Build a
Website with an Online Store & Summer Beads
This month is how to build a website to sell from
and summer peridot & carnelian for August. Scroll down, or click one of the links below.
To go to our Bead Store click MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk.
See us in the UK during September and
October - for dates click
here.
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How to
Build a Website with an Online Store to Sell Jewelry
Register a Domain with a Host
How to Structure
Content within the Site
Summer Peridot
Peridot & Pearl Necklace
Carnelian - For August
Pearl & Peridot Necklace
$10 or £6 off!
How to Build a Website with an Online Store to Sell Jewelry
If you really want to make money, what you need is an e-store with a nice front
page, a Paypal checkout, and marketing to bring traffic.
This is
much easier than you think, especially the first part.
How a site
works
When
you view a website, you’re accessing the hard drive of another computer,
sometimes in a different country.
This host machine stores the website for the creator.
The site itself has hidden code called HTML (for short).
When your browser views this code it translates it into the image you see
on the screen. For instance the code
<b> make the word appear bold.
HTML editor
Rather
than spending ages writing this code yourself, all you need is a program to
generate it for you. Some word
processing programs can do this, or better still you could invest in Front Page
or Expressions. However, it’s a lot
easier and cheaper to use website building software with an HTML editor
built-in, these also make it simple to publish to your host.
One such
program I use is from
ewisoft
(click link for details). I joined
their 30-day free trial and then signed-up for a hosting contract with Domain Sale! $7.49 .com at GoDaddy.
These companies make things easy and inexpensive.
Custom store software
For high-volume sellers,
Miva
offers the best online store software – get the store for free by signing a
hosting contract with someone like NetNation at
http://www.netnation.com.
Because of less competition you should also sell at a higher price in your
store. The MrBead store uses Miva.
Register
a Domain with a Host
Before you begin working on a new website, you must register a domain.
This needs to be as simple, as short, as memorable as possible, and
available. Start by writing a list of
names that are related to you or your business – these are more likely to be
available.
For example,
if you live along Bure Lane and sell designer jewelry, write Bure Jewelry (at
the time of writing burejewelry.com was actually available for just $10.69 a
year). Or you could use your own
name or the type of pieces you design.
Suffix
Go for a dot com if possible, especially if you’re in the US, as it’s easier for
potential customers to remember.
However, a .co.uk for Britain, or .eu for Europe may be more available and
appear “local”.
Availability
When
you’ve scribbled all possibilities, go to Domain Sale! $7.49 .com at GoDaddy
to see whether it’s taken. If someone
else has your preferred domain, consider a different suffix, or change some of
the wording. It’s better to string
words together, than use hyphens or dots, as it’s easier to remember.
Example: If annspearls.com is taken, then annspearlnecklaces.com is better than anns.pearls.com. This can then be expressed as AnnsPearlNecklaces.com
Web storage
At the
same time choose a contract for storage space under the name from a web host,
like GoDaddy – the minimum priced will be sufficient.
I think I paid (in December 2009) about US$100 for the registration of
two domains and one year hosting. Or
you can pay monthly, which works out a little more.
Be sure to
print out and keep all letters and settings mailed from your host, you will need
these later. After you’ve done all
that, you’re almost on the road!
Template
Choose
a template for your site, this will ensure each page is linked professionally.
With a template, every page in your site keeps the same design, logo, and
other sections. It saves you a lot
of time. Free templates are
available from most web hosts or within the program
Front Page.
How to Structure Content within the Site
Uniformity
Be
sure to add a clear link to “Add to Basket”, “Basket Content”, AND “Buy Now”, on
all sales pages.
Missing these will lead to lost sales.
Ensure type
face, color, and font sizes are consistant throughout your site, especially if
you don’t use a template. Apply the
same font, writing style and spelling everywhere, except for headings.
Only use two or three different colors.
Typeface
The
best font for web-reading is Arial (as this book), although headings also look
good in Tahoma. Times New Roman
looks dated. Don’t use fancy styles
as they may look different to the viewer on another web browser.
This book is in 12 point, but 14 point is also common.
Don’t go smaller, and never under 10 point.
Use a
Paypal checkout if you don’t have a merchant account to accept credit cards.
These checkouts are simple to set up, free, and can be used by anyone
with a credit card. If you haven’t
already joined Paypal, do so immediately at
Paypal.com.
Going live
When
you’ve finished designing the site with your HTML editor, it’s time to upload to
your host, just click Publish on the
program.
For the first
time, you’ll have to enter the ftp address (this will be ftp.yourdomain or
ftp://yourdomain).
Plus user name & password you choose for ftp to your host, and maybe your
website URL (address). If you can’t find any of this information, just ask your
host.
