerce fundamentals

  • ecommerce hosting considerations

  • ecommerce hosting for your online business

  • ecommerce hosting how to choose a merchant account

  • ecommerce how much does it cost

  • ecommerce installing and configuring your shopping cart

  • ecommerce making your bank account grow

  • ecommerce marketing plan

  • ecommerce seo

  • ecommerce solutions

  • ecommerce solutionsthe call of the time

  • ecommerce solutions compared

  • ecommerce solutions for small business owners

  • ecommerce solution for the big and small business

  • ecommerce store owners want visitors heres how

  • ecommerce that makes sense

  • ecommerce turnkey sites

  • ecommerce website development brings more people to your business

  • ecommerce website overview accepting payments online

  • ecommerce web design solutions

  • ecommerce web hosting all you need to know

  • ecommerce web sites if you build it they will come or will they

  • ecommerce web site building where do i start

  • ecommerce your opportunities are unlimited

  • econnect ecommerce development for microsoft great plains

  • evaluating vendors of ecommerce fulfillment services

  • ever wondered what an ecommerce merchant account is

  • eyes on your ecommerce website

  • for your ecommerce success

  • getting started in ecommerce part one

  • getting started in ecommerce part two

  • hosting options for an ecommerce web site

  • how exactly does ecommerce work

  • how to achieve ecommerce success you gotta plan

  • how to create a money magnet ecommerce web site

  • how to set up the ecommerce shopping cart software tools to handle your transactions and how to do in smart efficient and cost effective way

  • increasing your conversion rates 50 tips for ecommerce sites

  • index

  • integrating microsoft great plains accounting erp rms crm ecommerce lotus domino overview

  • integrating microsoft great plains accounting erp rms crm ecommerce lotus domino overview for developer

  • internet basics ecommerce is like playing house

  • introduction to ecommerce

  • is ecommerce right for our business

  • leading ecommerce consultant admits you should only listen to one real expert and its not him

  • meeting the uk ecommerce regulations

  • merchant services add ecommerce functionality to any business

  • microsoft dynamics gp 9 0 ecommerce web development overview for programmer

  • microsoft ecommerce web development great plains econnect net approach highlights for programmer

  • microsoft great plains ecommerce know your options and alternatives

  • microsoft great plains ecommerce overview for developer

  • microsoft great plains ecommerce stored procedures approach

  • microsoft small business manager ecommerce overview

  • my top 7 favorite ecommerce tools

  • network monitoring for serious ecommerce

  • oscommerce a viable ecommerce solution

  • outsourcing your ecommerce order fulfillment

  • quick ecommerce tutorial

  • reverse logistics and ecommerce

  • rotator

  • search engine optimization in an ecommerce world

  • select a niche market for ecommerce

  • seo for ecommerce

  • small business ecommerce web design

  • surviving the ecommerce competition

  • the ecommerce business plan

  • the ecommerce myth

  • the lowdown on ecommerce making all the pieces fit together

  • the no 1 ecommerce solution tip for you

  • the rumors of ecommerce death

  • the seven pillars of ecommerce defined

  • using ebay to market your ecommerce website

  • victoryvisions your one stop to build a successfull ecommerce website

  • web design for ecommerce

  • web ecommerce where to begin

  • whats toll free numbers got to do with ecommerce

  • what ecommerce software has to offer

  • why ecommerce is not ready for my daughter or me

  • why vps is perfect for ecommerce hosting

  • why you should use turnkey websites to jumpstart your ecommerce activity