importance of a quality website

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bloomz

bloomz

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Could well be growing more important than the look of your store - I was reading today how more and more people are shopping online due to the high high high cost of gas.

If you don't have a quality compelling and attractive ecommerce website you're way behind the ball.

If you don't have a good presence for your area - somebody else does. If you don't have the ability to take orders 24/7 - somebody else (800PROTFTD) does, and your customers will go to them.

This is serious as a heart attack.

Play catch up right now or you will be one of the next 2500 shops that drop.

Don't wait another day - well ok start next week. But if you snooze you lose.

So much shiit to do so few days sometimes huh? :tread::tread::tread:

opinions don't vary much on that one
 
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Amen to that my brother.

Florist 2.0 is marinating in my thoughts right now. :idear:
 
Very well said! I just signed up for a SEO seminar (since I can't run away to the Flora-dinosaur conference in Toronto) here in Chcicago. I can't wait to make my new investment work for me...well, after I tweak it a little!! I am hoping it will help a little with the crappy economy!
 
wildflowerschicago said:
Very well said! I just signed up for a SEO seminar (since I can't run away to the Flora-dinosaur conference in Toronto) here in Chcicago. I can't wait to make my new investment work for me...well, after I tweak it a little!! I am hoping it will help a little with the crappy economy!
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Who is running the seminar?

Ryan
 
bloomz said:
If you don't have a quality compelling and attractive ecommerce website you're way behind the ball.
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Ryan started a thread a few weeks ago taking a pole to see if FC members wanted to participate in open critiques of their website. I thought it was a great idea because you are so right Bloomz. So many of us are "too close" to our websites, starting with me, that sometimes we don't see our website's shortcomings. Don't know what became of the pole and Ryan's thoughts about it. Ryan, are you out there?
 
bloomz said:
Could well be growing more important than the look of your store - I was reading today how more and more people are shopping online due to the high high high cost of gas.

If you don't have a quality compelling and attractive ecommerce website you're way behind the ball.

If you don't have a good presence for your area - somebody else does. If you don't have the ability to take orders 24/7 - somebody else (800PROTFTD) does, and your customers will go to them.

This is serious as a heart attack.

Play catch up right now or you will be one of the next 2500 shops that drop.
Click to expand...

Hear, hear!
Well said and hopefully a wake-up call to many. This day and age I don't understand how so many florists cannot afford to have a website!
Having said that, if they do, with all the competition around why are so many florists showing wire service pictures for designs on their website???? No offence, but we are a creative lot (those pics are generally NOT, can you not come up with their own designs and stand out from the crowd??? It is the same design the customer can get 2 streets over from the competition belonging to the same wire service with the same pictures on their website. (which are also some of the same designs from 2001 when I left the continent of North America, now that is sad!)
The trend I have experienced over the recent years is that the average consumer is not stupid, many have realized that a long distance phonecall from the UK is cheaper than the service and relay charges, those are the consumers that have looked at your site and even though you may have secure payment etc. don't feel comfortable giving their credit card details over the net or want the reassurance of a human voice, the other ones liked what they saw and realized it was but a click away. Others picked up a business card, while in town visiting grandma, with your website details printed on too of course, for future reference! Besides a great shop window etc., this is one more area we can excell over the competition, so dare to be unique, stand out! Let your designs speak for themselves. Saves a lot of phone time/order processing as well. How many minutes on the phone, how many seconds to print a paid for order?
 
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wildflowerschicago said:
Network Solutions.
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Wildflowers -

Expect more of a sales pitch about Net Sol SEO products than actually getting great information about SEO. (Also - beware of ANYONE that promises you 'Top Ten' placement - Net Sol wants $1800 for it.)

I know of at least one of our FC members who tried their web hosting service, spent weeks customizing a site, worked on inbound linking, waited many many months and still couldn't get it out of the search engine basements. And he's very experienced.

IMO your money and time would be better spent elsewhere.
 
CHR said:
Wildflowers -

Expect more of a sales pitch about Net Sol SEO products than actually getting great information about SEO. (Also - beware of ANYONE that promises you 'Top Ten' placement - Net Sol wants $1800 for it.)

I know of at least one of our FC members who tried their web hosting service, spent weeks customizing a site, worked on inbound linking, waited many many months and still couldn't get it out of the search engine basements. And he's very experienced.

IMO your money and time would be better spent elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Don't know about them but why not just get a google account, sign up (free) to index you (webmaster controls), give them the pages to index and bob's your uncle, top of the list!
 
CHR said:
Wildflowers -

Expect more of a sales pitch about Net Sol SEO products than actually getting great information about SEO. (Also - beware of ANYONE that promises you 'Top Ten' placement - Net Sol wants $1800 for it.)

I know of at least one of our FC members who tried their web hosting service, spent weeks customizing a site, worked on inbound linking, waited many many months and still couldn't get it out of the search engine basements. And he's very experienced.

