Hey guys, I was just wondering what everyone thought would be a useful package for creating a small business website. The one I see that looks easiest is the Yahoo package. I know some of you are business owners, and have experience in setting one up. I don't figure it to be that hard. On a scale of 0-10, I would say I am about a 6-7 on computer knowledge/ability. We have started a new company, and really want to advertise on a website that mainly has pictures of setups, different packages, availabilty, etc. Not really looking for anything with purchase ability i.e. paypal or credit card. Purchasing for our stock will need to be done in person. We just need something for advertising, not for pushing stock. It is hard to describe what we do, so please just do the best advice giving you can on a limited knowledge basis. Thanks guys.:beer:
Website Setup and Design
- Thread starter Leedog
- Start date
www.existhosting.com has cheap packages, but their reliability and customer service are crap. They have a module called Site Studio that is easy to use and looks good (other hosting services use site studio also, it is very customizeable). I've looked into yahoo hosting before, but they seem pricey. GoDaddy.com is my name domain hoster of choice. They also have site builders that are very limited. You have to watch them, though, they will nickel and dime you for options you don't need. If you aren't using an online shopping cart, you may save money going with a UNIX based server rather than a Windows server. You won't need things like ssi or asp or even a database.
buy the domain from godaddy.com
then hunt around for cheap and reliable web hosting service. I use lunarpages.com to run my message board on. They are very reliable, customer service is great, and the prices aren't bad. You don't have to go with them, but I'm sure you can find better packages by hunting around.
then hunt around for cheap and reliable web hosting service. I use lunarpages.com to run my message board on. They are very reliable, customer service is great, and the prices aren't bad. You don't have to go with them, but I'm sure you can find better packages by hunting around.
DON'T Use Godaddy. They've been know to "accidentally" lose domain registrar information so they can sell the domain name to a high bidder. There's a reason they're one of the cheapest. (google "godaddy stolen domain" and you'll find some articles.)
I prefer Directnic.com -- these are the guys that kept their New Orleans operation center running during Katrina. (It's a fantastic read, go here, and scroll back to the proper date.)
For the actual hosting -- it all depends what you need and how much you want to spend. I use vervehosting.com -- they've been pretty good and only $10/month for the mid-level plan.
I prefer Directnic.com -- these are the guys that kept their New Orleans operation center running during Katrina. (It's a fantastic read, go here, and scroll back to the proper date.)
For the actual hosting -- it all depends what you need and how much you want to spend. I use vervehosting.com -- they've been pretty good and only $10/month for the mid-level plan.
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n/m
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nothing wrong with that. I only suggested what I did if you wanted to hunt around for a better deal, which I'm sure you can find.
website
Your best bet is to find a friend who knows how to build websites or put an ad in the college newspaper nearest you for a student who will build it better and cheaper than a website design service will.
Also get familiar with a program called FTP. You will need it.
Your best bet is to find a friend who knows how to build websites or put an ad in the college newspaper nearest you for a student who will build it better and cheaper than a website design service will.
Also get familiar with a program called FTP. You will need it.
That's kind of misleading. FTP isn't the program. FTP is file transfer protocol, a method of uploading files from a source computer to a web server. There are many software programs available that provide the ability to easily FTP between the source computer and the webserver. Just go to download.com and do a search for FTP.
Setting up an online business presence is more than just hiring someone's kid or a college student to toss together something. Your website can be a vital marketing tool and it will/can be where prospective clients will get their first impression of your business. Find yourself a good designer and pay them what they're worth. Here are some tips for you:
1. Look at websites of businesses in your area. Find the ones you like and find out who built it.
2. A good designer will sit down with you and ask you all about your business, your market, clientele, etc. They'll build a profile of your business that'll serve as a guide for your site design. I've turned down some jobs because after spending time with the client, it was obvious that their target market used other means than the web to get their information and the money would be better spent on other means of advertising.
3. A good designer will see possibilities that you don't on ways to promote your business online. That's their job.
4. Listen to what they say; they're the experts. I had a banking client who wanted a massive picture of mountains smack in the middle of their home page. Very bad idea for many reasons.
5. Think about your site design from the perspective of the visitor, not yours. Something you may like may be a bad idea from a visitors point of view for many reasons.
Anyway, that's the 5 cent tour. Your website can say a great deal about you and your business, put the time and money into it that it deserves.
Depending on how tight money is, you may not be able to afford the services of a designer. There are alternatives you can use. One place to visit is http://www.templatemonster.com/ . There are designers there that build templates that people can purchase and fill in with their own information. Some decent pricing and good looking designs.
1. Look at websites of businesses in your area. Find the ones you like and find out who built it.
2. A good designer will sit down with you and ask you all about your business, your market, clientele, etc. They'll build a profile of your business that'll serve as a guide for your site design. I've turned down some jobs because after spending time with the client, it was obvious that their target market used other means than the web to get their information and the money would be better spent on other means of advertising.
3. A good designer will see possibilities that you don't on ways to promote your business online. That's their job.
4. Listen to what they say; they're the experts. I had a banking client who wanted a massive picture of mountains smack in the middle of their home page. Very bad idea for many reasons.
5. Think about your site design from the perspective of the visitor, not yours. Something you may like may be a bad idea from a visitors point of view for many reasons.
Anyway, that's the 5 cent tour. Your website can say a great deal about you and your business, put the time and money into it that it deserves.
Depending on how tight money is, you may not be able to afford the services of a designer. There are alternatives you can use. One place to visit is http://www.templatemonster.com/ . There are designers there that build templates that people can purchase and fill in with their own information. Some decent pricing and good looking designs.
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King$nake
Banned
BlackReefDesigns.com can set you up with a professional page and hosting.
I know the guy that runs it =)
I know the guy that runs it =)
This is a great post really. Don't go cheap, and don't use some student working from his mother's basement.
And pick the company you buy your domain from very carefully. Recently a company went under and there was a lot of problems with domain names.
I use Ipower web service. they can get the name you want regisered , host the site , help you build a site, support... you can do it all for under 100 per year. they are at www.Ipowerweb.com you can see my site at www.1993cobra.com
I would not trust Directnic either. They stole our domain name from our local ISP when their building was destroyed in a fire. You better be careful with them as we feel they are holding our domain name "hostage" until we pay a price they predetermine. Which our board of directors will not submit to. It sucked but it happened. We went to Verisign trying to get it back but was told tough luck. Even though we have a corporate trade mark on the name we would have to buy it back from them.
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Sheesh you all make this complicated.
Do this: www.netfirms.com/MAX
I have done it for 2 years and all I have spent is $20.
* 2 FREE domain names
* 250GB of disk space
* 2,000GB data transfer per month
* Host unlimited websites with a single account!
* Support for PHP, Perl, and MySQL
After your done with the first year you open a "new" account and transfer the domains over to your new account. And now you have 4 domains
Do this: www.netfirms.com/MAX
I have done it for 2 years and all I have spent is $20.
* 2 FREE domain names
* 250GB of disk space
* 2,000GB data transfer per month
* Host unlimited websites with a single account!
* Support for PHP, Perl, and MySQL
After your done with the first year you open a "new" account and transfer the domains over to your new account. And now you have 4 domains
Buy a domain with hosting like at lunarpages.com and use a Free Open Source CMS (Content Management System) like Drupal or Joomla. You can easily design a site using those. Or you can pay me $150.00 and I will set it up and design it for you then explain how to do updates. The CMS sites are very easy to setup and update for non-technical people. You can simply install a new theme disable the carp that you don't need and then just update the content as you see fit 
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