Building a website

[CaraVibez]

Hey Guys,

A bit of a naive question but I'm not that educated in IT especially web designing. So my question is can I (a novice IT user) create my own website containing content such as embedded videos and images at a reasonably low price. If so, were do I start and is it a long a process or should I just pay someone to do it for me?

Many Thanks.

 

[faradaykeynes]

you can have a go at wordpress, if you really like nice professional website then paying professionals is the answer

 

[CaraVibez]

How much would it cost usually to pay a professional to build the website? and this might be a stupid question but what is the difference between a blog and a website?

 

[faradaykeynes]

it depends what is required, if it is simple static site, CMS or e-commerce or mix of both

 

[tgstechnosis]

Yes word press is one of the fine thing for your requirement ..

But there are lot of things to do in wordpress to build it in your own manner with a professional look.That's you can do with the help of web designer here @ affordable rate.

 

[InternetRadioServices]

Joomla is also an excellent option. But of course you would need to also consider your websites hosting.

There are many bundles to choose from, with many pricing options. Alot of the credible hosting companies offer free programmes to help you build your site (website builder pro) is an excellent example.

Serif offer a programme called websiteplus (think thats the correct name)

Now being new here and respecting the forum rules. Im not sure if I can publish our sister companies website (its a hosting provider) so I wont, but if your sites small enough (5 pages or less) Id be happy to build the site for you. Again not sure if this is an infringement of the user policy so Id ask you pm me, but if its pointed out this is an infringement I happly respect that. Im simply trying to assist someone for free

internetradioservices.co.uk

 

[faradaykeynes]

What sort of site you have in mind? what are you looking to do?

 

[CaraVibez]

In a nutshell, I want to build a site were I can embed videos and allow viewers to buy the items they see in the video.

 

[tgstechnosis]

In blog, visitors can comment about your content..you can add these content from back end of ur website.

but the website u said is CMS(dynamic) or static ?
if it is dynamic you can Add, edit, and modify the whole structure of page from back end provided... and can add unlimited pages..
There you can add videos or photos what ever you want ...

 

[faradaykeynes]

how many products are you looking to sell?

 

[CaraVibez]

Not too sure, I was thinking of using various affilates(clothing brands) to sell their items through my website and have the entire payment process on the site with a tracking system to indicate were the item was bought.

 

[faradaykeynes]

humm you can set data feed from your suppliers from there server to yours, this will update prices, stock and products regularly and can have payment processing on your site on hosted gateway.

I would suggest go for fully e-commerce platform instead of wordpress or even Joomla, there are many dedicated e-commerce platforms like Zencart , prestashop etc.

 

[CaraVibez]

Thanks for the replies much appreciated

I want to create a simple website now that I can experiment with and see if this idea could work. Any free on-line services you would recommend for me to get started straight away?

 

[CaraVibez]

Oh sorry I just read the services you recommended :redface: Thanks again!

 

[CaraVibez]

do you think I should create a blog on wordpress and put a few examples of the service and see the response?

 

[faradaykeynes]

setting up online business is relatively less expensive but promoting it and getting it to generate profit is not that easy. you can surly setup blog to test water but dont expect too much. Majority of businesses fail due to lack of guidance , planning and right tools in place.

 

[CaraVibez]

I completely agree with you, which is why it is taken me so long to get started because I'm caution as to what route to take. Do you think I should go straight ahead and attempt to create an actual website now or create a blog to have something to show and perhaps use to pitch to inventors.

 

[faradaykeynes]

I suggest start with zencart, easy to setup and manage and later on if you decide to take to advance level, you can do so with out changing platform.

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

Hi Alan

Zen Cart is pretty dated. Unless you require specific features I'd recommend OpenCart for an ecommerce solution. It's arguably the easiest to use, and is more modern and clean.

It's also the highest rated here, with PrestaShop a close second:
http://www.softaculous.com/softaculous/apps/ecommerce

If you'd like to see what it looks like, you can can try the demos on that page, or here's the one for OpenCart on their site:
http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route=demonstration/demonstration

Any decent web host will provide a one click installer like Softaculous to have one of these apps installed for you in seconds.

Most decent hosts also let you pay monthly. All you'd need is a starter package to begin with, which you get for as little as £2 per month. If you find after a month it's not for you, that's only £2.

Google often uses the motto "Think big, start small". Keep an idea of what you want to achieve in mind, it's great you already have, and get stuck in and try things to see how they work. You'll quickly find what works and what doesn't, and crucially you'll be building an online presence and history, which can really help your site in the future.

I'd recommend installing a Wordpress blog alongside your shopping cart, for example at yourdomain.co.uk/blog, and using that to write about relevant content to help drive traffic. You can then link to your test products, and share those blog posts on social media and other channels.

I hope that helps.

If you have any questions feel free to get in touch, we'll be happy to help.

Good luck!

Dan

 

[CaraVibez]

Hey Dan

Thanks for the reply and it was certainly helpful. I'm looking into those sites you recommended and it looks like exactly what I needed.

