Web sites for selling

[ken dixon]

Hi,
I was curious how many western silver engravers or jewelery engravers have a web site, and if so how sucessfull have they been selling their work because of it. I have a pbase gallery but is it worth the money to have your own domain? Thanks Ken

 

[Ray Cover]

Ken,

I can't speak for silver engravers since I am a knife/gun/pen engraver but mine has helped me a lot.

One thing most people don't realize about websites is that you get out of it as much as you put into it. You can't just throw a page ont eh internet and expect to bring in the bucks with it.

If you have a dinky little site with crappy photos (you know the ones that are so blurry you can tell its engraved but can't actually see the engraving) then I would not expect a lot from the site.

On the other hand, if you have a professional looking site with good images in which people can really see your work you may be supprised. Make sure it is well organized and easy to navigate no matter how large it becomes.

Don't try to cram everything in on the opening page (or any page for that matter). Keep it clean and crisp looking. Remember your advertising represents your work. If your advertising is cheap and dinky that is what people will think of your work.

You don't have to spend a ton of money. With todays software you can build a nice one yourself but it is work.

Take a look at Sam's or mine or Steve Lindsay's. They tend ot be large sites but they are still clean and well organized. For a website to produce that's the way it has to be.

Ray

 

[Ray Cover]

About the domain name. Yes it helps to have an easy to remember domain that helps the customer associate the website with you.

Mine is rcoverengraving.com. My customers have no doubt whose site that domain belongs to and it is easy for them to remember. it is also easy to find when searching for "Ray Cover Engraving".

Ray

 

[jimzim75]

Hi,
Maybe not in the way that you would think. My site does a very little business
with internet customers, but it's huge with the store owners. It shows them
exactly what they can order for me. Even more, that I'm well capable of
doing the work to the standard they wish to sell. To the average internet
customer, the site is overwhelming. They are given to many choices, but to
a store owner. They can print off an example and show it to his customers.

One thing is, that I advertised the site in Canadian Jeweller for two years,
and it worked.

Jim

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Ken

I would say that if you're in business today selling a product then a web site is essential. They can be bigger than Texas with "Buy Now" buttons everywhere.............or they can be what's called a brochure site.

A brochure site is just that, a brochure with samples of your work, contact details etc. A lot of engravers have them. It's just the same as giving your potential and existing clients a several page glossy brochure. You can change and update it whenever you like at no extra cost.

I have one for my signwriting busines www.awardsigns.co.nz and it is almost my exclusive way of advertising now and it is very cheap to run. A good 30-50% of my new customers come via the web site. I made it myself and it was simple enough on Microsoft Frontpage which is a good basic programme. If you've used Microsoft Word then Front Page is a walk in the park.......Dreamweaver would be the programme of choice if you wanted something a bit more whizz bang and had the skills to use it.

The site costs me approximatley $160 per year for web site hosting and $40 for name registration. That's in New Zealand but it will be similar in your country.

Just make sure that if you go down that road to get a domain name that reflects what you are (like Ray Cover pointed out) like www.westernengraver.whatever. Do not under any circumstances go for the free domain name thing. Also get it hosted properley.....not tagged onto some free hosting service. That will drive your potential clients nuts as they will get bombarded with advertising. It will also mean that it will be virtually impossible to find on the search engines like Google which defeats the very thing your trying to do.

The chances are that your probabley losing business by not having one.

I also built and maintain a web site for a friend that sells shooting equipment at www.hayesandassociates.co.nz it has worked extremley well for him.

Merry Christmas
Andrew Biggs

 

[Sam]

Ken: buying your own domain is definitely worth the money and trouble. a pBase account is good for a start and is better than nothing, but it's certainly not as prestigious as having your own domain. If you're interested in one, I suggest NameBargain.com as an inexpensive source for domain registration ($8.88 per year).

For hosting, I have been using Pair.com for several years and have been quite pleased with their price and service. iGraver and the Cafe and MasterEngraver.com are all hosted on Pair.com. The lowest price package they offer is only about $6 per month to host your site, and if you pay one year in advance there's a discount.

Once you have a domain name registered and a hosting company to host your site, you then have to build the site and upload all files to your server. If you're not familiar with the process, hire someone to assist you or do it for you. Having an amateurish looking website is as bad as not having one at all, so be careful. You can certainly learn to do the work yourself. There are many great books and tutorials on the subject. But it all starts with quality photographs. / ~Sam

 

[SharpGraver]

Hi Ken
I recently purchased the website Sharpgraver.com from Sam. He did a beautiful job,had all the bases covered and the investment is quite reasonable. now it is up to me to figure out how to promote it. It's only been up about a month and this is my busy season so I have not been able to give it the attention it needs but already it has been generating business around the local area from people who I have self promoted to. You can create any illusion you wish and play with the big boys on their level. It has also really stimulated my Love life, amazingly enough. Sam YOU ARE MY HERO!!!
David

 

[ken dixon]

Thanks everyone for your input. Ken