Web Sites - Template, Pro Developed or Self Built?

[virginia_Bob]

Not interested in WS sites (don't want to start a WS/noWs debate). Who has a template site? Who has a professionally developed and built site and Who has a self built Web Site. What do you feel are the pros and cons of each and why do you have the kind you have? Just curious. Again not trying to start a debate over WS sites either pro or con. If you have a WS site and it works for your shop that is whats important. If you have a Pro custom built site and it is brining in buckets full of orders that is great too. The big thing is what works for you and why?

Just curious
Bob

 

[BOSS]

Pro-Built

My site www.smithsflowers.com is done by a company called Digital Thoughts Interactive out of Austin Texas... Brent is a member of the FlowerChat Community

For me, I neither have the time nor the expertise necessary to maintain a full blown Ecommerce site and this competitively priced platform works well for my biz and customers comment all the time how much they like both the look and functionality of the site. I do have full control over content and function, but I do not have to learn coding to be able to work on it.

Best bet, is a stand alone, easily workable site that you control. As to self-built vs. Pro-built...if you have both the time and expertise to do it yourself, then I would go that route, but if not, find someone you can work with, that provides what you want in a site.

The Digital Thoughts platform, will see 5 new formats with 5 versions each in the not to distant future, and these are changable with a simple click of the mouse, so that you can change the look of your site on the fly....

Happy hunting....

 

[hcflorist]

We have used the FTD, Teleflora, and custom built sites.

The FTD and TF sites both evolved into nice sites but didn't produce. And we were aware that certain info was probably being captured and used by competitors. At the time, we couldn't directly make changes to either site. And they both got very expensive for the results they WEREN'T producing. When all was said and done, we were usually clearing more on incoming wire orders than on WS website orders. That's a pretty pitiful ROI.

So "nice" was the pro. Being owned and used by COMPETITORS, inability to work the site ourselves, unrealistic expense, and simply not producing were the "cons" on the WS templates.

We tried a custom built site done by somebody who could barely spell florist and had no clue about how to market one. That was a very brief and non-productive experience.

We tried the ETFA/Sunflower template because of continuing discussions with Jim Jordan when he was with ETFA, despite misgivings about ETFA. It sat there for a while and performed about like the WS sites until we finally decided to learn how to work the thing and make it work for us. It's a continuing work in progress as we figure out how to do more and more things with it. It gets better and better (we think) all of the time. During the first year, it produced nearly nothing . . . kind of like the WS sites. That was 2 years ago. Now it accounts for over 90% of our business and we're NOT gathering orders for delivery outside of our area. This site specifically targets both local and out of area buyers who want flowers delivered IN OUR AREA.

The template is a little limiting in presentation but it's getting better all the time. And updates come out periodically which allow us to do more with it.

This site has had a lot of fine-tuning and adjusting by us to get it working. It's been a huge amount of work. And it continues to be. Because we run the site just like we ran our 3 retail stores. Prices, inventory, and availability have to continually be adjusted to keep everything current just like on a real store floor. We spend time going through the site making changes to keep it current and hopefully make it work better every single day. And we review our promotion programs for the site to keep up with how and where they're producing daily.

I don't think there's any such thing as a website that a florist can just launch and forget if it's to be expected to produce sales. Running the website successfully requires just as much work and attention as running the retail store area if you want it to produce to potential. But it's worth it because the ROI potential is so very very very much better.

With your site, you're marketing to the world. With your retail floor space, you're marketing to . . . ah h h h well . . . suffice to say it AIN'T the WORLD. All too often, in our world, it's just been "tire kicking" old ladies who were using us as a "tourist attraction" to amuse themselves. That was not profitable and it ceased to be fun real quick. So we changed the way we did things. Two fancy retail stores and a studio consolidated into a less than fancy, but centrally located filling center and we started concentrating our efforts on our web presence. Both our bottom line and our stress levels tell us we made the right decision for selling flowers in our area in today's world.

We're not cyber pros nor do we have the time for or interest in becoming web designers. So the template idea works best for us for now. And it's working quite well. But we're always looking for new ways and new ideas.

 

[theRKF]

Depends on your goals / needs:

1) Low budget info site about your store, with basic secure ecommerce:
Consider the website tonight program from www.rkfdomains.com, for about $220 / year. Over 100 templates to choose from, and easy to set up and maintain.

