Since I sent the invitation Monday for the newsagent website workshop tomorrow, I’ve received some questions. Here they are, with answers:

1. What’s the typical cost for a website? Tower offers a fixed price of $6,600.00, or $550.00 a month paid for 14 months.
2. Is there newsXpress half price offer still available? Yes, newsXpress members who use Tower can get the same fixed price website service for $3,300.00.
3. How long does it take to get we website setup? If your data (stock descriptions and images) is all setup, it could be live in a few weeks.
4. Do I have to sell online or can the website show what I have in the shop? It’s easy to have the website show what you have in the shop but not sell online. Plenty of retailers do this.
5. Do I have to sell online what I have in the shop today? No, you can sell anything you want online, as long as it is legal.
6. Why Shopify? It’s easier to use ands maintain than WooCommerce and other platforms. But, WooCommerce developers will disagree as they make money maintaining sites. With Shopify it’s that easy that you can do it yourself.
7. How can I get my website to be ranked high in Google? Hard work, consistent hard work. There is no shortcut.
8. How much can I expect to make online? That all depends on your niche and the time (and money) you invest. I know newsagents making $300,000 a year online, others easily making $50,000 a year and others making nothing.

Again, tomorrow’s workshop is not a sales pitch. I plan to share and discuss information you can use regardless of the web development path you choose. 

Free online workshop: Websites for newsagents

Thursday June 23 @ 2pm.

This free workshop on websites for newsagents will look at:

• how newsagents can be successful online
• why this matters
• pot holes to watch out for
• what it costs
• what about after you are live
• easy steps you can take today to prepare

I’ll be hosting the session and sharing plenty of lessons from the last few years: websites I have launched that have failed and websites I have launched that have been successful.

I’ll discuss full time websites, and seasonal websites too.

Please have your camera on so people can see who you are. Please come with questions, too. Here’s how you can connect:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86342284316?pwd=M1A1WGw2MkNDL0lFQVQrWjdRd3VSZz09

Meeting ID: 863 4228 4316 Passcode: 586410

Thursday June 23 @ 2pm Melbourne time.

I will record the session for people keen and who cannot make it.

Being online is as important today as having a photocopier in your newsagency was 10 or 15 years ago. The biggest challenge I see confronting newsagents in particular is what to sell online. I’ve seen some spin their wheels over this for months. Some take the approach of putting as much of their shop online as the can while others treat the new website as a start-up business. I am more from the latter camp.

I am not hosting this workshop to try and sell you anything. Rather, I am keen to share experiences so that you can make more informed decisions. I see too many retailers, including newsagents, making decisions about websites that waste money.

Just about any local Aussie newsagency is perfectly placed to host a successful online business.

Having a realistic view of being online is critical to being successful online. A website can be a hungry beast and I’ll explain how.

I will, for context, touch on the group connected websites newsXpress runs that offer the easiest path to selling online. Any marketing group can do this.

If you can spare an hour Thursday I am sure it will be worth your while.

Mark Fletcher
Managing Director
newsXpress and Tower Systems
0418 321 338
mark@newsxpress.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-fletcher-tower/

PS. If you’d like to know more about what newsXpress offers newsagents: Click here for what is included in our $175.00 a month (or $1,680.00 (inc GST) per year paid in advance) membership offer.. Please email help@newsxpress.com.au or call Michael on 0400 331 055 with any questions about newsXpress..