Creating a Jewelry Website
Inexpensively and Easily

© by Alan Reisch; all rights reserved

Building a new website to display and sell your unique jewelry doesn't have to be a frightening or expensive experience. In fact, you can create a fully functioning e-commerce site for less than a few hundred dollars. Also, you don't have to be a programming genius. In fact, you don't even have to know basic html code.

A great program for anyone new to web design is Web Easy. It has several versions, but the latest version is usually around $40-$50. Believe me, unless you want to spend a lot of time learning about html or other computer languages, it is worth every penny. The best part of the program is the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) feature. If you type something on the screen or place a picture on the screen, it will show up exactly like that on your website.

Ok, now that you have a web design program you will need to find a web host. There are numerous providers, so take a little time to do some research. A key feature to look for is the host's uptime; the last thing you want is to have a website that can't be reached because your host is down. If you purchase the aforementioned program, it has a preferred host provider that is very easy to work with, but I have done enough free advertising for them.

When you pick your host provider, you will also need to think of a domain name. Once again, take a little time to think of a creative name that is easy to remember. It may mean the difference between a genuine visitor and someone who wants to visit your site but can't remember your name.

Next, if you don't have a digital camera, you will probably want to get one. It makes it so much easier to load pictures to your website. Digital cameras have improved so much that you don't have to spend a lot of money to be able to take good quality pictures. Also, keep in mind you will be able to use your digital camera for other purposes along with taking great jewelry photos.

Finally, you can utilize PayPal for e-commerce and free shopping cart technology. They will charge a small percentage on each sale, but if you have a premier or business account no other charges will be incurred. I am sure other options are available, but I am most familiar and comfortable with PayPal.

I hope this helps you with the basics of starting a jewelry website. If people are interested, I will be glad to go into more details of website construction in a future article - or feel free to e-mail from my website.

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