2) We used a custom built site for many years and it served us well, because I was able to develp and maintain it in house. Very cost effective, but time consuming. Also, I'm not a "pro" so it didn't have a fully polished look.

3) This May we switched to a professionally designed site by Websonix (www.websonix.com). Along with a more professional look, the site is built on the Movable Type content management platform. This makes it VERY easy to add content. Since Movable Type is a blogging platform it pings a few servers every time we publish an article - this is a great way to get index quickly by the search engines and generate more bot traffic. Plus, you don't need to know any HTML, just write the article in Word, cut and paste the text into MT and publish.

Ryan

 

[CHR]

Hcflorist - excellent assessment of off-the-shelf sites, especially

It sat there for a while and performed about like the WS sites until we finally decided to learn how to work the thing and make it work for us. It's a continuing work in progress as we figure out how to do more and more things with it.

I don't think there's any such thing as a website that a florist can just launch and forget if it's to be expected to produce sales. Running the website successfully requires just as much work and attention as running the retail store area if you want it to produce to potential. But it's worth it because the ROI potential is so very very very much better.

Most shops can do relatively well with attractive, easy-to-change, customizable template-based sites. The real trick is to make time for keeping content fresh, inventory current and then working to help get your site found in search.

 

[NavyBrat]

I Use Media99

I use Media99. www.media99.com
Jason & Lorrie are fabulous to work with. They host sites for florists only. My shop required a complete solution at an affordable price & Media99's Standard Site was perfect. Media99 provided a stylish design for my site that is user-friendly, with database services for online marketing to my customers. They also provide the latest technology without being tied to any wire service. I am going to upgrade my site over the summer to their Custom Site.

I'm not sure what I paid for the initial setup of the site, I believe it was between $300-400. I would have to check my records. I have been with Media99 for several years. The monthly fees are $35.00 plus they charge $1.75 for every order placed on the site.

I chose Media99 because I am not at all tech savy, nor do I care to be. I have plenty to keep me occupied in the shop and I'd rather concentrate my efforts on my own expertise. I didn't want to have the same old site every florist has, so the wire service was not an option. I have been delighted with Media99 and would highly recommend their services.

 

[Bigted]

Websites

We have an FTD and a Teleflora site, plus an independent one through Media99. The FTD site does pretty well, but you have to keep an eye on FTD or you won't recognize your site with all the direct ship stuff. Our teleflora site doesn't do anything. We will probably cancel it soon.

Our independent site is doing well. We use FAS as our POS system, and we needed a website that interfaces with that system. The two choices were basically Floristboard and Media99. We tried Floristboard, and did not have a good experience working with Brian. We now use Media99 and we couldn't be happier. The price is reasonable, and requested changes are made very quickly. I would highly recommend them to anybody.

 

[BOSS]

I'm not sure what I paid for the initial setup of the site, I believe it was between $300-400. I would have to check my records. I have been with Media99 for several years. The monthly fees are $35.00 plus they charge $1.75 for every order placed on the site.

One word of caution for folks looking at independant hosts...when a host charges a per order fee, that also needs to be included in the monthly fees.

Thus if your site generates 50 orders a month, the actucal monthly cost, based on the above scenario is actually $122.50 ($1.75X50+$35.00). This cost can be either passed onto the consumer or deducted from your sale price.

 

[K A Hall]

Media99 is how we roll. The only way we could be any happier is if it were all free.

 

[NavyBrat]

One word of caution for folks looking at independant hosts...when a host charges a per order fee, that also needs to be included in the monthly fees.

Thus if your site generates 50 orders a month, the actucal monthly cost, based on the above scenario is actually $122.50 ($1.75X50+$35.00). This cost can be either passed onto the consumer or deducted from your sale price.

Mark,
You are correct. Our delivery fee on our website is $1.00 more than the price quoted if you called the shop. How would you pass on the cost to the consumer?

 

[Sher]

It's a continuing work in progress as we figure out how to do more and more things with it. It gets better and better (we think) all of the time. During the first year, it produced nearly nothing . . . kind of like the WS sites. That was 2 years ago. Now it accounts for over 90% of our business and we're NOT gathering orders for delivery outside of our area. This site specifically targets both local and out of area buyers who want flowers delivered IN OUR AREA.

The template is a little limiting in presentation but it's getting better all the time. And updates come out periodically which allow us to do more with it.

