Website Setup for Beginners Part II

You may wonder what the photo has to do with this post--nothing. I meant to put on the side in the about me section and now don't know how to remove it. It is a picture of my husband's Aunt Evelyn when young who recently passed away.


This current entry is a continuation of my first trial at describing in the most basic terms setting up your own small business enterprise on the internet. I come at this subject as a person with no schooling for computers, knowing only what I needed to know to get by. I had no clue about what was involved in setting up a web business, the terminology--like a foreign language! or how much work is was going to be. My goal is to make it easier for others in the same "boat" as myself.

Each step of the way through this process I found something new to learn, something new that had to be done. This is not saying that I am done. At present I am in the process of again editing my product listings to make them more search engine friendly.

Credit Card or Payment Processing
With your own webstore site you will have to determine how payments to you are going to be made. Although very limiting, the easiest option is to accept only money orders/cashiers checks and possibly personal checks (holding your merchandise until the check clears). Easy, yes--but it will limit you in two ways. First, many buyers will not wish to go through the effort of buying a money order (they can be bought with cash only and there is a fee) and then putting the money order/cashiers check or personal check in the mail. The second reason is that if you wish to sell worldwide or if your product does better in a worldwide market, the buyer will have to pay a hefty fee for the order in US dollars--or you will pay the fee to cash it.

Three good, safe ways that I am aware of for CC processing are the following. My host company had suggestions and answered questions about entering information.
1. PayPal
2. Google checkout
3. Credit card processing service, such as ecommerce.

You will ultimately decide which way is the best for you, and here are some questions that should be asked during the decision process.
1. Set-up fee: What is the cost for setting up the account?
2. Sale fee: What is the cost per sale? Flat rate? Percentage of total sale? Is there a cut-off after a certain dollar amount when there will be no charge to you? Is there a minimum monthly fee is sales don't reach a certain dollar amount?
3. Currency exchange fee: Should you sell worldwide, what is the percentage or fee for non-USA sales?
4. Return fee: Is there a charge for crediting back a buyer's purchase?
5. How will you be billed? What day of the month will finds need to be available for payment?

Whatever you decide, you generally need to be up and running before final approval will be made. The host company that I am using wanted an application filled out, I had to be approved, and my site was checked out. I had to have certain basic information in place before the final okay--information about myself, my return policy, and a live site. One last thing, and important, is to have a secure site. There is a fee for this also, and it makes sense. If you look at my website on the home page you will see a seal of security. This means that I am guaranteed, which also gives the guaranteer responsiblity.

While you are putting all of this into place, it will be necessary to decide when the actual billing will be done--at the time of purchase or at the time of shipping. I chose to "capture" the sale at time of shipping, which means up to that point if for any reason I can't ship there is no credit to issue. Also, I chose to not have anyone's credit card numbers kept--way too much responsibility! The credit company handles that.

Shipping
Because I generally don't handle real large boxes or packages, I use the US Post Office for shipping. In fact, when I sold larger items on eBay I used them also. There is a cut-off point when another carrier such as UPS is more economical, and when packages get heavier it is worth checking out. If you search for USPS there is a wealth of information easily available about package sizes and weight. Whether the USPS or UPS, these two give small businesses the opportunity to sign up for an online service and I imagine other companies do the same. This one, at least for the USPS, fortunately has no fee. What you will do is set up a shipping program through your site, set up what kind of services you will offer and how you will do shipping rates. If you have one type of shipping and a flat rate, this will be the easiest. Another way that is seen all the time is to charge for shipping by total dollar amount of purchase.

If you ship lighter weight items as I do, it makes sense to ship by total package weight. Also, media material (books, printed music, records, CD's, cassettes) have the option of shipping at a special rate. Many buyers prefer the choice of a priority rate because media mail can be notoriously slow, especially at high mail traffic times of the year.

I have mine set up with the weight entered for each item. Then at final sale a small amount is added on to cover packaging weight and packaging materials. I caution against large charges for shipping when not warranted--this will ward off return customers in a hurry. This is the way I have found works best, and I hope the information gives you some ideas about how you want to set up your shipping process.

