Building a webpage

Hey I got a quick question for you computer guys.

My wife is starting a business later this year and we were talking about starting the web page to do this. It just needs to be pretty simple, but what's the best and easiest way to do this? We have 0 experience but if theres a place that has a template I can do that, or is it just an asspain and we should hire someone? (dont wanna do that) Is godaddy.com the place to do this?

Thanks!

 

You need to do some research...find a webhosting service that has a simple & easy to use web builder.

My sister uses http://www.1and1.com/ . I have no experience with it other than guiding her along (and believe me, she still needs A LOT of help!).

It's not hard to do, especially if you have computer skills (she does not).

There are tons of different companies offering similar packages & web building capabilities. You just have to sift thru and find the one you want/like.

Other than that...it's really really really hard to explain everything in one post. Keep asking questions....

 

some providers have "cookie-cutter" page designs you can "slightly" customize w/ WYSIWYG-type interface (i think most of these are web-based design tools now), ...or you can hire a pro, or DIY... if you're a coder, you can write HTML from a text editor- upload the pages and associated graphics/content, ...you can buy a web authoring tool like Dreamweaver (but $$)... there may be some free web design tools out there by now, ..unfortunately i'm a bit out of the loop on the latest...

oh, ...and if you're into whipping up your own graphical content (i.e. look-n-feel), i'd recommend getting a decent photo-editing tool (PaintShop Pro, Photoshop, etc...)

 

Thanks for the info! My wife has a friend from school thats trying to start a web page design company and he said he would do it for $400. Do you think this is good and save us a bunch of asspain?

 

...maybe... depends what kind of features and look/feel you want for it... i.e. pertinent questions might be; will he do any graphics work, ...are you going to have a "logo" for your business/site?, ...etc... do you need an e-commerce setup (i.e. shopping cart, billing..)?..

 

What exactly are they going to do? Initial design & setup? What type of page is it going to be? What does that $400 include? - There are domain registration fees (yearly) and web hosting fees (monthly) included with owning a webpage.

With a little research & learning, you could make up a basic webpage and have the knowledge it takes to make changes to it whenever you want - again, with the right web hosting and editing software. It'll be a simply page, but at least, you're able to go and make redesign changes at anytime.

To get the most out of a webpage and the amount of money you're paying to have a webpage - you'll want more than just a basic one page bare bones website. The more complex websites get, they'll usually need some sort of 'upkeep' and you'll always want to make changes to it, add new content, change old content - or else, people will get bored with it (if its a business, you'll want to attract customers). So..........with that being said.....
The person whom you are considering to pay $400 to make the webpage - will they be available to you in the future to make changes to the website and how much will that cost?

 

We have a logo that's being created by a friend of mine but it will be included on the website. The ecommerce set up he can do, but there is a software package my wife wants thats specific to her business that he said if we purchase it he can install it. The bulk of the site will be a link to a schedule, some photos, bios of the employees.

 

Thanks again for the info...My wife talked to the guy, from what I got he can do about anything we want, post videos/pics, links to bios on the employees, schedules, and I think he will teach her how to change stuff once its up and going. I do not think it includes the domain and hosting fees. Its a friend of hers from school. I dont know the guy but aparantly other people from her school have used him. I really dont know shit about this or I would try and do it for her.

Thanks again.

 

Depending on how they set things up, it can be VERY VERY complex. Complex meaning - it won't be easy to make changes without some assistance from the person who set it up. Complex meaning, you may need special software. It's not something you can learn overnight.

Whatever you do - make sure this person who does the site for you fully understands that they may need to help you with changes in the future...

OR...

Have them do the website from your HOME, setup on your computer, using software that is easy to manipulate for a beginner. They can TEACH YOU and your wife (at the same time) while they're setting the website up. You can actually see what goes into the design and the development process and you can see how to make changes in the future (if needed).

Good Luck!

 

sounds like it may be worthwhile, but i'd first ask the guy to point you to a couple sites he's done before - how "flashy" do you want your site? that way you can get a feel for what you're getting... janster makes a good point about finding out how you can "update" content on your site - i.e. what elements would need updating - photos?, ...text, ..product listing, etc? you probably want him to explain this to you, and stress that you want the site layout to designed in a way to make it easier on you...