O/T Discussion about Website Builders and more

[misscrystal]

my breaking back and a failing kidney can relate to this.

Aw, I’m so sad to hear of this. Drink a ton of water every day, like at least a gallon, for your kidney. And get in some exercise. Please take care of yourself, you and everyone here. It can be easy to neglect your health when you do this.

[misscrystal]

I used to have my own website but the ROI was pathetic. Plus just managing it and trying to make it look like the real deal (super professional) was both far too time intensive

Yes exactly. It’s a gamble that nine out of ten people lose. To make it work you really need a team of people working around the clock at a variety of jobs, such as marketing, tech management, design and content, SEO, etc.

[eoinfinnegan]

This time though, I’m thinking about using Wix to simplify the whole process. (Or something better and cheaper if you have any tips).

I am a big fan of Weebly for easy site creation. It is better than Wix from both ease of use and SEO perspectives. Wix is also extremely slow by most standards. Been using Weebly for various things for 10 years now.

[misscrystal]

This time though, I’m thinking about using Wix to simplify the whole process. (Or something better and cheaper if you have any tips).

I am a big fan of Weebly for easy site creation. It is better than Wix from both ease of use and SEO perspectives. Wix is also extremely slow by most standards. Been using Weebly for various things for 10 years now.

Weebly is easy but I had a site there hacked, no idea how. And after a while I couldn’t sign in anymore so had to abandon the site.

[eoinfinnegan]

Weebly is easy but I had a site there hacked, no idea how. And after a while I couldn’t sign in anymore so had to abandon the site.

Unfortunately can happen anywhere pretty much, I don’t think it is a specific Weebly weakness as such.

[misscrystal]

Unfortunately can happen anywhere pretty much, I don’t think it is a specific Weebly weakness as such.

I used to have a couple hundred sites, that was a first. But the others were all my own creations on a very secure server.

[eoinfinnegan]

I used to have a couple hundred sites, that was a first. But the others were all my own creations on a very secure server.

Have had multiple sites there over the past 10 years and created tons for clients too, never had a similar issue.

Have also used Wix and Squarespace a lot but get much better results for Weebly sites, even if Wix is prettier

[cyaxrex]

This time though, I’m thinking about using Wix to simplify the whole process. (Or something better and cheaper if you have any tips).

I am a big fan of Weebly for easy site creation. It is better than Wix from both ease of use and SEO perspectives. Wix is also extremely slow by most standards. Been using Weebly for various things for 10 years now.

Mmmhhh… $7 per month could suit me. I basically only want a landing page which points people here and elsewhere.

Thanks for this!

[eoinfinnegan]

Mmmhhh… $7 per month could suit me. I basically only want a landing page which points people here and elsewhere.

Thanks for this!

No worries, if you are selling on the site directly, you can integrate Ecwid (or similar) with it and avoid Weebly fees and restrictions too as well as it looking better.

[cyaxrex]

Ahan, my breaking back and a failing kidney can relate to this.

cyaxrex:

Do you actually have a failing kidney?

Already doing it, I got 3 long term clients off-site and my own niche site in the works.

May I ask how you are planning to set up your website?

I used to have my own website but the ROI was pathetic. Plus just managing it and trying to make it look like the real deal (super professional) was both far too time intensive and never really happened. I am, however, planning to reestablish a website this year. This time though, I’m thinking about using Wix to simplify the whole process. (Or something better and cheaper if you have any tips).

[misscrystal]

No worries, if you are selling on the site directly, you can integrate Ecwid (or similar) with it and avoid Weebly fees and restrictions too as well as it looking better.

you can integrate Ecwid (or similar)

Payment processors can be tricky. They charge fees and sometimes hold your money for six months. I’m hoping for recommendations.

[paulmaplesden]

I use Squarespace and really like it. I have also used Weebly, and that’s pretty great too.

[cyaxrex]

Actually, this is pretty awesome. I have a domain name which I really want which Weebly just told me I can get for $19. - It’s $35 at Godaddy without a .com prefix. How the hell does that work?

Now to ride my fire breathing marketing unicorn to Paypal to see how much I have accrued in book royalties over 2017!

[misscrystal]

I use Squarespace and really like it. I have also used Weebly, and that’s pretty great too.

I use Squarespace

Someone was just complaining to me that Squarespace won’t give him his money for months. It all depends on your “risk assessment” probably.