Writing Descriptions
All of the details can really bog you down and take a whole lot of time. It may seem that sometimes it is all you do. The nitty gritty of the whole thing--getting buyers to find you--comes down to how you write up your descriptions. There are several parts to the whole process. I suggest that when you are checking out hosting sites and programs that you examine how the companies have their programs organized--whether it will be complicated or smooth when you do this all-important task.

This is the most important reason to study, read and learn what you can--how the search engines find you depends on it. To begin I would like to talk about three of the most basic parts.

I will tell you that after almost two years and over a thousand positive feedbacks on eBay it wasn't until recently that I truly understood what keywords are and their importance. What is a keyword? What is a search engine? How do the two meet?

A search engine is a large conglomerate that finds information people put out for others to see and know. Google and Yahoo are the two biggest and most important of them. There are other search engines that are very important, but for different reasons. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is what you want for your site. You will need to enter data in a specific way to not only be found by the SEO's, but also be important enough to make it to the top of the list. What you see when you first search a topic is called the first page--that is, of course, the best place for your site to be. Where you land in the search engines--at the top, farther down, or not on the first page--this is call page rank.

Keywords are what the search engines find when they are seeking information. They send out something that they call spiders to find and put out this information. Spiders only will accept keywords. There is a whole list of words that spiders ignore called stop words. Here is a link to one list.>> --that is what you want to have the least of in the first two-hundred words you use for a product. However, because the SEO system changes so fast, just when I was finding this link I noted that google is beginning to include a few stop words. Here is an article about that.>>

Back to keywords--there are places to find keywords that best suit what you are selling. There is a lot of free information to utilize if you have the time to seek it out. Other ways are to obtain a book--be sure it was published yesterday! Or, you can pay for a service; or, if you are paying for advertising such as google adwords, you can get suggestions there. The problem I had with google's keywords was that there were so many and not necessarily the best ones. The line can be very fine--here is an example: With book selling it can matter whether I use the word book or books depending on the subject and category of the book I want to sell.

To determine what will be the best keywords (and maybe even a few misspelled words) for your product I suggest doing some survey work. Ask people you know the question, "If you are searching the internet for this product, what words will you use to look?" Next, determine your target market and study how they think and their buying practices. Why? Because you can't just have a whole string of keywords describing what you are selling. So, ask. What kind of descriptive wording will attract my target market and make them decide to buy from my website instead of another? Do some searching on google and yahoo. Look for the same or similar to what you want to sell--how do the stores with the best page rank use their keywords?

To close off keywords for the present, I would like to share a couple of tips about punctuation.
1. If you put quotation marks around something important in your description, leave spaces inside the quotes. Otherwise, what the spiders will read is the quotation mark. Examples: NO-- "house" YES-- " house " or NO-- house:boat YES: house : boat.

Before I stop typing I would like to mention photographs. For your descriptions if at all possible include photographs. You know the phrase, a picture speaks a thousand words. Think of a picture as a visual description of your product. Also, if there is a complaint you will have a good picture to which you can refer. You don't have to have the best and most expensive photo equipment, but it will help a good deal if you practice. Where is the best lighting? Should I set up a little studio to take my pictures (that is, lights, back drop and tripod for camera.) How can I use a scanner for good pictures? More later about this.

Also a little more on shipping--
Whatever you sell, you will not be successful with unhappy buyers. Package in a way that your product will get to its destination clean, dry, and in one piece. And, don't settle for good enough Remember that part of the perception of your product how it is perceived upon arrival at its destination. Your packaging should not only protect what you are shipping, it should be perceived as being packaged to go around the world and back.

I can tell you that when I have made a mistake with shipping weight or price I have had to bite the bullet and pay shipping for more than my profit. I have never yet (but will) had a box or envelope arrived damaged. What I have had is packages not arrive--which is not by any wrongdoing on my part. Lastly, don't do less for inexpensive products but treat each sale like gold. That buyer may not ever come back, or may only buy inexpensive things from you--ever. That buyer may also return to your site and make larger purchases because you have proved yourself trustworthy with a small dollar amount sale.

