Building a website?

minimeeze

minimeeze

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Cheryl
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How easy is it to build a professional looking (non-photography) website with no prior knowledge? Is it easy to do?

I am self employed and currently work with someone else (in healthcare), but am considering going it alone and would like to set my own website up but haven't got a clue where to start. The domain name I would like is available, so that is something - I haven't bought or registered it yet as not sure what to do!

Any pointers or advice gratefully accepted :)


Edit- just realised I posted in the wrong forum.... Mods please feel free to move!
 
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minimeeze said:
How easy is it to build a professional looking (non-photography) website with no prior knowledge? Is it easy to do? I am self employed and currently work with someone else (in healthcare), but am considering going it alone and would like to set my own website up but haven't got a clue where to start.
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It would depend on what you are wanting the website to do. There's a gulf in effort between something that just displays some data and one that lets the user intereact with it. If it's just some sort of CV site, you could easily make one using a blogging tool like WordPress and using Pages - rather than Posts - within it.

The domain name I would like is available, so that is something - I haven't bought or registered it yet as not sure what to do!
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Buy it now. It will be an asset for the balance sheet. But make sure if buying it, you don't buy it from a company that also offers hosting. I tend to use namecheap.com for buying domain names and then a different provider for hosting. This avoids hassle should you wish to change hosts - with an external domain provider, you can repoint the domain to your new host; with a shared service, you may find it less easy.
 
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It's not easy, but there are tools out there like Wordpress that will help greatly :)

You need to get the domain bought first, that's the most important thing - Don't know if the Canadians do a domain similar to the .co.uk, but I'd buy that and the .com if they're available :)

First and foremost, before you start doing anything with a website is to decide what it's for, as that will help you design it around the intended purpose
 
I'd hasten to say, it's not easy, otherwise we'd all be doing it as a matter of fact. Not to say it can't be done.

I've found that going the route of a professional is the best way to put my mind to rest. There's just way too much to learn and tweak. I'd rather concentrate my effort, time and other resources do what I do best.

Richard King (a member here) does this professionally; and he's very good with advice. May be drop him a PM?

Others site developers have a different approach, they use ready-made templates to get a site-up and running. Some templates are free, some are for a one off fee, and some are for periodical fee (annually). Whichever, they all need a fair bit knowledge about how to go about developing and getting it the way you want.
 
I think it depends on what program you're using and it's a case of familiarising yourself with the program. I know dreamweaver is one such programme and you can use some programs on a free trial.

Sorry, this is all I know and I've never completed a professional webpage:shrug:

Good luck! I'd say go for it (y) as it's people who don't try that never get anywhere.
 
Cheryl,
If I were in your position, considering your profession I'd get it made professionally. I'd guess you wouldn't need loads of pages or fancy animated flash graphics or have it tied to a backend database etc, more of a site which says who you are and what you do, with the ability for potential clients to contact you easily. Therefore I'd say its best to spend money and time having the right design - clear and professional.
In my experience, creating a fairly simple website and getting it hosted is pretty easy, but getting the design right for your target audience is the hard part. The next important bit is to get your site up at the top of the listings for any search engines. You can do certain things to try to get it to the top, but to keep the site there for any length of time is pretty complicated I think - search for info on 'search engine optimisation'.
Also make sure it runs perfect in all the web browsers, and maybe have a site designed for mobile devices too? Plus use quality pictures that load fast.

Hope all is well over there. See you soon. :)

Rich
 
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Do you have any experience in design?

There are options for both Mac and PC which can produce a decent website without going for a pro.

If you don't have a lot of design background and are unfamiliar with this then you are best letting someone do it for you.

Remember you also need a logo! This is most important as it is what your site will be based around in terms of colour scheme etc. Again don't go asking for freebies, or people offering things cheaply, as they inevitably end up being poor quality.

Logo design espcially is something that you need to make sure is right. It is the face of your business! You need it to speak for you, and reflect your brand/business. Too many people go the cheap route here, and it is a complete false investment. Corporate Identity first (Logo, letterhead, business card etc.) Then the website.

