Hi Folks,

 

I run an SEO business and have clients who want me to manage their sites for them on an ongoing basis. A consequence of this is that I'm being asked to get involved in redesigns and new websites.

 

So to my point. I'm not a web designer as such, I can do html and css for static sites but when it comes to php,cms development I'm a novice.

 

One of my clients has asked me to quote for, and build him, a new website for his business. It's a product business which offers various ranges within the product groups. I need the ability to add new content without having to mess about with design or styling. I need to be able to show off new products and offers etc. So basically I'm looking at a CMS site for him which is likely to have around 30-40 pages, some css/script menus, a product gallery that will allow colour swatches to be shown etc. I need it to be SEO friendly for URLs, Gallery and Menu etc.

 

I don't really know what CMS would be a good choice for this and how much I should charge a third-party developer to build it. That's where I need some guidance and advice. The website my client is trying to mimmick in style is www.johnlewis.co.uk although with very much less content and not so functionally sophisticated.

 

Any help anyone can give me would be much appreciated.

 

PS. I'm still yet to agree someone to build the actual site.

 

Thanks Andy

If it needs products on there you need to obviously aim at a CMS with a cart, so Wordpress is out the question, however you can get e-commerce systems for it, but it's not its specific job.

 

If you have bespoke request's i'd personally look to get a bespoke CMS done. It would cost you around £1000 but it will do a great job and you can use it for future projects. I develop custom CMS's to user spec so if you have any questions drop me a direct message or email on glenwheeler [st] glenwheeler.co.uk thanks.

 

Glen

well I agree u need a cart , but wp-ecommerce can do it , but I personally suggest magento

ya ..

 

I agree with this..magento is best for ecommerce ...Magento commerce is easy to install with additional layouts and magento plugin. Unlike other open source shopping carts magento does not require e-store owners to have prior programming experience. It is undoubtedly simplistic and powerful.

 

thanks.

If you have no programming background, it is a risk to do all the installation, configuration etc. You either subcontract it to someone competent to do the job, or use managed service (get an account and everything is ready for you to add content).

 

Adrian

I prefer Joomla Virtuemart. It's really good software, that can help you to create your eCommerce platform. But many other CMS also have many advantages.

well I agree u need a cart , but wp-ecommerce can do it , but I personally suggest magento

 

Agreed. Magento themes tend to come out with that look and feel. Go look for premium magento themes or custom magento theme designers.

I used Virtuemart before. It has security leaks, we got hacked 2 times.

Even if Joomla is great CMS but it lacks on shopping carts.

 

I vote for Magento too. Magento is a beast and has amazing features but it might has many thinks that you will not need and make your work harder.

But if you need something more simple, elegant and faster i will suggest you have a look at Opencart. Its realy great for shops that only need the basics.

Well it really boils down to many factors, if you're looking more for a CMS with a few products on then I'd go with a Wordpress installation with a cart plug-in.

 

If the site is to be more product centric then something like OpenCart or Magento.

Magento has a steeper learning curve but a nice finish and support where as OpenCart is pretty simple but lacks support or gloss.

 

 

 

Hi Andy,

 

Magento has better versatility than the others. It's quite easy to create targeted micro-sites using Magento's multi-store retailing functionality. Magento easy to deploy, maintain, upgrade and work with.

 

Thanks,

Pauline

Prodigy Apex Technologies

I'm not sure if you guys have seen this before, but WordPress also has several wonderful e-commerce plugins. One of the best reasons to use WordPress is that the customization of themes is really simple. The CMS provides you with a lot of flexibility that is just great for designers and client managements. You can take a look at a demo site running WordPress as e-commerce: http://elegantthemes.com/preview/eStore/

am agree with magento....

You can use also Virtuemart shopping system from joomla , it has a lot of plugins ,SEO friendly ,and very easy to use !!