This site has had a lot of fine-tuning and adjusting by us to get it working. It's been a huge amount of work. And it continues to be. Because we run the site just like we ran our 3 retail stores. Prices, inventory, and availability have to continually be adjusted to keep everything current just like on a real store floor. We spend time going through the site making changes to keep it current and hopefully make it work better every single day. And we review our promotion programs for the site to keep up with how and where they're producing daily.

With your site, you're marketing to the world. With your retail floor space, you're marketing to . . . ah h h h well . . . suffice to say it AIN'T the WORLD. All too often, in our world, it's just been "tire kicking" old ladies who were using us as a "tourist attraction" to amuse themselves. That was not profitable and it ceased to be fun real quick. So we changed the way we did things. Two fancy retail stores and a studio consolidated into a less than fancy, but centrally located filling center and we started concentrating our efforts on our web presence. Both our bottom line and our stress levels tell us we made the right decision for selling flowers in our area in today's world.

We're not cyber pros nor do we have the time for or interest in becoming web designers. So the template idea works best for us for now. And it's working quite well. But we're always looking for new ways and new ideas.

Just out of curiosity...what value is it to you to place your watermark on the FTD images on the site as well as to place show two names on the items...I am learning as I go on a new site and I am confused as to how you can watermark someone else's picture. This is not to start an argument...I'd really be interested in learning if that has value to a website or would it create confusion to the consumer or even problems for yourself. ..If I place my work on my
site, can someone else use it on their site and place their watermark on my picture I guess is what my concern is..Would you care to share this with us? And please...this is not to hear a diatribe or to start an argument. All of us have begun to use our digitals and I am sure that many would like to hear your experiences...thanks in advance,
Sher

 

[BBJ (Big Bad John)]

One word of caution for folks looking at independant hosts...when a host charges a per order fee, that also needs to be included in the monthly fees.

Thus if your site generates 50 orders a month, the actucal monthly cost, based on the above scenario is actually $122.50 ($1.75X50+$35.00). This cost can be either passed onto the consumer or deducted from your sale price.

Very true.......and I sure don't support charging for orders, but in some cases it's a must, I have one florist client on our A1-Florists site that we have to fax their orders to as they do not have a computer in their shop.........

But it's still a h*ll of a lot better than having the order stolen by an OG and losing 30+%, and as such I can't see charging an extra charge for internet orders or skimming that amount out of the order!

 

[virginia_Bob]

Sher who did your website for you? It looks great and seems very functional.

Bob

 

[virginia_Bob]

HC,
Do you use SunFlower to host your site as well? Did the template come with a shopping cart?

Thanks Bob

 

[hcflorist]

HC,
Do you use SunFlower to host your site as well? Did the template come with a shopping cart?

Thanks Bob

Yes and yes. And it currently includes placement in 2 or 3 directories all for one monthly fee with no per order fee.

 

[hcflorist]

Just out of curiosity...what value is it to you to place your watermark on the FTD images on the site as well as to place show two names on the items...I am learning as I go on a new site and I am confused as to how you can watermark someone else's picture. This is not to start an argument...I'd really be interested in learning if that has value to a website or would it create confusion to the consumer or even problems for yourself. ..If I place my work on my
site, can someone else use it on their site and place their watermark on my picture I guess is what my concern is..Would you care to share this with us? And please...this is not to hear a diatribe or to start an argument. All of us have begun to use our digitals and I am sure that many would like to hear your experiences...thanks in advance,
Sher

Every one of these images was altered for use on our web site. That involved lots of time, work, and expense on our part. Now that the Sunflower template is being widely distributed through so many channels, I didn't feel like giving our creativity and work away for free. So that's part of why we've begun marking them.

Two names? You lost me on that one unless you're talking about the red tag that we put on our featured items. If so, yes, it does have lots of value and we've been using it long enough to know that it does.

Inasmuch as we've just recently begun playing with it, I don't know if placing our names on the images has any sales value. I'm hoping that it does but I don't yet have a feel for it. What we put on them was intended to help drive home the point that we are actually a real local florist located in our town and not some national order gatherer. I noticed somebody else doing it (I forget who), thought it was kinda neat and served a purpose that I'd been wondering how to address, and decided to try it. Ask me when it's got some history or check back later. If we're still doing it, it had value and was worth doing. If not, it didn't.

I don't know how it could create confusion to the customer. They see it and if they like it, they buy it. If they don't, they don't buy it. What's so hard about that? It's a picture of a flower arrangement that WE can do if you want it. Nothing to be confused about that I see. Maybe I didn't understand the question.

