MAJOR LEAGUE OUTSTANDING when people like David Rew are willing to share what
they know in a professionally blunt yet in a disarmingly light and still
practical way. Based on his note below, I'd feel ultra-confident referring or
contracting him to build websites for any number of clients. Super informative
post, thanks!
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2013 08:20:51 +1100
From: shadow....@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Dear Mopos with Websites!
To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Hi All
It's been a few days since this topic was posted and I have been
humbled by some of the kind words said about me and the work I have
done, so thanks to those people sincerely. As most people who know
me will attest, I am almost always happy to offer free advice about
this sort of thing (off camera as it were), even give a website the
'once over' if asked. Having read the replies over the last few days
I would say I agree with some comments, some I do not. So here's a
few notes I jotted down....
One thing I have found over the last 20 years of doing this sort of
thing is almost always your opinion is your DIY website is pretty
much just as good as a professional website...ummmm, nope.
Now, that is not to say you shouldn't have a go at building a
website yourself, absolutely, give it a go, and don't get me wrong,
some do achieve amazing result too. Building your own website is fun
and of course there is a sense of achievement when it's completed
too! Even better, the most wonderful thing about building your own
website is that no matter how dysfunctional it is as a website or
how ugly it really is a design (in a medium where design absolutely
matters), almost all of your friends, all your relatives and even
all co-forum members, will all be extremely complimentary about it,
because everyone knows you spent all that time putting it together,
they know how proud you are of it (because you did it yourself) and
as a result no one wants to tell you your website looks like
something the cat dragged in...
So, did build your website for the compliments or for the income it
will bring?
For most people a website is not a 'bit of fun', it's a proper
business (at some level), if there is an expectation of a
commercial outcome then treat it so.
Your 'front page' has about 15 seconds to make an impact on
the surfer when they arrive on your website, I don't care how
good the product is, if your site looks amateurish and
'home-made' then a large portion will leave and take their
wallet with them. That's reality.
Collecting movie posters is a hobby, buying them involves more
than just emotion, it involves the wallet, please treat you
potential client professionally. It's not just about how nice
you are in email or how well you pack their posters.
Biggest tip I give DIYers ALL THE TIME - don't clutter your
front page with all that damn writing! Why the first page is so
complicated is beyond reason, if the surfer really wants to know
more they will find the information via the menu; the average
webizen is very clued up on how to surf a website, yours is not
the first one they have been to so there is no need to shove all
the info on the first page. The best thing about this hobby is
that we are selling pictures and yes, a picture is worth (you
know the rest)... telling them who you are, where you are based,
what you are selling, how to use the website, how long you've
been in the hobby, the name of your dog, the colour of your
socks and so on....ZZZzzzzzzz, unlike your friends, your
relatives and fellow forum members, Joe-Average buyer does NOT
care! If you are a webshop then remove the clutter and start
selling on the first page!
If you use eBay then I agree with others (and as I have said
so for a long time), have a back-up plan. Why not have a
commercial website to run alongside the eBay one - you've got
the database of clients who are happy with what they bought off
you, point them at your other website for other purchases.
Free websites: hmmm...so, you want a professional looking
shop, you want to spend about an hour or so building it, you
want to spend almost no money outfitting it, you want to spend
no money marketing it, you want to put up pictures of the items
you are selling taken with your phone-camera on the floor of
your dining room, you want to get a lot of traffic, oh and
everyday you expect lots of orders because you want to make
money hand over fist immediately because your friends said it
would go well - yep, that how it works in bricks and mortar
business too...
If you sell items on your own website but do so by the old
"send me an email with what you want, then I will send you a
bill, then you pay, then I will wait for the money to clear
etc..." OMG - if you cannot achieve two clicks to purchase then
you are losing business.
I note the question about meeting the web designer designer.
Why is it you don't care about selling internationally but care
so much about designing locally, you expect your clients to
trust you without meeting you but...?
SEO - Search Engine Optimisation. Ahhhhh - here's a
secret...if you build it they will NOT come. You really have to
understand what you are doing, and it takes quite a while. If
Google themselves say you CANNOT be guaranteed a top spot in
search results (excluding paid ads), then why believe any of
those SEO companies that say they can achieve it? Bottom line,
search results are driven by your website content and it's a
hard job to get the content right, it's not learnt in 5 minutes
and if you don't know what you are doing then good luck:
Type vintage poster restoration into Google -
(fingers crossed on the results as I haven't checked in a
while) hopefully, you will find www.vintagemovieart.ca in the
results on that first page (whether it is google.com,
google.co.uk, google.com.au or even google.ca), when I built
Dario's website he didn't feature in the first 30 pages of the
international search results, what was worse on Google Canada
he didn't feature in the first 10 pages (and he lives there)!
It took almost four months to start getting decent results,
now as the result of his talent when combined into his website
a bit better his site ranks well. He now gets as many people
visiting his website in one year as he did in the 10 years he
had from his old 'home-made' website.
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to
fish and he will sit in a boat drinking beer all day" Sure you
can learn SEO, understanding it to then make it work for you
is the hardest part.
Social media - ignore it at your peril. At the very least you
should have a Facebook page running in conjunction with your
website, just because you don't understand about FB (or care
about it) doesn't actually mean your clients do - 'nuff said.
Remember that old bumper sticker, "Ass, grass or gas - nobody
rides for free". Having a business website is hard work, don't
expect to set it and forget it and then watch the orders and money
to come flowing...
These are just my thoughts, some will agree, some will not,
either way you're a grown up and you get to make the final call on
what you do...so good luck
David Rew
Alan Adler did previously state on
29/12/2013 4:49 AM:
Dear Mopos with Websites -
Have been thinking of following Bruce's advice and creating my own off-Ebay
website to sell (not auction) posters and goodies.
How do you mo-pros who sell on your own sites enjoy that digital venue vs.
the old Ebay paradigm?
Is it more difficult technically (man hours) to use your own site or costly
to keep running than you thought it would be?
How do you drive eyeballs - Is it tough getting visitors?
Do you sell on Ebay and your own site - or strictly your own site?
What do you suggest be included or avoided when building a site?
Any big surprises or epiphanies you've had in the process of building and
running your website that you'd be willing to share?
Hope some folks find this a stimulating thread.
Thanks in advance for your time.
Alan Adler
Museum of Mom and Pop Culture
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
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