Your site
should now be up and running, but don’t expect any sales without promotion and
marketing.
After you’ve finished your site, go
through every single page to check links go to the right places, it’s very easy
for these to be wrong. Check
spelling with your spell checker and use
English for the country you are marketing too (US spelling in the US and
British English for the UK).
Keep
it simple
Edit copy and shorten paragraphs for easy online reading.
Leave lots of space on the page, so it looks refreshing and pleasant to
the eye. Black type on a white
background looks the best.
Buy
something from your own website to see everything is working correctly, and also
to get the feel a customer experiences.
There’s nothing like testing the system yourself all the way through.
Problems a visitor will suffer, like where to click next, will show right away. You can then make adjustments. Such as adding automatically‐generated emails, or change other aspects of the process that might not be working as intended.
It’s very worthwhile to do these tests often, even after your site is up and running. Things can strangely change on their own, either from bugs in the software or adjustments from your host, so never become complacent. Test, test, test.
Peridot – the cooling gemstone for August
Just the
name Peridot sounds summer cooling, and its vivid, shimmering aqua-green color is
the ideal gemstone to complement a light summertime outfit. Peridot goes
so well with any light color, blending subtly to add interest to a design. Peridot
(pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gem variety of olivine, a mineral formed under
intense heat. Perhaps named from the French word “Peridot” meaning unclear, due
to its inclusions and cloudy nature. Small crystals of peridot are often found
in rocks by volcanoes and in meteors. Because the iron which creates the color
is an integral part of its structure, its color is always green - ranging from
transparent lime to olive green. One of the few gemstones of only in one color.
Peridot has been mined as a gemstone for thousands of years, said to be the favorite gem of Cleopatra, and mentioned in the Bible. In ancient Egypt it was mined at night because legend tells that peridot was hard to see during the day, yet easily visible by lamplight. The Greeks and Romans called peridot “topazion” and “topazius” - the later named topaz, to end the confusion between the two. Peridot has also been confused with emerald and many jewelers refer to it as "evening emerald". Peridot was later used to decorate medieval churches, carried back to Europe by the Crusaders, like the huge stones of more than 200 carats in size at Cologne Cathedral.
The gemstone is actually known under three names: Peridot,
Chrysolith (derived from the Greek word “goldstone”) and Olivin, because Peridot
is the gemstone variety of the Olivin mineral. In the gemstone trade it is
generally called Peridot, a name derived from the Greek “peridona”, meaning
something like “giving plenty.
Peridot is recommended for insomnia, digestive problems and to stimulate the mind. Some say peridot has the power to drive away evil spirits, intensified when the stone is set in gold. And it’s also said to strengthen the power of any medicine drunk from peridot goblets. Peridot is for people with the star sign of Leo. top of page
Peridot & pearl so so well together - teardrops of the moon goddess! This necklace is to inspire what can be done using a combination of different stones. Blue pearls with vivid green peridot make a striking fresh combination to cool you from the summer heat. Clusters of pale-blue 7mm rice pearls are wrapped with 4mm peridot beads producing this 16" -18" long necklace with a lobster clasp. top of page
To see all or peridot beads click MrBead.com or MrBead.co.uk
Carnelian
– another gemstone for August
This flesh-colored stone comes from the quartz family, and is usually bright orange to reddish orange, translucent to clear. However, it can be other colors like green or yellow. Carnelian has brought many ancient beliefs, like protection during travel after death and against evil. It is also believed to combat bad tempers. The name comes from the Latin word "Carnis" meaning flesh. The Roman thought that the darker Carnelian represented males and the lighter, females. Many believe that it creates a bond with man and nature.
Carnelian
is for confidence. Said to help blood disorders and eliminate toxins from the
body. Carnelian is in tune with the energies of the Earth, making you feel
comfortable with your environment. Allowing you to pause and reflect, while
feeling settled and more secure. Carnelian stimulates the reproductive organs
too; hence it’s long use as a fertility symbol. It is also said to help
creativity and have a clearing effect, replacing negative energy with positive.
Making it easier to find direction and feel in control of your life.
A good stone for people starting new projects or who feel they are going nowhere. It motivates, allowing you to find the energy to make the most out of life. Carnelian is best for people with the zodiac sign of Leo, and for those born on a Friday.
See all our carnelian beads at
MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk
See our new section of colorful
summer Rainbow Calsilica at:
MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk
To see more What's New click
MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk
To see all our beads at MrBead click
MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk
$10 or £6 off!
Sample our beads with a discount on any order
in our MrBead bead store, just key "website" at the checkout (without the inverted commas) and click "Redeem
Coupon".
Act Now! As expires on Tuesday 10th August 2010. Cannot be used with any other coupon or eBay.
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