Not meaning to sound like a rant, but from experience I have seen some terrible work out there from people who think Logos etc. are not worth paying for. Look at it this way. Think of the top 5 companies in the field you are wanting to set up business in. Now think of their logo's. If their corporate identity is good it should come straight to you, that is what you need yours to do in your new design.

Anyway enough design talk for today, back to DIY :LOL:
 
Thanks for all the very useful info & advice :)
I have absolutely no experience in anything like this, and the advice coming through is to get someone to do it for me, so I'll look into that as I do need something that looks professional and is easy to navigate (after it all, it will be used by pregnant women. Pregnancy brain.... need I say more :LOL: ).
 
Buy the domain now! If it's a .co.uk get is from 123 reg, if it is a .com buy from GoDaddy, these are who I always use (50+ domains)

Can you not get funding for your website? If you contact business link they will tell you if you qualify but most people in business do whether you are a new or existing business.

I wouldn't waste your time learning a new skill, it takes a lot of knowledge to create high quality professional websites. Spend the time you would making the websites on marketing and leave the webiste to someone who knows what they are doing.

On the other hand if the website is quite simple and does not need to have custom functionality there are some great sites that let you create your own website quite cheaply such as ClikPic.
 
if you want to play around with making a website i can give you some hosting for nothing, so you can see if designing it yourself can be done. i can put a fresh install of "Wordpress" on so you can just start playing.
 
tpd said:
Buy the domain now! If it's a .co.uk get is from 123 reg, if it is a .com buy from GoDaddy, these are who I always use (50+ domains)

Can you not get funding for your website? If you contact business link they will tell you if you qualify but most people in business do whether you are a new or existing business.

I wouldn't waste your time learning a new skill, it takes a lot of knowledge to create high quality professional websites. Spend the time you would making the websites on marketing and leave the webiste to someone who knows what they are doing.

On the other hand if the website is quite simple and does not need to have custom functionality there are some great sites that let you create your own website quite cheaply such as ClikPic.
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The domain will be either .ca or .com (I'm in Canada) and both are available.

Not sure about funiding as things are slightly different out here - I will probably have to pay myself and then claim it on my tax return as a business expense.
 
I use moonfruit.com. I can do all the HTML stuff but that can be time consuming. So i opted for this instead, it can look very professional if you use your imagination.
 
What sort of site is it? Is is there just for people to find out about you, or are you selling from it? Any interaction needed??? The more info you can provide, the better people can advise.
 
cambsno said:
What sort of site is it? Is is there just for people to find out about you, or are you selling from it? Any interaction needed??? The more info you can provide, the better people can advise.
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It will be a site about the services I offer as a midwife in Canada, so just for information only. I will not be selling anything, just promoting my business. Other than a 'contact us' button, no further interaction will be required from clients.

Take a look at one of my collegue's website for an idea of what I need: http://www.missionmidwifery.com/index.html
 
I'm pretty biased because I'm a web developer myself, but something like the example you gave should only take a competent developer between a half to a full day to complete from scratch (+consultation time), whereas it may well take you a few weeks of headscratching, forum browsing and late nights to come up with something similar.

<insert rant about web development being undervalued here>

Maybe this puts it into perspective for you...
How easy is it to take a professional photograph with no prior knowledge? Is it easy to do?
or even ....
How easy is it to deliver a baby with no prior knowledge? Is it easy to do? :LOL:

sorry, couldn't resist the baby one :cool:
 
Sorry to say that its not easy to make a great looking website, especially if you havent done it before.
But it depends on your expectations.

As others have said - even if you're not designing it yourself, you can still purchase the domain name - so if you know what you want dont wait any longer, or it will be too late.
 
I'm not pro or intending to go pro but I wanted a site and am currently trying clikpic, its very easy to do, looks good and is a reasonable price, not only that but you can have your own domain name as well in the bundle and they do e commerce as well if someone wants to buy prints.
its worth a look..
https://www.clikpic.com/
 
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