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Our Manchester e Commerce web designers will make sure your site generates sales

Why choose Vizcom?

Our e Commerce Websites look good, are easy to use and are search engine friendly. We use a system called Zen Cart which has many facilities and allows you to upload as many products as you like and to generate as many pages as required. We can add your products, or show you how to if you would prefer to add them yourself, meaning that once the website is finished you shouldn't need a web designer to alter your website content.

We provide unlimited support via email and phone and answer any queries promptly. Also if you would like the website to provide a special function then it is usually possible to integrate it, just ask.

Top ten things to consider before selling online

Suppliers - Do you have accounts open with them? What are their delivery charges and how quickly can they deliver?
Payment Processing - We would recommend Paypal to begin with and then SagePay later once sales have increased.
Keyword Research - Absolutely vital before building a website. Done properly it will help shape your text and give you clues on what text to include.
Delivery Options - How are you going to charge for delivery? Research couriers and postage options.
Product Listings/Images - Create a spreadsheet which includes the following: Code, product name, brand or manufacturer, weight, retail price, top category and sub-category.
Site Content - Without it you will struggle to attract traffic from search engines. Choose three general search terms from your keyword report and write your home page content around this. Using Vizcom as an example for this page we would choose a term like Manchester e Commerce web designers.
Research - Take a look at the competition to see what they sell and at what price. Visit forums your customers and suppliers use, join, take part and ask questions.
Other Shopping Platforms - Google shopping, eBay and Amazon.
Advertising - Google Adwords and Banner advertising.
Social Media - Facebook page. Twitter account. Link from your website to your Facebook page.

Our Manchester e Commerce web designers will include following:

Automatic product and image upload - 50 to 5000 products uploaded using your Excel spreadsheet data
Meta Data added to every main category and home page based on your keyword report
Ongoing training by email and phone
Keyword Report - Find out what people are searching for in relation to your products
Manufacturers or brand pages - Further encourage visitors to click a brand or sort products by brand/manufacturer
Access to web statistics to see where your traffic is coming from and how many visitors you are receiving
Google Base product upload - Increase traffic via Google Shopping and ShopWiki
SEO URLs - Product friendly URLs which mean more traffic from search engines
Advanced Shipper - Allow different carriage charges for different areas and weights
Retail and wholesale prices - Sell your products at different prices to different customer types
Cross Sell Feature - Suggest products which complement each other
Image handler software - No need to upload different image sizes
Review Feature - Encourage customers to leave reviews and increase website content
Facebook graphic on the home page which links to a Facebook page we will build for you
Referral sources option - shows you where your customers are coming from
Monthly sales reporting option - shows sales, delivery costs, vouchers redeemed and Vat
Choose products to be offers and featured products. Best seller list on the home page

How long does an e Commerce website take to build?

As a guide a site which has around 400 products will take around 8 weeks to complete, this is dependent on all the information we require being provided. If you are considering launching an e Commerce website with a large number of products don't wait until everything is ready before going 'live'.

It is much better from a search engine and business point of view to launch your site with a few of your top sellers included and add the other products as you go along. This means you can test the site and also see a return on your investment almost immediately.

What system do Vizcom's e Commerce web designers use?

We use a Content Management System or (CMS for short) called Zen Cart. If you would like to call in for a free demonstration then give us a call on 01204 383 599 or use our contact form.

Do your Manchester e Commerce Web Designers provide support and training?

Yes we do. We will show you how to upload your products and create new categories. After this you will probably have many questions and usually our clients send us queries by email or phone, there maybe quite a lot to begin with until you get used to the system. This support is unlimited (by email or phone).

Can Vizcom's e Commerce web designers optimise the site too?

Yes we can, please visit our Search Engine Optimisation page for more information, costs and results. If we build the site then the optimisation prices are cheaper, please ask for details. Also with every e Commerce site from Vizcom you will receive a keyword report (worth £390) which will help you write your text and also detail what products are being searched for.

What payment system should I use?

There are many available and it really depends on your budget and the number of transactions you expect. We recommend Paypal to begin with because it is free to set up and trusted world wide. However, they take a percentage of every sale and take you through to their payment 'gateway' which appears (to anyone who hasn't used it before) that the user requires a Paypal account when in truth they don't.

Using Paypal can also reduce your profits due to the percentage they take from every sale. If your website sells or intends to sell a small amount of low value items then it can be a good solution. If your products are of high value and/or there are a lot of transactions then it probably isn't.

For e Commerce websites that sell a high amount of high value products then we recommend a different type of automated payment processor - Sage Pay. For a fixed fee you are allowed a specific number of transactions, to set this up you will require a merchant account and this system will also increase your website development costs slightly because of the time required to integrate the system. Sage Pay will also need to test your e Commerce website before you can go 'live' using their system.

How much does an e Commerce website cost?

Bespoke e Commerce Websites £3199 plus Vat

for a more detailed quotation give us a call on 01204 383 599 or use our contact form.

e Commerce Template Websites

Template e Commerce Websites cost £2197 plus Vat and includes .co.uk and .com domains and 1 years hosting. (You will need to purchase a template first. See below.) These style of sites include all the features of our bespoke e Commerce site.

See an example of one of our e Commerce websites built on a template at
Carp Baits Online

Take a look at Steves Templates to see examples of Zen-Carts Templates like the ones featured here and many more

So if you want an e Commerce site from our Manchester e Commerce Web Designers and online business specialists - give us a call on 01204 383 599, pop in for a demonstration or use our contact form.

We understand that sometimes a full, purpose built e-commerce website is not within the reach of many startups or small businesses to begin selling online, so we also offer an opportunity to have a website built on a PAYG (Pay As You Go) system to people with more modest budgets, so that you can begin selling online and scale up as required whilst only paying a fraction of the cost upfront.

To see an example of one we prepared earlier, visit the Simply Hobbies Model Shop and if you like what you see, give us a call on 01204 383599 to discuss your needs.