System Update at eDirecthost.com

Looks like edirecthost.com has just updated it’s software again.  This is a great website builder and with the new update it looks like they are realy enhancing what they already have.  Updates to shopping cart, templates, editor, blog and more.  check them out at www.edirecthost.com

Website Builder and eCommerce

When comparing website builders, keep in mind that eCommerce is a large part of the builder that needs to be reviewed and tested.  Some of the key things to look at are; shopping cart, shipping options, product catalog, secure checkout, merchant account integration, coupons, import/export, order review and processing, inventory control, sales tax, gift certificates, subscriptions, downloadable products.  This is just a partial list but the right website builder will have these options and more.

 

Shopping Cart, make sure the builder has a shopping cart that allows you to add products to the cart and buy them.  Integrating a 3^rd party shopping cart within a sitebuilder can be a real headache.  Having the shopping cart built into the website builder allows you to get support from one company and not having to contact separate parties and then get the finger pointing issue.

 

Product Catalog, verify you can setup and manage your products within the sitebuilder.  Sitebuilder should also have the ability to create categories and sub categories for organizing larger product listings.

 

Secure Checkout, sitebuilder NEEDS to have a secure SSL checkout certificate integrated in.  You should not have to go out and buy a SSL certificate and then integrate it within the sitebuilder.  Again, one product and one support number to call.

 

Merchant Account, eCommerce solution will need to support various merchant account setups.  A merchant account is the bank that will do the credit card processing for you.  Sitebuilders won’t have this option built in because they are not a bank but should have the option to work with the most popular gateways out there.  Authorize.net, linkpoint, verisign and more.

 

Coupons, gift certificates, subscriptions and downloadable products are a much needed add on for any eCommerce solution.  Again, they should be built into the website builder so you don’t have to integrate another party solution.

 

Inventory control isn’t needed by everyone but if your business requires it then verify the eCommerce website builder supports this option as well.  It will be very difficult to integrate online inventory control with retail stores because of the inventory change within the store.

 

Make sure sales tax and shipping vendors are available as well.  As eCommerce store will need to charge tax for the state they are in and not for any states they don’t have a physical location in.  Integration with FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL and others is a very important option.

 

Keep this in mind when looking for a Website Builder with eCommerce features.  One company we recommend that handles all of the above and much more is eDirectHost at www.edirecthost.com, they have one of the most advanced eCommerce shopping carts in the market today.

Website Builders and Search Engines

Website Builders and Search Engines: 

A good website builder will have the options to customize your site so it can rank well within the search engines.  Here are some key functions your website builder should be able to do.

Meta Tags:  Make sure you are able to change some of the more important Meta tags on your website.  Some of the important ones are keywords, website title, website description and page title.  It’s really important that you can change them on every page and not just one time for the whole site.  Very few website builders allow you to do this, one that I’m impressed with is edirecthost, a website builder which allows you to do this per page.  They also allow you to change the header to add any custom Meta tag you want.

Text Formatting:  The ability to change the text formatting is very important within the website builder.  Creating headings in bold, underline and larger fonts help search engines determine which words on the site are more important than others.

 CSS:  Using Cascading Style Sheets “CSS” has become more important with search engines as well. CSS is a breakthrough in Web design because it allows developers to control the style and layout of multiple Web pages all at once. As a Web developer you can define a style for each HTML element and apply it to as many Web pages as you want. To make a global change, simply change the style, and all elements in the Web are updated automatically.  Good website builders like edirecthost have these built right into the builder and you never know.  It’s just the fact that the website builder is using this updated function that allows search engines to recognize it easier and move your site up higher. Ecommerce:  A good website builder will allow you to create and display your products on the web and allow you to change key settings within the product such as Meta tags, comments and alt tags to the images for better rankings. There are many more things that a website builder should do but that’s all the time I have today, more to come later.

website builder tips

When looking to build a website with an online website builder you will want to look at a few things.  One important item is the text editor they use.  Does the editor support the following:

Formating the text (Bold, Underline, Font, Size, Color).
Can you add hyperlinks within the editor.
Can you add images into the editor.
Does the editor support tables.
Look for items similar to this editor but with more options.

When lookgin for a website builder keep in mind that it has to be easy to use with online help and tutorials.  The ability to allow you to edit your site once it’s live is also important.  Most important thing is that the website builder should be all online and web based, don’t get into anything where you have to download and upload files from your computer.  This defeats the purpose and if your computer was to crash it would all be lost.  I personally use a program by eDirecthost at www.edirecthost.com.  They are focused around the small business provider and have excellent customer support.  I recommend you try out there online website builder for 10 days free.

More to come later