What else? More on keywords, descriptions, metatags, robots, shipping, more! more! more!

Here is a link to my site.

The Process of Opening a New Webstore

The information stated here is based upon my learned knowledge. It does not cover every possible detail, nor will every statement be true for every situation.

Have you ever heard someone say, just open a website? I am here to tell you that it will be very exciting and possibly the most frustrating endeavor you will ever pursue during your life. I have always been able to do something at the computer, but have never known any more that necessary to accomplish the task at hand.

So, when I decided to pursue my own website rather than selling through a large entity I dived right into getting it going. If you are considering this for yourself this is the blog for you to read. My comments will not all be posted at one time. Since the process has literally taken over the last four months it will take a while to disseminate all of the information.

My hope is that what I write here will make it easier for someone else to do the same. The first thing to always remember is that it takes hard work and time. There are those who have been instant successes at internet selling, but it is not the norm. I am speaking not only from my experience, but also from the extensive reading that I have done.

The second important factor is money. Before ever starting, remember that the old phrase it takes money to make money is a truth. There are many costs that I had never thought about, and there are some that even an experienced webster may not have thought of either.

I cannot tell what one person knows or doesn't know, so this will be very basic--please don't think it insulting.

The first step of all the steps is to decide what type of entity to be. For the small business person, there are three that I am aware of to consider.

1. Sole Proprietership
2. Limited Liability Corporation
3. S Corporation

The Sole Proprietership means that you just hang out your "shingle" and go for it. Also known as a "mom and pop" type of operation, most people who sell some place like eBay are sole proprieters. For this a good thing to have is your state's tax exempt form. This will give you the ability to not have to pay sales tax on products that you will resell. Remember, only products for resale count on this. If it something that you need to operate your business, tax must be paid.

There are ways to go about submitting your operation for the LLC or S Corporation. Companies are available to handle this service for a fee, or you can go through a lawyer. I chose to go to a law firm. Whichever way, before agreeing to have anyone act on your behalf ask what the fee is. Anyone who knows how to go about this should have a flat rate that is charged for the whole thing--from beginning to end. Then, add to that the application fees for state and federal filing. It is a somewhat complicated process and I recommend not doing it yourself--unless you are a lawyer (who can also tell you which form of corporation is best for you.) Once a corporation, you will also have a federal id number.

Merchandise
If your business will be selling a tangible product (i.e., one that is not downloaded or a service) you will have to find ways to obtain merchandise. Used products--Well, they will mostly come from your home, thrift stores, garage sales, and other such places. These are also place to make contacts that will lead to better merchandise. New Products--One thing that does not work is to go to google and type in the word "wholesale." You will spend hours and hours looking for a site that has what you want at a price that will allow you to make a profit. There is one service that works very well that has a fee structure for whatever level will serve you best. It is called Worldwide Brands. This company seeks out wholesalers and distributors that will sell in smaller quantities and also screens their policies.

What you will need to set up wholesale accounts
Although each company has a different set of rules there are a few basic requirements that you can expect.

1. Your state tax id form (usually it is the form, not just the number).
2. Your federal id number or your social security number
3. Many companies will want a voided check from your business account, and sometimes with a business name printed on the check.
4. You may be asked for a business card. I suggest printing some up on your computer.
5. A fax machine--every company I have dealt with wanted the above faxed (sometimes mailed) to them. If you don't have a fax, it is acceptable to go to an office supply store where there is a fax service for a small fee. Faxes are generally sent with a fax cover sheet. The form can be obtained by searching google, or through your office word processing program.
6. Credit card number--you may have to establish a credit history before it will be extended to you. For the most part my wholesale purchases go through my business account right up front.

