eCommerce 101 - Basic Web Store Costs

Almost as often as we get questions about Search Engine Optimization, we get questions about selling products online - eCommerce - so here's out quick run-down on Basic Web Stores.

If your product line is very diverse, and you have thousands of products - this isn't for you. This is for the Small Business Owner, who's got a targeted line of products - but no idea where to start when it comes to selling online.

Ok, so what's required? Really, there's only 3 things:

   1. Web Hosting
   2. Web Store Software
   3. Domain Name

Web Hosting. Your store files need to live on some computer somewhere where people can access them. That's what Hosting is all about. Hosting services can range in price from free (nothing is really free, of course) to hundreds of dollars each month. Determining which type of hosting solution is right for you depends on your Web Store Software. You may need PHP and MySql. You may need ASP. Finding the right host depends on your store needs. Since we use Zen Cart as our Web Store Software, the requirements for our solution is PHP and MySQL. Fortunately, our preferred Web Host (Dreamhost) provides this for us out-of-the-box. Therefore, we're covered at a wonderfully low rate of about $10/month.

Web Store Software. We've already mentioned that we use Zen Cart, and here's why: There are currently over 6 million Web Stores running on Zen Cart. That's saying something. How did Zen Cart so big? Firstly, it is Open Source. That means a couple of things: It's supported by hundreds of coders through-out the community, and, it's free.

Again - there are so many software choices out there, with good points and bad points, that you really should decide for yourself whether or not Zen Cart is right for you, but we've had nothing but success with it.

Domain Name. Ok, this is actually an 'Optional Element', but it's such a small cost with such a big gain, that we feel you'd be doing yourself a disfavor by leaving it out. In fact, if we build your store for you - we'll throw in the Domain Name. It's that important.

That's it. No, really, that's all you need. There are, of course, optional elements. One thing in particular that you'll want to consider is Payment Processing. Since you're selling things - people will likely be wanting to give you money. You could leave it as is, and ask them to mail you a check or money order - or come to your bricks-and-mortar store. This is the least expensive option. Alternatively, you will need a Merchant Account and a Payment Gateway.

The Merchant Account is what allows you to take a Credit Card - these can be expensive. The Payment Gateway is the interface through which your customers can enter their card information - this can also be expensive. Your decision on this may depend on how much traffic you project you'll get through your site.

The mid-range, low-cost option for Payment Processing is, of course, PayPal. Set up a PayPal account, attach it to your bank account, and you can accept Credit Cards on your site. The Fees are minimal, and the risk is not yours. This is a great approach to accepting credit cards - and Zen Cart

As for other costs? That's what you're really asking, isn't it.
Web Hosting: $10/month
Web Store Software: Free
Domain Name: $10/year (or free)

The biggest cost in setting up a web store is the template design. That's what we designers and developers charge you for: the install, initial configuration, and design/development of the site.

The install takes a few of hours - so, about $150 for installation. The initial configuration, another few of hours - so another $150. For the design - most people want a variation of a basic template, so typically take that $50 basic template (from template monster) and add a few hours for customizing it... adding your colors, logo, design elements, etc. This is why we base our Basic eCommerce Web Site Package at $750. This is, of course, a starting point - yours could be more or less expensive, but that's where we start.

That's it. If you have any questions, please free to contact us any time - we're here to help.