Setting up shop online: Do it yourself, or not?

Wednesday, 26 October 2011 00:00

In the second of a series of articles on setting up an online shop, Nick Kington, MD of ecommerce specialist, Actinic considers whether you should set up your ecommerce site yourself, or use a professional such as a web designer.

Doing it yourself

If you have a limited budget and are prepared to spend the time, then doing it yourself is usually the best option. The good news is that there are a number of easy to use, packaged ecommerce software solutions available these days so you don’t necessarily need any technical knowledge or design flair to get your site up and running.

Doing it yourself also means you have complete control and ownership of your site. The only constraints are the limits of the ecommerce package or your own knowledge. However, you should be able to deploy a good-looking, fully functional site quickly and at low cost.

Employing a professional

By employing someone else you are paying for their time and expertise and you should receive a site with a professional, custom finish and enhanced features. When approaching a web professional you need to have an idea of your budget and what kind of site you want

Here are some questions you can ask:

1. What will I get for my money? Some web professionals offer fixed price design and development packages. Others will provide a custom quote depending on your budget and requirements. Either way you should agree in advance what the project will include and how long it will take.

2. How will the site be maintained and updated? Do I have ownership? You should check that you will have full control of the site and the means to update it easily. Check also that intellectual property rights for designs are transferred to you.

3. What ecommerce platform do you use? Many web designers have a preferred ecommerce platform and you should be comfortable that you will also be able to use it to update your site once it’s delivered.

And finally ask to see some previous examples of sites, if possible businesses similar to yours.

Written by Nick Kington, Managing Director of ecommerce supplier, Actinic. Originally published on Enterprise Nation.