The "Critique My Site" feature offers AuctionBytes readers a chance to submit their ecommerce websites for critique by readers, who will offer their suggestions for site design and for enhancing search engine placement. Today, Peggy Bently submits her site, http://www.privatespacers.com.
Peggy has been selling on eBay for about 3 years, and now concentrates on selling one product - a Dorm Room Privacy Screen. Peggy hired someone to design an inexpensive website, which is hosted on PrivateSpacers.com.
Peggy said she does not know how to change the site or take it down. She does have the password, but she said she does not have special FTP software to make any changes.
Peggy said she has only gotten a couple of hits from the site and thinks the site needs to be better. However, "I know I need a new designer, but that is expensive."
Peggy's plight shows the problem many small businesses face when going online. Often, business-owners outsource their website design and management to an outside firm, but then are left in the dark when it comes to making changes to the site.
Designers may assume their clients know how to make changes, or they may feel it's not their business to teach clients this task. Business owners want to make sure when hiring designers that this is built-in to the cost of creating a site, and they must make the investment in time to make sure they know how to make at least simple changes to their site. But if you do find yourself in this situation, what do you do? How can Peggy learn to manage her site, and will it cost her money? And once she gains control, how could Peggy make her PrivateSpacers.com website a selling machine?
Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and AuctionBytes.com and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @auctionbytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com.
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