architecture for new website?

[logobear]

Hi,
looking to update website and seek advice on the best platform/starting place.
Currently we don't sell online, so I want to be able to host lots of info on print & garments & pics, - but with options to include
Inquirie form with attachments
catalogue (as supplied by our wholesaler)
social media integration
Shopping - cart & payment advice please
Online designer tool - advice again

I could just pay deconetwork but think maybe WordPress might be useful as it is well supported and has lots of options and many people are good at using it.

Hosting options?

many thanks
phil

[Drew]

You're asking one of those questions where you can ask 20 different people, and get 20 different answers.

Firstly, what is your level of expertise? Are you happy editing code if needs be, or prefer the 'plug and play'?

Wordpress with Woocommerce is well documented, and used by many. However, its not perfect (although I admit it works for some peoples needs), as it run on Wordpress.

You then have stand alone ones, such as Presta, Magento, Opencart etc etc etc that can be installed on your own hosting.

All the above offer what you're after, and more with the use of Plugins or Apps. I'd recommend you try them all, and see what you on with best They are a bit of a muchness, but each has its own quirks. You could use one of the above with your existing site, just installed in a subfolder (ie logobear.co.uk/shop) and keep the same hosting etc.

[shawny69]

I use serif webplus x7 but a colleague has used opencart for a fishing business website and it was quite impressive, certainly from a content management perspective

[Paul]

WordPress. millions of themes to choice from.
VERY easy to set up and use. no coding skills required.

[logobear]

I am liking the look of WP, I know there are 20 other options, but I am happy to just choose a universal biggie!

- but as i investigate deeper I discover that maybe choice of hosting is actually a more difficult decision?
Some hosts have '1 click wordpress installer' - while others make it a bit or a lot more involved ......
it seems that it is generally prefereble to have UK hosting if you are in the UK, - but having a .co.uk domian alleaviates most of the SEO issues of US hosting.
BlueHost seems well regarded and 1 click, - but is US hosted and a bit more £$£
FastHosts (UK) mostly gets good reviews but only offers 1 click if on Linux, - and while I do a a linux machine, - most of the time I am not on it.....
to be honest, I don't really care if it is £1.38 or £5 a month, or more as long as it works, is easy, secure, and I can get help if neeeded, reliable, and is still there in more years to come than I need it to be.
Hosting suggestions or experiences?

[PeteO]

Visit WP webpage, they will usually least hosts that they feel optimise their servers for WP Installs, you will usually find they know the platform better and can assist more should any issues occur,

One Click Installs for Linux is regarding the hosting platform, not the OS you are using, most webhosts offer Windows or Linux Platforms, it would imply FastHosts are saying you need to opt for a Linux Server if you would like one click installs.

Having said that most commerce sites you manually install aren't difficult, you create a database using your hosts control panel (usually PHPMyAdmin), and enter the Name/Username/Password when you install (very much a hand held process)

When looking for a host, dont just consider cost of monthly hosting, consider what your site will be doing, and if you are looking at completing transactions online, or have people putting personal details in (account creation etc) as you would require SSL Certficate to complete this.

Many hosts offer shared hosting and SSL isnt as readily available from all hosts in the manner, and the higher level Certificates will usually require a Dedicated IP which many hosts charge for in addition to your monthly fee.

I recently tried InMotion Hosting, found their sales team promised the world, and their implementation team always wanted to charge extra.

I host a Joomla site with Heart Internet through one of their resellers (friend, and the unlimited account costs me nothing for doing side work for him), they are fairly helpful (and quick) and costs are reasonable

Also use FastComet for a Prestashop site, and they have been great, migrated site from old host to new in a matter of hours, helped with templating issues that wasn't technically their problem and have never taken longer then an hour to get back to a support ticket.

[mags1892]

Not many online designer options with wordpress have a look before you make your mind up theres a couple but theyre not great. Deconetwork allows a lot more but its very pricey.

I do most of my web stuff in wordpress with woocommerce as the shop engine and worldpay as the payment provider works well but I dont have online designer tools

[Justin]

Always used OpenCart but I'm looking at building a basic site quickly and Wix seems to look very good, anyone use this?