During a recent project I did for an online art gallery, I realized why e-commerce websites are so expensive.I will discuss 4 key points as to why the design process of these sites is expensive and why you should NOT cut corners.

Time

Business owners don't realize that they are actually paying for the designer and/or web developer's time.  They see the price tag of a website design and have one of two thoughts.  The first is "they are charging way too much" or "I'll do it myself."  In the process of trying to do it themselves they quickly get frustrated by how much time goes into it.  They quickly decide whether to take a month doing it themselves or to get help.But how much should that help costs?The hourly or package rate that the designer charges should correlate with the number of items that you are offering in your e-commerce site.  Each product has to have it's own product page. This is translates into more time.

Lack of Pictures

You'd be shocked to know how many people are ready to launch a product online that they have no photos for.  Don't be one of those people.As soon as you make the decision to go online with your product or service start taking pictures.  Invest in a photo shoot or stock photos.The more photos the designer has to gather for you, the longer the design process and the higher the final cost of your e-commerce site will be.

Product Descriptions

Your designer may or may not be a copywriter too.  They may or may not include this in the package.To speed the process along provide them with a starting point for each item that you offer.  Include:

• Product name
• Product's price
• Size, weight
• Material (if apparel or jewelry)

Payment Gateway

Your designer will make suggestions for which one they have used in the past and prefer.  It is ultimately your decision of which one you want to use to get paid.Do some research beforehand. Your designer is not your accountant.Take a thoroughly look at the pros and cons of each payment processor/gateway for your business. A few to consider:

• Stripe
• Paypal
• Advise.net

Before choosing one for yourself or client ask your yourself, what are the fees, monthly costs and security levels. These are important for your customers to pay, you get paid and them feel safe about doing so.Luckily, the platform I used to build this site on includes Stripe. Such a time saver!Do you think sites are too expensive?Best,Erica

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