Question

Topic: Website Critique

Outsourcing An Ecommerce Website

Posted by itsallaboute on 1/30/2009 at 4:56 AM ET 125 Points
I would like to hear from other small business owners as to how it's handled when you hire a web design company or freelancer to build your site. I have virtually no knowledge of programming or design, how do I keep my sensitive financial information secure if I have them set up merchant account and payment gateway? Or what if they change my sites access passwords once it's up and running and I can't access my sales and customer service data? I may be a bit paranoid but I would just like some advice and reassurance.

Thanks!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by melissa on 1/30/2009 at 4:34 PM Accepted
    The most important advice I can give you is to do your homework on the freelancer or firm you are hiring. Google the company name, and the name of the person who will be working on your project, and see what comes up. If they are successful in web development and online marketing, this will generally produce an assortment of projects, portfolio hits, LinkedIn and similar social networking pages, etc.

    Ask for references, and call them. Check out their online portfolio, navigate through the work they've completed, make sure it is up to your standards (keep in mind that design will vary based on the client's wants and needs, though). You are hiring a temporary employee who will be utilizing sensitive or confidential information, you should treat this relationship with the same level of research.

    As for the purchase and ownership of domain names, hosting agreements, merchant accounts, etc; you have some options here. You can either ask the developer to set everything up in your name (this is how our Agency handles it, so that the client has full ownership of all associated services from the beginning, and there is no transfer of ownership), or you can request a list of requirements from the developer and set these services up yourself. If you're working with a reputable hosting or merchant services company, you should be able to call them with the information you need and work with them to setup the account. You could setup the developer as an administrator on the account, and then delete their access once the site goes live if you wish.

    Lastly, I beg you, don't choose the lowest-cost developer. I can assure you that countless clients have come to us after developing a website with the lowest-price programmer or designer, and on top of the aggravation they went through to complete the project, 9 times out of 10 they had to scrap the site because it was so poorly developed and start all over again. In essence, they paid nearly double for the project, and launched far beyond the deadlines they expected.

    I hope this helps, good luck with your search. If you need any additional information or would like a recommendation to a successful development team, you can contact me via my profile.

    - Melissa
  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 1/31/2009 at 1:16 PM Member
    The most important part of an e-commerce site is not the design, but the function. Don't get me wrong design is important, but how the site functions is more important. I suggest you look into Network Solutions e-commerce system. It is excellent and inexpensive. I have had several stores on this system. They can even help with design or you can use a template.

    That being said you must pay attention to two other very important aspects of e-commerce. First is marketing. How are you going to get people to visit? It just doesn't happen you have to make it happen.

    Second is operations. You must take photos, price, merchandise the site, take orders and ship them. So you see design is just a part of the process.
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