 

[rich]

Sher and HC
I have been including our web address on the new photos I have been adding to our site simply to protect our images. I have noticed a lot of activity from Google image search for images, and am not sure why we are getting this or how these are being used. A while back I believe Cathy had found a couple if their Images on another site. If your web address or shop name appears on the images then who ever is trying to use these, anyone will know where they came from. I also believe Eric noticed a lot of activity from MY Space---can't remember just what this was all about. Maybe Eric will chime in here and give some insite about this.
I have found on some sites that when you move your mouse over an image there is a message that says this site has a copyright and you can not copy and save. Am not sure where this is available and how a site sets this up.
If anyone has any info on this I would appreciate hearing about it.

 

[RJD]

Watermarking

We've found images from our site on other florist sites several times, and a letter was all it took to get the images removed. From the beginning, except for some recent ones Kathy forgot about, we've always edited the photos in our wedding galleries to include "www.bloomeryweddings.com". This was as much marketing as it was protection of our designs. Brides continually post and repost our images on blogs, websites and forums. Each one is like a little ad for us (on our site, we state that brides are free to post the images as long as they link to us, but commercial use must be licensed). Digging through our site stats, we can see many visits from the popular sites via links on bride's pages.

There are several ways to make a little notice pop-up that an image is copyrighted. The easiest is to set the ALT atrribute of the image tag. In most browsers, when a user mouses-over the image, the tooltip opens up. I'd need to see exactly what was going on to figure it out.
(update: it was one of those disable right-click scripts which doesn't work if you turn off JavaScript)

You can visibly watermark WS images with your URL if you want, provided you're doing so to point to the source of that particular image file, rather than claim the copyright on that image. We use a program called Paint Shop Pro to handle the editing.

Another option we used in the early days was an emebedded watermark. www.digimarc.com has the patent on this, and Paint Shop Pro will embed an invisible bit of code in an image file. People can't see it, and it can't be removed easily. You can subscribe to their service which will scan the web and report back if your images are on another website.

 

[Sher]

Every one of these images was altered for use on our web site. That involved lots of time, work, and expense on our part. Now that the Sunflower template is being widely distributed through so many channels, I didn't feel like giving our creativity and work away for free. So that's part of why we've begun marking them.

Two names? You lost me on that one unless you're talking about the red tag that we put on our featured items. If so, yes, it does have lots of value and we've been using it long enough to know that it does.

Inasmuch as we've just recently begun playing with it, I don't know if placing our names on the images has any sales value. I'm hoping that it does but I don't yet have a feel for it. What we put on them was intended to help drive home the point that we are actually a real local florist located in our town and not some national order gatherer. I noticed somebody else doing it (I forget who), thought it was kinda neat and served a purpose that I'd been wondering how to address, and decided to try it. Ask me when it's got some history or check back later. If we're still doing it, it had value and was worth doing. If not, it didn't.

I don't know how it could create confusion to the customer. They see it and if they like it, they buy it. If they don't, they don't buy it. What's so hard about that? It's a picture of a flower arrangement that WE can do if you want it. Nothing to be confused about that I see. Maybe I didn't understand the question.

Every one of these images was altered for use on our web site. Ok, perhaps they were although looking at the same FTD images that I have on my site and the same image you have on your site with the Cosmopolitan name under it along with another name that you have, can you really do that without FTD clkimbing up your shorts so to speak.... If this is legal, then what would prevent me from taking Rich's images or Cathy's images and "altering" them and then putting my watermark on them. Am I understanding this correctly. I can see how you feel comfortable doing thei but I am afraid it might open up a very large can of worms and I at least am concerned about the ramifications of taking someone else's images and doing anything with them....Am I understanding you correctly?
Sher

 

[hcflorist]

If this is legal, then what would prevent me from taking Rich's images or Cathy's images and "altering" them and then putting my watermark on them. Sher

Difference is, so long as FTD keeps accepting my money for that purpose, I have the right to use those images. And I will.

And I don't guess that anything would keep you from taking Cathy's images or Rich's images and altering them and putting your watermark on them so long as you didn't get caught and challenged. But you'd look sort of silly taking mine that I've worked on and using them with my name on them. That would be why we've started doing it. But if you want to advertise for us and you can swing it with FTD . . . go for it.