Domain Name
Before opening your business on the internet you will need a registered domain name. What is it? It is your chosen business name that will belong to you and no one else. By searching the internet you will see companies that do this, and the range in price is huge. Once you choose a company, know that there will be a yearly fee to keep the name. You will be offered the opportunity to pay for 1, 2 or 3 years usually. You will also be offered for another fee the opportunity to keep your private information private. Once a company has been chosen, you enter your company name and there will be an instant search to see if the title is already taken. Choose a name that will say something about what you are selling, and definitely something that is easy to remember.

Choosing a Host or a Program
Because I have limited knowlege (no formal schooling) about programming, I looked for a host company that had most of what I needed within which I could set up my business. The company I chose has a super program, training videos and a training manual (that can be viewed and tried out before signing on), live web help, and 24-hour technical support. The support has been invaluable. You may also want to look for a tiered structure which will allow you to pay only for the number of products you will carry.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO
This is very, very important. How will you get your products known on the internet so that buyers can find you and buy? It is very complicated, always changing, and a specialized internet field. My own son who has three computer degrees doesn't even know much about it. You cannot start soon enough to learn all that you need to know about this subject. One possibility is to hire someone to do it for you, but at the least it will cost about $300-$400. A very good place to start is at seochat.com. They publish articles regularly and have lots of links to other information. Another good place is through google. If you don't want to sign on as a poster, most sites will allow you to read their information and conversations. seochat.com and others also have tools to check how you are doing once your site is up and running, as does google's webmaster tools.

There is a lot of information here to check out. Next time I write I will talk about credit hosting and how to sign up for shipping that will allow you to create shipping labels online, and more about SEO. Other subject that I will cover is pictures--the importance of good product photographs and how to go about it, keywords, metatags, and much more.

If you would like to look at my webstore, it is qualitymusicandbooks.net

Birth - Death - Pride - Humility

Birth and Death
It seems this past week has been a time for opposites. Some believe there is always a polarity of events, some call it karma, some just say, "What goes around comes around." Although this may be true, to wish this upon another person is to wish for revenge. In my Christian belief system what is called for is forgiveness. I know many have trouble with the concept, even to the point of turning away from faith. However, forgiveness does not mean forgetfulness. Neither does it mean that following a forgiving act relationships can continued unbridled by past events. But that's another subject--what my thoughts are on tonight are the opposites shown in the title.

The birth of a child is a miracle. All of the parts are there in that tiny little body, a creation beyond compare. I can imagine no one wishing for a baby not to be born just the way he or she is supposed to be. But it happens. Sometimes very self-evident, sometimes over the course of years problems are discovered.

This week we have been blessed with a beautiful granddaughter, our third grandchild. Sonya Helen has 10 gorgeous fingers and 10 fabulous toes. She has wonderful loving parents, and my husband and I are so very greatful. Besides being able to see her within hours of her birth we were able to care for her brother who is a mere one-year old.

At the same time that we were delighting over our new granddaughter a friend's mother passed away, and as I write this tears fill my eyes over her family's loss. My parents are gone, and so is my stepfather. It is a strange thing to feel orphaned when an adult yet I am not alone with this emotion. The cycle of life is a fact. People are born and people die. Life holds both joy and sadness. The sadness, though, is ours. The life of a Christian that is over is either awaiting the joy of heaven or has already been renewed, depending upon one's belief system.

I had the privilege of meeting this wonderful mother of my friend once. Her character and strength were evident during the few short hours we spent together. And my friend--her daughter--has shown her high character too. You see, she and her husband brought the mother to live with them. She was patient with her mom and did everything humanly possible to make the last months comfortable, allowing her to die with dignity and grace.

When physical events such as these happen, it is a very normal occurrence for other similar instances to be recalled. Right now there is a little boy struggling for life, born with an imperfect heart. Against all odds this little boy, Ellis, has survived for two years. Now with a recent heart transplant the struggle continues. I recall my own's mom's death--the early morning telephone call, the waiting by her bedside until midnight when she died. It was a very, very sad day.

And now, I think upon the children Rick and I brought into this world--three incredibly fabulous children who now are married and having babies of their own. They will know the intense happiness of parenthood as well as the times when things don't go so well, yet no matter what there will be love. Do I wish for them the karma of conflict and hurt that their dad and I have experienced over the years? Never. If I could keep from them all but perfection I would--but they would then be robbed of the richness of life.