IMO your money and time would be better spent elsewhere.
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Ha! I don't feel so bad now. I had been trying to get a NWS hosted website to climb results pages for months with no luck. Finally talked the owner into switching hosts and I switched over to Strider hosting and, lookie there! Less than a week and the site was in the top ten, now five.

I couldn't figure out for the life of me what I was doing wrong. I guess I wasn't!
 
Thank you all for your input!!! I was trying to figure out how to maximize my investment and gain some knowledge. I will see if I can cancel!

I currently have much bigger problems, as my shiny new website does not prompt you for the recipient information when you order. Just a minor screw up... NOT!!!!!! I am SO glad I hired a professional web designer and didn't try to impliment a template (insert scarcastic eye roll here!)!!!! I sent a frantic email to the developer a few minutes ago. Nothing like totally dropping the ball on the biggest holiday of the year! I am so pissed right now, I can't decide if I should scream, cry or start drinking!!! Sorry to vent here.
 
Chicago, I can shoot a guess as to why (been there) - possibly needs to make your "deliver to billing address" checkbox a hidden field - try that on your developer.
 
Wildflower -

I started to type a list of helpful advice about your website and then realize you just helped yourself to custom product pictures from me, Coby Neal, and me again.

The first rule of participating in a florist community is NOT to swipe from fellow members. Actually, you shouldn't lift product shots from anyone without their expressed permission, member of FC or not.

Very unprofessional and very uncool. :mad:
 
rewolf said:
Ryan started a thread a few weeks ago taking a pole to see if FC members wanted to participate in open critiques of their website. ... Ryan, are you out there?
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Yes, we're here! It's a matter of timing as I'm not sure that we'd get many attendees this week or last. We'll probably announce the date shortly.

wildflowerschicago said:
Network Solutions.
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Run away. Fast. Faster. Run Forest, Run!

logan said:
Don't know about them but why not just get a google account, sign up (free) to index you (webmaster controls), give them the pages to index and bob's your uncle, top of the list!
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Ah, if only it were that easy! All those slimy SEOs would be out work in no time ... wait. Scratch that!!

wildflowerschicago said:
I currently have much bigger problems, as my shiny new website does not prompt you for the recipient information when you order.
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Oops. This is just one reason why typical shopping cart solutions don't fit the floral industry.

CHR said:
Wildflower -

I started to type a list of helpful advice about your website and then realize you just helped yourself to custom product pictures from me, Coby Neal, and me again.

The first rule of participating in a florist community is NOT to swipe from fellow members. Actually, you shouldn't lift product shots from anyone without their expressed permission, member of FC or not.

Very unprofessional and very uncool. :mad:
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Very uncool. Very.

On second thought, Network Solutions might just be a good fit. They are incredibly lacking in the ethics department.

David said:
You could hire Ryan
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:pblush: You could - and that would be smart, BUT I'd mandate that all swiped images be eliminated first.

Ryan
 
CHR said:
Wildflower -

I started to type a list of helpful advice about your website and then realize you just helped yourself to custom product pictures from me, Coby Neal, and me again.

The first rule of participating in a florist community is NOT to swipe from fellow members. Actually, you shouldn't lift product shots from anyone without their expressed permission, member of FC or not.

Very unprofessional and very uncool. :mad:
Click to expand...

I want to thank Cathy for letting me know that all the images on my site were not mine! While I was getting the site up, my developer had me join several photo sites (Istock, Webshots, Getty Images), and I bought images from Florist's Review as well as used many of my own images. When the images were loaded, I didn't know what he had downloaded, or from where. I have removed all images from my site that I am not 100% sure of their origin. I genuinely apologize for the misunderstanding! I am not so stupid to deliberately steal images and then join the group I stole from!!!
 
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wildflowerschicago said:
I want to thank Cathy for letting me know that all the images on my site were not mine! While I was getting the site up, my developer had me join several photo sites (Istock, Webshots, Getty Images), and I bought images from Florist's Review as well as used many of my own images. When the images were loaded, I didn't know what he had downloaded, or from where. I have removed all images from my site that I am not 100% sure of their origin. I genuinely apologize for the misunderstanding! I am not so stupid to deliberately steal images and then join the group I stole from!!!
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Congrats :)

Swift and decisive, with an explanation. Well done.

Ryan
 
Website/internet

HOPE EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT :

locateaflowershop.com

localflowershop.com

ilocalflorist.com

all are free or a minimal amount.

I receive lots of phone orders that are reffered by them

THIS IS ABOVE AND BEYOND HAVING A SITE
 
Infinite said:
Congrats :)

Swift and decisive, with an explanation. Well done.

Ryan
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Ditto - congrats too - we're a bit protective our our Cathy. :hug:
 
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