Good morning!
Today, I would like to start a very SIMPLE (K.I.S.S.) thread on starting your own e-comm website. I hope the veteran webmasters will chime in so that newbies like me can explore this topic in more detail.
My background on e-comm sites:
About 3-4 years ago, I used to run a consulting business for the apparel industry specializing in high end winter clothing. I "created" a website for one of my clients using Volusion. I am NOT a programmer, webmaster, SEO expert etc...
All I did was make sure that the site was aesthetically pleasing to the target market (yes, we used professional graphic artists - students, but they got paid, hence "pro" -
). Then I found google adwords and did my due diligence by reading and reading and reading. Now, I didn't become an adwords expert, but did manage to get the "gist" of the concept. I found the PPC keywords to shoot for, and started the campaign. I did NOT do any organic SEO.
Well, long story short, I helped him LIQUIDATE his entire stock in that one winter! But that was moons ago and from reading the many forums on the web, rules have changed. I do need to mention that the product was a very specific item and was HEAVILY monitored by the manufacturer. My client was an authorized dealer so no problems there. Also, very little competition, so I can't take the credit for my work in that sense.
SOOOOO....what I am humbly asking is can we start discussing the ABC's of creating a e-comm, shopping cart website in 2009? Not looking for SECRETS, more like "creating a basic e-comm site for dummies".
So, to keep this simple, are the following statements still true?
1- Original content is still KING.
2- Still need good links.
3- PPC still works when done properly.
4- Submissions to directories not as useful.
I've read The Cynic's thread on SEO (Thank you very much for your posts), and it seems the "linking" aspect will be one of the key areas to focus on to improve rankings. But after reading that entire thread, I fear my bookmarks will be 5 pages long. :>
So to get this started...
If all one did was #1-3 (with #2 getting discussed the most I guess), is that 80-90% of the work involved?
Please bear in mind that I am a believer of "Seeking EXCELLENCE, not perfection".
Will my beliefs lead to a semi-successful site or to ruin?
Thanks in advance as always.
Termed
PS: I know The Cynic has another thread about creating a free site,
I am hoping this is a general discussion, not specific to one particular company/service.
PSS: If the mods feel this is a redundant thread , please feel free to delete. 
E-comm website creation: Beginner's guide 101 
