Finally…flexibility in the ecommerce website and graphic design process
Flexibility. Adaptation. “Rolling with the punches.”
We begin every project with a website questionnaire. We supply you with a time line for completion, and guide you in what input we need from you. Years of project management have helped us create a smooth process for turning out incredible web work.
That same experience tells us that there will always be curve balls, and often from the client. That is ok with us! We are used to it, and plan for it. Hear what Peter Breese of Billygoose.com said about our work.
A truly positive experience; eye9 delivered a functional site with all the bells and whistles. Not only did eye9 tolerate my ever changing vision, but they made every effort to incorporate all of the elements I thew at them.
As the design and development process progresses, it often reveals our clients’ preferences. The layout, colors, fonts, or navigation you thought you like now seem…unappealing. We work with you to accommodate your changing needs…often without any additional charge. Where a change in scope is required, we clearly articulate your options so as to choose the most strategic and cost effective option.
Flexibility. What you would expect from an elite Denver graphic and web page design firm.
CMS - the freedom to manage your own website
Over the past several years, we have observed a strong trend towards using content management systems in website design and ecommerce development. Increasingly, clients ask for the ability to manage their own website.
First of all, what is a CMS?
CMS stands for Content Management System. As the name indicates, it is a back end tool (invisible to the website visitor) that allows you to update text, pictures, and links without any knowledge of HTML. Some CMS systems even allow you to add audio, video, and PayPal buttons.
Why use a CMS?
If you frequently update your site with news, product information, product pricing, pictures, or other information, a CMS makes sense. It also makes “cents!” Having a CMS allows you to update your content, and focus your budget towards filling holes in your web strategy. For example, have you considered how much potential business you are losing by not having a search engine optimized site? Or, for ecommerce websites, adding expanded product profiles and user interface improvements (like picture zoom in/out) can increase your sales.
Can a CMS work with any website?
There is a CMS for every major website language.
- HTML: we recommend Contribute, Adobe’s (formerly Macromedia) best selling editor. It is simple for us to integrate with any HTML website, and is unmatched in ease of use. Features include the ability to include PDF’s in your web pages, add audio/video files, include PayPal buttons, and more.
- Example of Contribute in use: Zahr & Associates
- PHP and PHP eCommerce: we recommend Mambo, an open source CMS. It is widely used and widely documented, which allows us to adapt it for just about any need. Mambo is our CMS of choice for eCommerce web site design.
- Example of Mambo in use: Billygoose.com
Implementing a CMS
Whether you already have a website, or are just about to get going, a CMS is an important tool to consider. It gives you freedom in managing your own website, and allows you to redirect budget dollars towards essential improvements of your website.
eCommerce Web Design: free PayPal Shopping Cart vs. integrated ecommerce solutions
While most of our clients choose an integrated ecommerce shopping cart, the free PayPal shopping cart provides a compelling option for those with limited needs…and a limited budget.
What are the advantages of each?
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Integrated ecommerce shopping cart: we develop a cart on your hosting account, so that the entire secure shopping and checkout process stays on your server. This allows us complete control over the shopping experience. It also enables us to use an integrated content management system (CMS) like Mambo, and gives you the SEO benefit of having all the product information on your domain.
If you are looking for a flexible, powerful, and scalable long term ecommerce solution, choose an integrated shopping cart.- Example: Sumbody.com
- External ecommerce PayPal shopping cart: we develop a shopping cart which allows your visitors the benefit of buying multiple quantities and items. Since it is hosted entirely on PayPal’s servers, this requires less setup and therefore is less expensive.
If you are new to ecommerce, or simply have limited ecommerce needs, the free PayPal shopping cart is an excellent alternative.- Example: TheHoopSource.com
- Here what Justen Byler of TheHoopSource.com says about his new site:
eye9 took a small business idea and created a website to suit even the biggest business. The overall look and the functionality, including PayPal incorporation into the site matched and then exceeded our expectations. We look forward to a long relationship with eye9.
Are you interested in taking advantage of the myriad of opportunities presented by internet commerce? Contact us today, and select “eCommerce” for your area of interest.
*A note of clarification: PayPal does offer payment processing services (Website Payments Pro) for integrated shopping carts as well. The free PayPal shopping cart demonstrated here (Website Payments Standard) is an external shopping cart, hosted on PayPal’s servers.
eye9 Design provides affordable ecommerce website design services and Denver web site development to our clients across the nation and around the world.
Web 2.0…am I missing something?
Clients will ask me from time to time, with trepidation on their face: “What is web 2.0?” The underlying question is: “Am I missing something?”
Web 2.0 “refers to a perceived second-generation of Web based communities and hosted services such as social networking sites, wikis and folksonomies that facilitate collaboration and sharing between users” (Wikipedia). Sharing…collaboration…communities….are these really new? As this Wikipedia article attests, the term becomes a bit meaningless when you consider that these capabilities have all existed since the beginning of the web.
It is most helpful to think of web 2.0 as an increased emphasis on participatory websites. Think dialogue…not monologue. Have you considered how effectively your website is engaging visitors? Statistics software like Google Analytics can help you analyze which pages are most popular on your website, and which pages visitors remain on the longest.
To enhance the “stickiness” of your site and increase your return traffic, take advantage of the many community tools available today
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Wikis
Also, many corporations and organizations are effectively using websites like MySpace and Facebook to raise awareness about their services and products.
Are you missing anything with web 2.0? Only if you ignore the opportunity to engage your visitors by deploying today’s community website tools.
Speaking of collaboration…click on “Leave a comment” below and tell us what you think!
eye9 Design is a Denver web development company providing web site development to clients around the globe.
