I ran across a neat idea for a Small Online Business.
The thought seemed too good to pass up, so I headed over to http://www.homestead.com and set the darn thang up.
So, I figure, who better to tell me what’s wrong with my web-store than 6000 of my closest friends whom I know only over the internet?
So, if you’ve got a minute, please head over to http://www.cheapmagazines.homestead.com and let me know what you think of the idea/design/ease of use, etc.
PS - I am not starting this thread as an advertisement.
Really.
If you don’t want to help me out, don’t. But if you would, I’d be grateful.
The idea is good, but, to me, the interface isn’t very pleasing. The links on the left of the screen have a very small clickable area. That’s a major annoyance, and the first couple of times I moved my mouse over them, they looked like false links. The overall look of the site is efficient, but dull. There’s nothing that really catches the eye and makes you want to browse around. Add some color. Eye candy makes a huge difference when you’re trying to make a sale. Also, the way the available magazines list out isn’t very pleasing. They just pop up in a very plain box. Perhaps you could give them multiple ways to browse, like by subject. Computers, home decorating, whatever.
Sorry this is so negative, I’m just throwing out some ideas. The concept of the site is good, and I’d stick with it. Just remember that the better it looks, the better your sales will be. Good luck.
RE the comments on interface… Yeah, I know. I used Homestead’s E-Z-Sitebuilding tool and just cranked the pages out. I plan to snazz 'em up a bit.
RE the wierd buttons… Yeah, I know about that, too. It’s really annoying and I am not sure how to fix it. The snag has to do with the way the SiteBuilder creates the buttons. The button background contains the link - not the text floating above it. UGH! I’m working on it.
RE the Big Ol’ List. Yeah - I know it is a big list. But, Homestead has not back-end database capabilities, and neither does any other free-host that I could find.
The problem is that I need a database in order to handle that many line-items.
Anyone know of another service?
PS - thanks for the comments… keep 'em coming!
Really, if you’re truly serious about this as a business, it would be in your best interest to pay for a website. They’re really not that much, anymore, and if you don’t know HTML, there are plenty of programs out there that will pretty much do it for you. You should scout around and see who will give you the best hosting price. They will all have back-end DB capabilities. It would definitely be something worth looking in to.
handy: Thanks for the referral - that looks like it’s worth a shot.
Aglarond: I know, I know. But, I am not “serious about it as a business.” I just thought it would be neat to play with! I make the point on the site that I know things aren’t fancy… but if I had to pay anything to keep it up, I would have to charge more.
