Change Or Duplication

How often have we been told that we need to change, up-date, and modernize?

Yet, when we make those changes, we are then told we change too often?

I think that this is especially true for those of us who do business over the internet. Like any company, we want to stay in business. Not just for a couple of months, but most of us are in it for the long haul. For us, it is a business, just like any brick and mortar store is for that owner.

After nearly 10 years, I have come to realize, like the major chain store companies, you have to make changes to keep your customers coming back and to win new ones. If we keep to the “same old, same old,” we will never get new customers pass our index page and will lose those who have kept us in business.

Each month, I make changes to the index page, adding and removing products, and periodically change the look of the site.

I make changes to stay up dated. I don’t want my sites to look as though a customer was walking into a good will or used clothing or furniture store. You know the type, wander around and you will find what you want.

It is easy to use a pre-made template or free shopping cart, but you are then stuck with the look and idea of another person. If this is what you are happy with, then there is no problem. But, if you are like me, have ideas you would like to see implemented, you are then stifled with this pre-made type of site or shopping cart.

I have a friend and fellow web site owner who tell me I make too many changes, yet she herself has made changes to her site over the past couple of years. Subtle changes, not those complete overhauls I have, but change nonetheless. She is happy with her site and has friends who can help her make those complicated upgrades.

Unfortunately for me, I don’t have those friends, I have to sit there and try to figure out the changes, nor do I always have the time. So I try to find those programs that I can do from scratch, there by putting my own unique vision on my site.

There are programs out there, which will help you achieve that vision you have. Weather we use a template we purchase, or programs such as Dream Weaver or Front Page, we can bring that particular vision we have to fruition.

Once we get our site down, we then need a shopping cart. If you don’t want to pay that $40 to $50 price per month, with a little effort, you can find those carts, which may cost a little but are easy to use. They are out there, you just have to take the time and have the patience to look for exactly the type you want. 30 days free is great to help you determine if this particular cart is the right one for you.

Of course, there is always PayPalâ. They do take a small fee for each order, but compared to paying for a gateway each month, whether you make a sale or not, makes up for the charge.

Personally, I like originality. I don’t want to be a cookie cutter. So, I went back to my beginnings, pulled out my HTML manuals and decided to do it myself. And you know what, I liked the way the site came out so much, that I decided to redo my main site. My sites are my unique vision of what I want, and not a duplication of everything else out there.

As the old saying goes, with dedication and hard work, we can accomplish anything we set out to do.