# I got my domain...what shoud I do next??



## ReiRei (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi, I am trying to make my own website, and I need some advice.

I already bought a domain name.
And I wrote most of my web pages, but not the shopping cart system.

I read that there are basically 6 things you need to have for a website;
1)security 2)domain 3)webhost 4)shopping cart 5)merchant account 6)payment processor.

Now I have a question...
I think I will try Cubecart, but should I download and finish writing my website before I sign up with any web host??
Or should I signup with webhost first and then use one of the shopping cart it comes with the hosting plan??

I don't know what order I should do after getting a domain name.
This is my first time to have any website...so makes a bit worried.

Thank you!!


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## brotherpiano (Aug 18, 2010)

fatcow.com offers a free shopping cart with their service. It's pretty basic, but you can upgrade it for an additional cost. I've not used their cart yet, but am VERY happy with the level of support I've recieved from them on my sites in the past and fully intend to use them as soon as I'm ready to launch my 1st TeeSite.

~v


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## JimGilbert (Jul 9, 2010)

Thanks for that. Do you have a site name to look at to see one of their hosted sites in action?


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## JimGilbert (Jul 9, 2010)

I would go with:



ReiRei said:


> . . . signup with webhost first and then use one of the shopping cart it comes with the hosting plan??


because of:



ReiRei said:


> I read that there are basically 6 things you need to have for a website;
> 1)security 2)domain 3)webhost 4)shopping cart 5)merchant account 6)payment processor. . .


Fatcow looks pretty good from what I see at their website but you can check with yahoo, godaddy, and many others to see who offers what you want and need. There can be different prices for stores that are limited to a certain number of items, etc.


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## brotherpiano (Aug 18, 2010)

They actually let you do some sort of test-drive of a few different kinds of companies. I haven't tried it yet, but apparently you get to admin this "virtual" company. 

Just visit fatcow and click around a bit, I don't think it was that hard to find, but I'm on my phone atm so finding the link would be a bother. Let me know if you don't find it and I'll hunt it down later. 

The last time I set up a site with them I called and managed to get a better deal than I was able to find online. Could have been a promo, who knows.


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## brotherpiano (Aug 18, 2010)

Here is the link to where they compare the available services...
ShopSite Shopping Carts

And here is where they demo the service...
http://www.shopsite.com/demo.html

Hope this helps...


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## JimGilbert (Jul 9, 2010)

brotherpiano said:


> Here is the link to where they compare the available services...
> ShopSite Shopping Carts
> 
> And here is where they demo the service...
> ...


Yes, thanks. I will check them out when I am ready to set one up.


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## phazenix (Apr 8, 2010)

hi Rei Rei
i think in this point, you better take time for research for what marketing method you will use to sell you t-shirt,
from your research result, you will get idea how to create the most suitable web form for your customer to be..
so you wont waste time (like i did previously with my website) to re-adjust your web..
maybe some of you need to research is your target market, then how you will attract and get sales from them.. 
good luck


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## bomber315 (Jun 18, 2010)

WWW.BLUEHOST.COM i havent tried them yet but i also make websites and this is where my next one will be hosted... it seems pretty awesome


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

I agree with Jim. Get the web host first, get your domain name setup on the host, and then start messing around with the shopping carts.

CubeCart is a good choice. I've used shopsite (I'm using it now on one site), and it's good, but for the price, it's missing some things and is more complicated to use than CubeCart (for me)


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## liamthomson (Sep 14, 2010)

You'll want to graball the relevant social media usernames as well for your domain


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## JLob (Sep 8, 2010)

Rodney what hosting company do you use and are you happy with them
thanks


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## ReiRei (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank you for the advice!!

I got one more question while I am searching the webhosts.

Most of the webhosts have hosting plans for "personal" and "business". It seems like they both allow you to do the net business,such as using shopping cart. But the business plan has more security and fast downloading so it costs more.

And I am just wondering if I should go with the business plan??? or the personal plan would be enough?? 
Do most of you use the business plan???

Thank you.

P.S I read a lot of reviews for many of the website...and now it makes me a bit crazy to decide which one I want!!


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## brotherpiano (Aug 18, 2010)

I'd say if you are planning for growth then you'll probably need a more expensive service. When you talk to whatever host you decide to use, make sure you are asking a lot of questions. How much traffic can you receive per month (bandwidth), are their a limit to the number of emails you can get and etc. Make them walk you through each and every "limit" so you can avoid any nasty supprises down the line - never assume anything.


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## GKCLOTHING (Sep 14, 2010)

Shopping Cart Software, Online Business by Volusion Ecommerce Solutions i have heard great things about this company and really optimizing your site/online shopping cart to the best it could be.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

What ever you do make sure you use a shopping cart that can be moved to another host. I'm having problems with my host right now and most likely will have to change hosts and I'm so glad I can do that without starting over again. 

I would find a host and upload an informational page before getting your cart set-up. This will give you a chance to se if everything is working correctly (hosting-wise) and will give your site an earlier publishing date (good for rankings). Then you can add items when you can. This way you'll get going earlier and you'll have a chance to see what works and what doesn't. 

I would consider using PayPal as a payment processor initially so you can delay security, finding a merchant account and processor. PayPal will probably be cheaper initially, its secure and customers trust it. After you start getting sales you'll have a better idea what your merchant account needs are so it will be easier to select a provider.


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## marcelolopez (Jul 16, 2007)

SunEmbroidery said:


> What ever you do make sure you use a shopping cart that can be moved to another host.
> 
> I would find a host and upload an informational page before getting your cart set-up. This will give you a chance to se if everything is working correctly (hosting-wise) and will give your site an earlier publishing date (good for rankings). Then you can add items when you can. This way you'll get going earlier and you'll have a chance to see what works and what doesn't.
> 
> I would consider using PayPal as a payment processor initially so you can delay security, finding a merchant account and processor. PayPal will probably be cheaper initially, its secure and customers trust it. After you start getting sales you'll have a better idea what your merchant account needs are so it will be easier to select a provider.


I completely agree with Jennifer. After two years of Lunarpages hosting my web site, I decided to move, due to some issues I had with them.
I found (after some research) webhostinghub.com, which had what I was looking for: Zencart. Oh and price: 3 years for $140 something... as well as Lunarpages they offer unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, etc.

I could move my site in no time, and it loads a lot faster now, a LOT.

As a payment processor, to start I would recommend PayPal.


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## Imperfect Societ (Aug 14, 2009)

Have you checked out the PayPal Shopping Carts? For a new business, it's a pretty good deal until you discover you full business needs.


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