After you have decided on a niche and found some reliable and high quality suppliers for your e-commerce website, then it is time to take things one step further and actually get your website off the ground. There are two basic ways that you can do this, either you can get a website built for you by another company or person, or you could always build the site by yourself.

Many people who are not experienced in web development will probably want to have their website built by another provider. In itself, this is not such a bad idea. After all, it can save you time and frustration in getting your website started. But there could also be some potential disadvantages to all of this. If you would like to get your website done by a 3^rd party, there are some things that you would need to keep in consideration to avoid problems and get started as soon as you can.

Here are some tips:

• Get quotes from multiple providers

In the online world, there are thousands of web development companies that can create a professional web store for you. As such, you should compare the prices between different providers to see which one would offer the most competitive rates. Don’t hesitate to compare a dozen or so providers before making your decision and don’t feel pressured to go with one provider over the other if you haven’t made your selection just yet.

• Check the reputation of the web developer in question

Besides getting a good price, you will want to work with a web developer that will deliver on what they promised and do so on time. You can find out a lot about a company by simply Googling their name or the name of their owner. This will often allow you to find any complaints that have been posted about them in discussion groups or web forums. Also, ask to see their portfolio of websites that they have designed in the past. Links to active websites are the best. Many web designers will have this right on their website, allowing you to easily see their previous work.

• Work with a provider that is experienced with e-commerce sites

Building an e-commerce site involves a lot more than simple web design and graphic design skills. The website developer will also need to put together a customized back end or engine which will power your site and allow you to make changes to your site, such as add or remove products, etc. Since this is the software that will be powering your entire site, you will need to make sure that it is well configured and does its job properly. Therefore, it is best to go with a provider that is experienced with building web stores and e-commerce sites, as there will be a higher chance that they will know what they are doing.

If you have a lot of information to offer your customers, and if you intend to add to that information over time, a membership site is a great way to generate revenue with that information. A membership site is exactly what it sounds like, people sign up to your site for a recurring fee, and you provide them with ongoing information and support. If you use the right tactics, a membership site can be extremely profitable.

One Call To Action At A Time

A call to action is anything you tell your visitors to do. For example, “Sign Up Now” or “Watch this video” would be examples of a call to action. You never want to make the customer feel confused about what to do next, and presenting them with two calls to action at a time can leave them confused or uncertain about what to do next. Instead, present one call to action at a time. If you want your visitors to watch a video before moving on to the next thing you want them to do, put that video, and a call to action for it above everything else on that page.

Clear Navigation

Your visitors should be able to get to every section of your site quickly, and easily. Your site should include a navigation bar at the top that contains links to every section of your site. If some sections contain subsections, be sure to include those in a drop down menu underneath their parent section. By giving your visitors an easy way to navigate your site, you are ensuring that they can find what they need easily. If they don’t have any trouble using  your site, they’re more likely to keep coming back.

Professional And Interesting

If you want your visitors to take you seriously, then your site needs to keep their attention. If your site appears unprofessional, or if the content is boring, or otherwise unappealing to the visitor, you won’t sell many memberships. If your content is solid, and your presentation is professional, you’ll have a much easier time of getting people to sign up for your site. Keep that in mind as you set up your membership site.

A membership site can be a great way to bring in some money if you do it right. Keep your message clear, your navigation simple, and your content compelling, and you’ll get plenty of sign ups.

If you already have a membership site that’s doing fairly well, and an equally successful list to go with it, what’s the next step? Where do you go from there to ensure that your list will keep growing? There are a few things you can do to keep growing your list, even if you’re already done a fair job of growing it.

If you haven’t done so already, integrate your membership site, and your list directly, so that when someone signs up for your site, they’ll be automatically subscribed to your list as well. Most membership site software makes it easy to integrate the two, but if you really get stuck, and you can’t get the two sign ups into one form, put an opt in for your list on your sign up page. It’s also a good idea to put a list opt in on your site’s sidebar. That way, even if someone isn’t a registered user yet, they can still sign up for your list.

You may want to consider using a forced opt in page as well. One of the most effective uses of a forced opt in page is the two step checkout. In a two step checkout, after the customer clicks the “buy” button on your sales letter, or product page, they’ll first be sent to an opt in page that asks for their email address and name. The page should indicate that it is step one of two, so they customer is clear on where they stand in the checkout process. Once they opt into your list, they’ll be redirected to the actual checkout form so they can complete their purchase. If you’re using this method, it’s important to make your opt in page feel like a part of the checkout process. Make sure the opt in page doesn’t look significantly different from the actual checkout form. Customers may become wary of your site if they feel like the forced opt in wasn’t actually part of the checkout process.

Whether your membership site is small, or large, these tips can help you to grow your list in a big way.There are always more ways to encourage your users to opt into your list. Try to incorporate the list into your site as heavily as possible, and you’ll see your list grow quickly.