[paulmaplesden]

I use Squarespace

Someone was just complaining to me that Squarespace won’t give him his money for months. It all depends on your “risk assessment” probably.

Someone was just complaining to me that Squarespace won’t give him his money for months.

I have never processed payments or used their eCommerce section - so not sure about that aspect. I mainly like it from the design / ease-of-use / versatility aspect.

[ssj1236]

Do you actually have a failing kidney?

ssj1236:

Yep, the doctor told me I need to reduce the amount of time I sit down and get some more exercise. I haven’t done either yet and probably won’t be able to do it for a few more months. I can’t eat beef anymore without experiencing pain spikes. My back is in constant pain too.

I used to have my own website but the ROI was pathetic.

I sooo get what you mean. Right now I’m partnered with multiple sites that’ll help me drive a bit more traffic towards mine whenever I get it up. I won’t start earning big bucks any time soon but it’ll still be better than nothing.

I really just kinda want the TRS just to justify my bad life choices

I’m thinking about using Wix to simplify the whole process. (Or something better and cheaper if you have any tips).

Wix sounds good on paper but it’s really not a good idea in the long run. The majority of your funds should go towards advertising. SEO is probably dead at this point or insanely overpriced.

[misscrystal]

Paypal is the easiest and most reliable but doesn’t look professional at checkout. Also I’m not sure if everyone has to have a Paypal account to pay with it or not.

[paulmaplesden]

Paypal is the easiest and most reliable but doesn’t look professional at checkout. Also I’m not sure if everyone has to have a Paypal account to pay with it or not.

For my business off of Fiverr, I use Stripe, and really like it. Easy to setup and integrate…

[eoinfinnegan]

Actually, this is pretty awesome. I have a domain name which I really want which Weebly just told me I can get for $19. - It’s $35 at Godaddy without a .com prefix. How the hell does that work?

Now to ride my fire breathing marketing unicorn to Paypal to see how much I have accrued in book royalties over 2017!

Sign up for a free account on Weebly and try it out, see if you like it etc. You can play with it all you want that way and then decide if you will use it before buying.

[paulmaplesden]

Sign up for a free account on Weebly and try it out, see if you like it etc. You can play with it all you want that way and then decide if you will use it before buying.

Likewise with Squarespace, and probably Wix too - they definitely each have a slightly different design philosophy and user interface, so its a case of finding one that clicks for you…

[misscrystal]

Likewise with Squarespace, and probably Wix too - they definitely each have a slightly different design philosophy and user interface, so its a case of finding one that clicks for you…

I’ve seen some great looking sites that, after looking at the coding, saw were Wix sites. They were optimized well too. I admit I tried for fun to make a site there which I found to be discouraging.

[misscrystal]

Actually, this is pretty awesome. I have a domain name which I really want which Weebly just told me I can get for $19. - It’s $35 at Godaddy without a .com prefix. How the hell does that work?

Now to ride my fire breathing marketing unicorn to Paypal to see how much I have accrued in book royalties over 2017!

You can get a domain name for $5 if you look around. They can charge anything they like basically, depending on a few factors.

[deluxewriting]

For my business off of Fiverr, I use Stripe, and really like it. Easy to setup and integrate…

If I may ask, don’t you face payment issues with clients that only want to use PayPal? (or is there a significant proportion of such clients?). I have put a couple of such projects on hold, just because of the unavailability of PayPal in my country. My website is ready, the marketing strategy is planned out, and the social media campaigns are all set up. The only thing keeping me at bay is no PayPal.

[paulmaplesden]

If I may ask, don’t you face payment issues with clients that only want to use PayPal? (or is there a significant proportion of such clients?). I have put a couple of such projects on hold, just because of the unavailability of PayPal in my country. My website is ready, the marketing strategy is planned out, and the social media campaigns are all set up. The only thing keeping me at bay is no PayPal.

If I may ask, don’t you face payment issues with clients that only want to use PayPal?

I offer PayPal as well (for the reasons you mentioned) - Stripe is just the “default” option.

[deluxewriting]

If I may ask, don’t you face payment issues with clients that only want to use PayPal?

I offer PayPal as well (for the reasons you mentioned) - Stripe is just the “default” option.

Thanks for the quick reply. If possible, can you please share the approximate proportion of buyers that prefer PayPal vs those that are okay with sending in the payments through Stripe?