# 5 page website help



## aylajackson (Jun 19, 2014)

Hello everyone
I am trying to get my website together. I know a need a homepage, contact info, about my business and services... what else should I have?


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## MyTeeFineShirts (Mar 17, 2013)

That really depends on what you are offering on your site. Are you selling printed apparel, offering printing services etc.? 

The home page, contact and about us are the basic pages for any site. 

Depending on what is going to be on your site you may need pages for sizing charts, pricing information, how to order, refund policy, shipping policy, frequently asked questions (FAQ) etc. 

The list can literally go on and on.

Hope this helps.


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## aylajackson (Jun 19, 2014)

MyTeeFineShirts said:


> That really depends on what you are offering on your site. Are you selling printed apparel, offering printing services etc.?
> 
> The home page, contact and about us are the basic pages for any site.
> 
> ...


Hey, I actually offer printing services. The customer tell me what they want, they pay me, I make it and send it to them. I am having a very hard time turning that into a whole website..... I actually forgot about the sizing charts, policy and all that other stuff...


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## MyTeeFineShirts (Mar 17, 2013)

Do you plan on using your website just as an advertisement purpose? I.E., just list your business services and information on it with contact details? 

If you plan on having your customers actually place online orders, you will want to look into getting SSL certs to make your site secure along with getting an account with a reputable merchant service so you can accept credit card payments online.


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## aylajackson (Jun 19, 2014)

I would like it to be for advertisement but I also will like a way for my customer can pay online... Thank you for all of you advice thus far because most of your point haven't crossed my mind.


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## Pima105 (Feb 27, 2015)

what kind of web solution are you using?

if you want to put ecommerce on your website, you will need either

1. ecommerce web solutions like shopify, volution, etc. expensive but easy to use.
2. self maintained php cms, like wordpress+woocommerce or magento. cheap, but may need html+php knowledge to take care.
3. hosting ecommerce plans, like godaddy ecommerce. medium cost but much less flexibility. 

what do you think?


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## aylajackson (Jun 19, 2014)

Pima105 said:


> what kind of web solution are you using?
> 
> if you want to put ecommerce on your website, you will need either
> 
> ...


I currently have go daddy. At this point I am having a very hard time coming up with the layout of my website.


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## Pima105 (Feb 27, 2015)

aylajackson said:


> I currently have go daddy. At this point I am having a very hard time coming up with the layout of my website.


try themeforest.net for your design if you know how to use wordpress.

if not, go daddy has their website building system, just pick a design, and fill up info. it should be easy. but personally I dont like their system, too many limits and the result seo is not good.

if you have any php/mysql experience, i would recommend you to try wordpress+woocommerce or opencart.

feel free to ask me more questions.


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## BidsMaven (Sep 23, 2011)

If this is your first website, I recommend getting a web designer to help you. You will have to do the writing of the content but he (or she) can be very valuable in helping you select a company to host it, a theme for the site, and feedback on the content you produce. Also, there is a big difference between the level of effort required for a simple site and an eCommerce site. I'd suggest talking this over with a web designer as well.

If you need a recommendation for a web designer, the guy I work with is great and very affordable. PM me and I'll get you his contact info.


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## bradyboyy88 (Nov 10, 2014)

aylajackson said:


> Hello everyone
> I am trying to get my website together. I know a need a homepage, contact info, about my business and services... what else should I have?


Hey I do a lot of web design and I particularly use wordpress engine to build all my sites. Its very user friendly once set up and it still allows you to code the site if you wanted things very particular (but not required). Go daddy is definately way overpriced so I would check out other hosting solutions. Are you doing hosting or just one of those easy website templates godaddy offers?

And I agree a web designer can be a great benefit but if you are trying to cut costs you can very easily figure out wordpress if you put in a small amount of effort. Its literally that dumbed down but still super powerful!


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## lovesunfrog (Mar 3, 2015)

You need to have the page size, tracking, terms of use, FAQ. Do not need too many pages. You can refer to many other sites.


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## ShirlandDesign (Nov 29, 2009)

OpenTshirts – T-Shirt Design Website and Software

The above link will take you to a free shopping cart and t shirt design studio software company. 

They have links to live sites so you can see some other peoples approach to t shirt printing web sites, videos on set up your own, and a forum of users discussing various issues with the software.

There is a learning curve but once you get the hang of it you have a lot of control.

The guys running it have been great to me, but they are pretty busy, so don't expect tech support the way say a cable company may offer it.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

I barely knew what to include when starting my site. I complied a list of pages like the ones given to you, titled pieces of paper with each page title and spent about a week jotting down text for each page. I would start with an informational site and then progress to an e commerce site. I wouldn't spend much time with a web-site-tonight (from any host) type of site because you'll have to start over again if you ever decide to change hosts. When building your site assume the point of the customer and include what you would want on your site.


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## bradyboyy88 (Nov 10, 2014)

SunEmbroidery said:


> I barely knew what to include when starting my site. I complied a list of pages like the ones given to you, titled pieces of paper with each page title and spent about a week jotting down text for each page. I would start with an informational site and then progress to an e commerce site. I wouldn't spend much time with a web-site-tonight (from any host) type of site because you'll have to start over again if you ever decide to change hosts. When building your site assume the point of the customer and include what you would want on your site.


You do not need to start over again if you decided to change hosts.. that is the point of doing web hosting instead of those cheapo templates sites offer. You can take it with you where ever you go  . Thats the point of a cms. Makes it easy to transfer databases even for non techy people. But sunemrboidery is right about just writing it down on paper to see what you want. You need content. I mean realistically your site wont even get much traffic for months until you get ALOT of content anyway.

Internet sales isnt like most people think these days. Just so many t shirt companies on the web its hard to get site rank up on google. But I will say googles index algorithm which helps to get you to show up higher on google search , really does love content hence the reason i said it above. I am new to t shirt printing and this site has helped me out ALOT. I have read more posts on here then I read throughout grade school hahah. So if you need any help with direct tech questions related to the website development just pm me. My desk job is comp sci based so I am very familiar with it.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

What I meant about starting over again is don't use a template that is exclusive to a particular host. Use something you own that can be moved to another host if necessary.


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## bradyboyy88 (Nov 10, 2014)

SunEmbroidery said:


> What I meant about starting over again is don't use a template that is exclusive to a particular host. Use something you own that can be moved to another host if necessary.


AGREED! People that use those templates forget all about the seo they can achieve from doing hosting instead. They are restricted to purchasing everything from that one company they got the template from. Insane


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Spend time planning but get started. Some recommend starting with one informational page so you are comfortable with the basic procedure of creating and uploading a site. Then you can add pages when necessary. Choose a template (if you go the template route) with simple navigation you can add too. One of the beauties of material on the internet is its changeable. As your site grows you may decide to expand on one topic on a page and move other information from that page to a newly created, more appropriate page.


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## aylajackson (Jun 19, 2014)

Thank you all for your reply's. I decided to get a web designer but before I actually talk to a web designer I want a clear idea of what type of site I want. I really need the website before March 26th and I have already wasted 2 weeks. I have some knowledge of web development but what is confusing me is that I sell a service and not already made shirts so I am confused about what should I put on my website... It is VERY confusing to me


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Treat the service as if it were a product. What is it about the way you provide that service that is unique? What benefits will your service provide for your customers? How do you do things better? Describe your service so customers know how you go about it. Address potential problems so your customers know how you handle issues. Every web page should have a unique selling point and a call to action such as call ... or email.... Use key words and phrases to describe everything. Include images (with alt tags) showing the service process and the final products. Make the potential customer feel confident that you have the experience and expertise to provide the service.


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