Getting a website up and running

[Doc Holliday]

After a few goes at trying to get a website up and running I turn to the great PW collective. One guy said he would have a think and get back to me (never did in spite of chasing), another company said they weren't taking on any new projects and a thrid did actually provide me with a price but several 'add-ons'. Without comparisons it's hard to know where the company that did submit a cost are on the expense spectrum but I do know their monthly management costs are quite pricy so would imagine the web design is also in that ball park. I've had another look to see which companies are in my area but to be honest, I wouldn't have a clue if they would be any good or not.

 

Initially, I just want a landing page so I can get some internet advertising going. Then look at options for a 3 or 5 page site or just have drop down boxes at the top with a menu list. I would imagine trying to get a good web designer who isn't going to rip me a new '***** is like trying to get a decent plumber who isn't going to take the rise, but that isn't a situation I'm familiar with, funnily enough.

 

I know it would be down to things like content and whatnot so if anyone can point me in the right direction of a web designer (with examples of designs they have done) I'd be most grateful.

[Scully]

Have a look at Wix. If you're even just slightly IT knowledgeable and have the time it's a good way to go, with plenty of help and online tutorials plus many tutorials through youtube. Dotster is another; I have my domain name with them but my website with Wix. Loads and loads of templates to choose and once you've done it yourself you can pop in and update or change things to suit your needs. Well worth the effort.

[junglebert]

I have two sites, one on Wix, and one on Wordpress, they're pretty similar in terms of cost and functionality, both more than good enough for your needs, and with plenty of room for expansion. Costs are a fraction of what you'll have been quoted, and you can do all maintenance and updating yourself, if you can use a web browser, you can use their design tools.

[powler]

Have a look at vista print, the sister in law uses them for here dog walking business, she did matching business cards as well also some flyers. They ave there own website design templates etc.

 

Mick

[mick miller]

Well, I have no record of a conversation so it couldn't have been me (I don't think) that never got back. What you're asking for is, initially, around a £700- £800 project plus hosting which I would direct you to a site where you can do that economically (it's better to own and manage that yourself). The only extra cost is for updating the engine and any plugins as I always use WordPress these days; it can be made quite secure and does everything people want from a content management system provided you don't want to build a really complex shop or something. Most sites and plug-ins need frequent updates and in my limited experience the customers simply don't bother doing these, hence occasional charges to login, backup, update, backup and check. Minimal.

 

You could give it a go with WordPress yourself if you like, again plenty of info online. Or Wix is good, Squarespace is another.

[powler]

Not sure these days but some company's that do the online web building thing used to register the domain name in there name and direct it to your site, and if you wanted to take the domain name else were they would charge to transfer to your name.

Not sure if any of the mentioned company's do this though.

 

Might be worth bearing in mind.

 

Mick

[EMT]

Wix is very easy to use but because of the way its creates the html 5 it can be a bit slow on android devices. It is fine with iPhones, iPads and desktops. With most sites now receiving up to 50% of their traffic from mobile devices its worth keeping in mind. I have built sites on Wix because of its simplicity for others but I wouldn't use it for anything myself. To give you an idea as simple site without any video or bells and whistles was taking between 10 and 15 seconds to load.

 

If you just want a very simple site then Weebly is very similar to Wix but not as configurable. It also doesn't have as much choice when it comes to templates but it doesn't suffer with the same pageload speed problem on Android that Wix suffers with.

 

If you want to PM me I might be able to help you get started.

[Snoozer]

Recommended.

http://domainsrush.com/

[iano]

What do you want to the website to do?

 

If it is just essentially an online flyer, then a solution like wix is probably the best. You can buy your own domain name and point it to the wix site.

 

If you want it as a trading site (where people are placing orders and paying online) then I would get a proper site (Wordpress engine based) that integrates with something like WooCommerce and Stripe.

[peck]

WYSIWYG is what you want.