Pride and Humility
Everyone needs a niche--some way to feel good about themselves. It is a sorrowful statement when people find it at the expense of others because there has been no one to validate their existence. One must feel good about who one is.

Taking self-esteem from things such as abilities or accomplishments opens us up to a Humpty-Dumpty type fall off a wall. What then happens when suddenly the ability to work or do what has given success is gone? I recall that while growing up I didn't recognize my own face in the mirror since I had no concept of who I was as a person. I recall being told to love others as I loved myself. How I agonized over that idea because I didn't love myself--how could I know how I was supposed to love others? For years I worked tirelessly to achieve my rightful place until it all came crashing down. Consequently I suffered and so did my family. Then, through many years following, I had to find the person that was "me." And yet, pride is fleeting because so is life. Think of the years that this planet has existed. Think of eternity with no beginning and no end. It is very humbling coming to the realization that our time is but a tiny speck on the timeline.

So, what can we leave that will give meaning to our existence? There is only one thing, which is a life of character. If we are leading a dishonorable life, that can be changed no matter what the present circumstance. Christian or not, lives lived with the integrity of personal character do sprout the same--just as my friend's life has uplifted me, and her mother's hers.

I hope that now that I know how to love myself the consequence is that I can love and care for others better by showing respect and dignity--that I will speak praise for every person's walk through life, and will speak out when there is a wrong against others that needs to be righted, and will let go because I respect another's right to live their life as best they can.

There is a saint in the Catholic tradition who was the beginning of the Sisters of Divine Mercy, Sister Faustina. She put forth the idea of doing one act of kindness every day. Large or small--think of how our world would change if every able-bodied person consciously performed just one good deed daily. A thoughtful gesture done not as a way to gain entrance into heaven, but with the mission of following Jesus Christ example of love--an altruistic act with no expectation of return.
What a place this would be!
... babamarusia

Christians! Be Careful What You Say

Recent statements heard by ME.

Statement: You must give to receive
Fact: Jesus came and stated that all that is necessary for salvation is to " Believe and be Baptised." Even this four word statement has been interpreted many ways, but giving has never been a prerequisite.

Statement: Give so that you may store up " treasures in heaven. "
Fact: There is NO pecking order. Jesus loves those with the least as much as anyone. The only TREASURE Jesus wants is US.

Statement: Give and you will receive abundantly.
Fact: Goodness is sometimes rewarded, and just as often is returned by unpleasant circumstances.

So, in my opinion, what is the reason to give? The answer is one, very simple basic four-letter word. LOVE. In our human-ness we have sinned, are sinning, and will sin in the future. There is no cure for this state of sinfulness, and yet there was a precious gift. The one who never should have been punished for wrong doings, the one who never did a mean, evil, rotten thing -- ever -- died by a horrible, tortured death after being accused of wrong.

He gave his life for another--for many. Just as someone who dies during a heroic act to save the life of another, Jesus did it for us all--and never held us accountable. " Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Unconditional, selfless love. It may be likened to a baby's affection even when abused. It is as a mother or father who loves a child despite mean words and bad acts.

And what will be our motivation for giving? Will it be to buy our way into heaven and then closer to the throne of glory? Will it be because we have to? Or, will it be for an altruistic reason, just as Jesus' death was, which was pure, unconditional love?

Then, what will be given--time, skills, money? As you are motivated, give. This certainly doesn't mean that a reminder of needs is wrong. It is the words that place guilt or give unrealistic promises--these are lies. Giving may or may not bring happiness, opportunity or good cheer, but the pleasure of a gift given with no thought of return for the good of others should be reward enough.

The Christian Controversy of Death

I am in a quandry about death. As a Christian I am supposed to look forward to my new life to come after death, even desire it. Yet, I am also supposed to cherish life, make life worthy, and cling to it with all my being for as long as possible. Personally, I hate death--the act of death to be exact. I hate the results and consequences feasted not upon the person who has died, but for all the people who have a connection with who is dead. There is no control over it. In a five-year time span one person will know no one who has died, yet another person will know multiple people. Of this multiple group of people there can be many who are very close in relationship with the die-ers.

