Hi,
I need help in getting started in setting up a website - including what webhost to use.

My website will be commercial so I'll need a "shopping cart". Also, it will contain inventory listings. Within each listing, there will be many more listings so I will need many pages (hundreds possibly)

I'd welcome advice on :

a. what host to use
b. how to design the site
c. where to get a good shopping cart

Thank,s
Scat

For a good shopping cart, I would reccomend osCommerce.

Hi Scat. I agree with Anacrusis in that osCommerce is a good open source shopping cart to use. Another is ZenCart which is an offshoot of osCommerce.

It's hard for anyone to recommend an exact host or design since both depend on so many factors. Could you tell us more about what your site will be about? Who will be your target market? What will your products be? The more detail the better.

With a web host your first decision should probably be whether you want a unix/linux or microsoft server. I prefer unix/linux, but either is fine. Your choice in server will determine what programming languages you can use.

For example the shopping carts mentioned are both written in php I believe so you will need to make sure your web host has php installed in order to use it (most will have php installed) Typically your more limited if you need to use a proprietary microsoft programming language since you will then need to use a microsoft server. You can find the open source programming languages on either type of server.

You'll also want to determine the specific needs for your site such as disk space and bandwidth. As you look at different web host you can start to compare what each has to offer.

Customer service is also important, particularly if this is new to you. Smaller hosting companies will usually offer better support, but you will pay a little more for the support. Don't automatically go for the lowest price though or you'll find yourself with little to no support and possibly even a server that is down more often that it should be. Industry satndard is 99.9% uptime.

The best thing to do is search for web hosts and compare what each has and then come back here to as specific questions.

As far as design is concerned if you don't have the skills to design a site yourself your best bet is probably to hire someone to do the job for you. You'll want to research designers much the same way as you research web hosts. Compare what each is offering and then ask specific questions.

As with web hosts cheaper isn't necessarily better. I'd also advise not to jump into either without understanding a little more about what goes into a successful website. You don't need to understand all the details, but understanding some of the basic ideas will help a lot.

I think it's better to spend a little time researching (a good way to start would be reading through the forums here and at similar sites) even if it delays putting up the site temporarily. the extra month or so of research will pay dividends once your site is up.

First of all you need to decide how much disk space and bandwith you will need for your website. When it comes to your web host make sure you've done your research and read a number of reviews about them, then you can make an educated decision.

Here are some web hosting directories you can look at, most of them also provide reviews on various web hosting companies:

http://www.hostbyte.com/
http://www.host-dir.com/
http://www.hostingseek.com/
http://www.hostpulse.com/

Good luck.

My advice:

- Find a web host with reliable uptime. If you're selling products, you'll want your site to be online every second of the day - every second counts for potential customers.
- Alot of free hosts will offer shopping carts as a pre-installed script
- SSL is a must when handling customer information, especially if you're dealing with credit cards or merchant processing.

I think it's better to spend a little time researching (a good way to start would be reading through the forums here and at similar sites) even if it delays putting up the site temporarily. the extra month or so of research will pay dividends once your site is up.

Agreed. Befoe you go with any host do some searches for feedback with Google and the search feature at forums like webhostingtalk.com, hosthideout.com, Sitepointforums

Since you'll be hosting an ecommerce website, you should try to keep in mind that one average, even in hosting, people get what they pay for.

Hi,
Thanks for your comments.

The website will sell discontinued china and collectibles. I envision an inventory listing of the main manufacturers, and then within each manufacturer, there will be a listing of patterns, and then within each patter there will be a listing of items available, and details including the price.

How do I determine how much disk space and bandwidth I need ?

Scat

Originally Posted by vangogh

Hi Scat. I agree with Anacrusis in that osCommerce is a good open source shopping cart to use. Another is ZenCart which is an offshoot of osCommerce.

It's hard for anyone to recommend an exact host or design since both depend on so many factors. Could you tell us more about what your site will be about? Who will be your target market? What will your products be? The more detail the better.

With a web host your first decision should probably be whether you want a unix/linux or microsoft server. I prefer unix/linux, but either is fine. Your choice in server will determine what programming languages you can use.

For example the shopping carts mentioned are both written in php I believe so you will need to make sure your web host has php installed in order to use it (most will have php installed) Typically your more limited if you need to use a proprietary microsoft programming language since you will then need to use a microsoft server. You can find the open source programming languages on either type of server.

You'll also want to determine the specific needs for your site such as disk space and bandwidth. As you look at different web host you can start to compare what each has to offer.

Customer service is also important, particularly if this is new to you. Smaller hosting companies will usually offer better support, but you will pay a little more for the support. Don't automatically go for the lowest price though or you'll find yourself with little to no support and possibly even a server that is down more often that it should be. Industry satndard is 99.9% uptime.

The best thing to do is search for web hosts and compare what each has and then come back here to as specific questions.

As far as design is concerned if you don't have the skills to design a site yourself your best bet is probably to hire someone to do the job for you. You'll want to research designers much the same way as you research web hosts. Compare what each is offering and then ask specific questions.

As with web hosts cheaper isn't necessarily better. I'd also advise not to jump into either without understanding a little more about what goes into a successful website. You don't need to understand all the details, but understanding some of the basic ideas will help a lot.

I think it's better to spend a little time researching (a good way to start would be reading through the forums here and at similar sites) even if it delays putting up the site temporarily. the extra month or so of research will pay dividends once your site is up.

Determining how much space and bandwidth you'll need is tough in the beginning. Your best bet is to sign up for a small package with a hosting company and upgrade as your needs increase. Just be sure the host you choose to go with allows you to upgrade your plan easily.