web site

[RobertsKulins]

Hi All :)

I was wondering how useful is to make your own wed site? Haw you had any success of it? Maybe some one has success stories or tips :)

Thanks a lot

[GabbysQuiltsNSupply]

I have a stand alone web site for my business that I did last year, the biggest problem is marketing it, like a Etsy shop you have to do constant promoting of it for it to show up in searches, and unlike Etsy you don't have team mates to help you with this (because Etsy does not allow anything other then Etsy on here). If it is something you are thinking of doing you will have to have a advertising budget and a very strong social media presence and make it a priority EVERY day to go and promote from there to your social media.

[RobertsKulins]

Thanks Ruth.
I think to try it I don't have any experience, but by time I hope I will get there.

[PamsFabPhotos]

I have a personal website but, I am embarrassed to say it is sorely neglected. Everything has its limitations; my website through Weebly is no exception. Good luck!

[EmpireSquid]

We've got our own website, but have done no marketing for it and have no traffic. We hope to get around to marketing it eventually, but we're still adding products to it and polishing it up.

We use Shopify.

[Former_Member]

I purchased a domain for my store, but I'm not at the place where I am ready or able to develop my own site. My domain points to my etsy shop, so whether you go to www.donnadstore.com or www.etsy.com/shop/donnadstore, you still see my shop here.

[PamsFabPhotos]

Yes..me too...my website points to my Etsy shop and also to a brick and mortar location here in Reno.
There is A LOT more I can do with it, though, when I can see my way clear to do so.

[Former_Member]

To me it depends on what your goals are as to why have a website. If you are more interested in having a brand independent of Etsy and being able to sell in bulk without fees and you have something important to convey to your clients than yes, a website with a blog and a store is a great option!

If your Etsy shop is just a hobby and you are satisfied with the money it brings in, I think it is enough.

Having a website requires a lot of dedication. You need to be able to blog twice a week, promote it heavily via social media, know how to use titles, keywords etc... with html code etc....

My business website is here
http://www.cinnabarys.com/
and I have big plans for it as I want to grow it to a second income that is based on banner advertising and eventually a secondary store. However, I am willing to put in a 2-3 year investment in time, photographs, money on ad campaigns, and coding to make that happen.

[Former_Member]

I am currently working on building my own website and I can't wait to see how it works for me, good luck everyone!

[TheOrangeApp]

As Ruth and Rebecca have pointed out above, your own website takes a lot of time, knowledge and energy to maintain and promote.

Apart from that, how will customers know where to find you?

Etsy (or other similar marketplaces) are well-known destinations for buyers. Someone searching for handmade goods is likely to come to Etsy and, if your Etsy SEO is good, hopefully find you on Etsy. Whereas the same potential customer will not know about your personal website.

Apart from this, Etsy advertises on Google Products for keywords. Anyone clicking on this listing will be redirected to Etsy's search results for that keyword.
So you have a chance of being found via Google as well if you rank well on Etsy for your keywords.

For your personal website, you will have to pay to advertise on Google. Or you will have to compete with the big brands in terms of Google SEO which can be quite difficult.