Maybe I don't hate death as much as I am weary of it. In the last five years there have been many--some young and tragic, and some old yet missed. I find it curious that one of the first questions asked by others when I announce a death is the age of the die-er. Is my grief for one whom I loved so dearly expected to be in direct relationship with their age? Maybe every year that passes should lower my grief level by one percent. Thus, if someone I know dies at the ripe old age of 100 there should be no time of grieving. When my Aunt Anna died in the 103rd year of her life it follows that I should have had a party and whooped it up!

For the young and tragic, there is sorrow over what might have been. I can't deny that. For the old I am happy that they are well again. I can't say there have been many middle-aged deaths around me recently. I guess when someone is in that period of life it should be said, "She had a life half well-lived." Hmmm.... a new category of die-ers. Now that I have thought it I can't take it back, and that's too bad because I don't want to start a new trend.

It's time for God to turn off the fawcet. It is time for death to take a rest rather than for the dead to be at rest, because I who am still here wish some respit from the onslaught of sorrow that overwhelms me when another that I love has died.

So, God, I know you are listening because you always do and I am telling you that I need a rest. I was not ready for the last five or six+ to leave me, and I am not ready now for the one who is very sick to join you. The only solution then is for you to make her better. Get busy, please.

Hymn

Through the green leaves of the trees I look up to the sky
And consider God, the artist who created from on high.
I think upon the splendor in this glorious world of ours,
Comparing it to conflict here at home and distant shores.

Confusion reigns within my heart for God is peace, not war.
Souls forget the love within, humanness comes to the fore.
Emotions flare and reason flees, all thoughts of love are tossed
Where are the speakers for the dead—who shudder at the cost?

The speakers are not silent, they cry out to Him above
Who is our only hope for peace, and some day it will come
When all the Saints will ever live within the light of joy
And cries of happiness, not pain their voices will employ.

Glory! Hallelujah! …that God is still the one
That gave the chance for calm to reign because he sent his Son.
To Him who listens patiently to all our fervent prayers
He’s always present, never failing us because he cares.

When the focus of our eyes upon the world that we can see
Is this old earth of toil and woe, then look up and through the trees.
Set your heart to what can’t be seen, to what only God can give
The peace that passes understanding because our Savior lives!
Mary Katherine May
August 9, 2006

Jesus and Unconditional Love

I have given a lot of thought to the subject of Jesus and unconditional love. For those of us who believe that he came, shared his message of love and forgiveness, and gave the ultimate gift of his life for us this should be a relevant topic. Compare this with the well-heard reason for believing, or accepting Him as Savior of the World. "Believe in Jesus! Be forgiven! You will have eternal life!" I cannot even count how often I have heard and read this catch-all phrase from those who feel their calling is to save the world. Yet, even Jesus used it, although maybe not in such a blatantly pushy form that makes the hearer want to turn around and run.
The follow-up question then is this. Is our love for Jesus (God) as unconditional as His? Do we love Him so much that no matter what happens, what the final outcome will be, still love Him? Do we love Him, or the promise of eternal life? Is our love so great that we can love Him without fear--without the threat of being good or else?
One might conjecture that there is no Jesus Christ without eternal life, that the two cannot be separated. Yet, he loved us without hesitation--that is unconditionally. I think that there is merit to consider this subject. And, why do we want eternal life? Is it the fountain-of-youth for us? Is it because it will make what is done here, no matter how insignificant, have meaning. Or, is it the opportunity to sit at the feet of God to worship and praise the ultimate good?
This blog spot of mine maybe only for my benefit--my little claim to fame, maybe I wonder if others have given it any thought--but I challenge any who just may read this to consider whether or not their love for God is as unconditional as His. Think about whether the life you lead in Jesus Christ as Word is so great that it would be enough without the prize.