Instant E-Commerce [With CD-ROM]

"Instant E-commerce" is a complete text and software package that provides everything you need to get your e-commerce site up and running. The book starts with some basic concepts of E-commerce and how it differs from other web sites as well as basic instructions for getting a site up and running.From that point on, the book not only continues to educate about E-commerce but also walks you through using the software to create a working website. The software included with the book, GoDaddy's WebSite Complete, uses templates and wizards to walk you through the creation of a complete E-commerce site. Without any knowledge of HTML coding you can create a site with credit card processing, shopping carts, hit counters, scrolling marquees, and even catalogues. The book even walks you through the process of establishing a merchant account so you can immediately verify credit card purchases. The last part of the book covers how to manage the site after you have it up and running. This includes tracking shipping, gathering statistics, making changes, and common problems and how to solve them.Of course my usual caveat about websites applies here - Just because you can do something does not mean that you should. Although it can be used to put up a very nice website, the software has enough bells, whistles, images, backgrounds, etc. that you can easily put up a terrible website. The problem is that too many people want to include everything they can onto their site. As a result it becomes an unmanageable mess. If you are serious about putting up an E-commerce site then you owe it to yourself to also pick up a book on good page design such as "Web Pages that Suck" or "Son of Web Pages that Suck".Ideal for small business owners, individuals, or anyone on a tight budget that wants to put up an effective E-commerce site, this book is a recommended read.