Thanks again.

 

[old boy]

get a wordprees site up and add a shop is the cheapest and easiest

then maybe use something like zulkucart for ease of use but only once you decent sales and traffic

 

[CaraVibez]

Wordpress is used to create a blog right? is that the same as a website?

 

[Bumblebuzz]

Wordpress is used to create a blog right? is that the same as a website?

Wrong.

WordPress started off as a piece of blogging software. However, WordPress is now a fully featured CMS (Content Management System : Manages the content of your website), still with blogging features though. You can do almost anything with wordpress, including full blown shopping carts

 

[tgstechnosis]

HI CaraVibez

The best idea is to keep your shopping cart and blog in one domain but in separate folder.

I don't know what is the use of blog in shopping cart. Blogs are used for discussions regarding a certain topic..

If u can explain more .. We will help you

 

[CaraVibez]

Thanks for the replies guys

I am planning on creating a simple beginner website just to experiment with the content and see if the idea will actually work. I would like the website to be able to embed videos with a shopping cart feature on it (which I believe allows visitors to purchase products on the site). As I'm not that educated or experienced in the web designing department, I'm clueless as to what route to take to start the website. The blog sounds great for me in order to see what people think of the service and get an idea if this could actually work or not, but will attempting to create a website by myself be a better option?

 

[Bumblebuzz]

Wordpress isn't a blog. You make a website with WordPress (I'll pm you some examples)...

 

[tgstechnosis]

Hi CaraVibez

Nice to hear from you. Exactly shopping cart websites and blogs are developed by web designers or web programmers.. It cannot be developed by a beginner.

In shopping cart website you need comments or reviews towards your products.. which is not in a different blog. It is costly for developing blog and shopping cart at same time. All shopping cart website allows your customers to add reviews or comments in each product.

The better idea is to consult for a shopping cart website, which fits all ur requirements.
If you can contact us... we will certainly help you.

Bye

 

[FutureM]

Honestly I would say get a pro.

I had a quick scan of this thread, it seems you have zero experience (not knowing the difference between a blog and a static website for example).

It is possible to use wordpress for what you are after, but honestly i think you will be giving yourself headaches.

If I was in your shoes I would have a wordpress expert create the site initially, then you learn the basics and start experimenting so you can then mange the site yourself using wordpress.

If you don't want the initial investment, incase the idea fails then I would spend a long time learning wordpress before starting, try a few other websites/blogs for a few months.

 

[Centuri-Host]

Wordpress is the way to go... most host's offer a free quick install solution from the control panel to set this up anyway.

Then its as easy as installing a template then adding content.

Depends on how far you want to go with it!

If you need any help pop me a email in my sig!

Ben

 

[SimplyWebsites]

If you have no experience web design and want to create a successful website then I strongly advise paying someone to do it.

There are many ways you can go about it free or cheap but you pay for what you get and unfortunately unless you are skilled in web design the outcome is not likely to be sufficient. Even if you managed to create a nice website, the chance of it generating sales is low.

 

[CaraVibez]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm looking in to wordpress and see if I could have a go at it or not.

 

[CaraVibez]

Honestly I would say get a pro.

I had a quick scan of this thread, it seems you have zero experience (not knowing the difference between a blog and a static website for example).

It is possible to use wordpress for what you are after, but honestly i think you will be giving yourself headaches.

If I was in your shoes I would have a wordpress expert create the site initially, then you learn the basics and start experimenting so you can then mange the site yourself using wordpress.

If you don't want the initial investment, incase the idea fails then I would spend a long time learning wordpress before starting, try a few other websites/blogs for a few months.

How much does it cost roughly to get a pro web designer to create a decent website?

 

[GelCode]

You should be looking to spend around £450. of course find someone you like and talk with them. Its not "set in stone" with web design, simply ask around.

 

[bumperman]

Really interesting thread...............

I'm considering using Wordpress with either Woocommerce or Ecwid for ecommerce, but which is best? Would love to see some UK examples of Woocommerce or Ecwid.

Thanks
bumperman

 

[Glowbridge]

How much does it cost roughly to get a pro web designer to create a decent website?

How long is a piece of string?

Expect £500 and upward.

 

[frida_adams]

Hey Guys,

A bit of a naive question but I'm not that educated in IT especially web designing. So my question is can I (a novice IT user) create my own website containing content such as embedded videos and images at a reasonably low price. If so, were do I start and is it a long a process or should I just pay someone to do it for me?

Many Thanks.

you can try wix.com. that will help you better

 

[Bumblebuzz]

you can try wix.com. that will help you better

Just don't... Just don't...
we've just had a big debate about wix on here.

 

[stender]

Themeforest.net have really nice themes but look for feedback on support as some is non existant. studiopress have some nice templates but they also have a support forum.

 

[Centuri-Host]

Really give it a go yourself, plenty of moddable themes for WP out there.

And it is usually rather rewarding knowing its your creation!

Ben

 

[old boy]

prob with a load of the freebie sites is they either have there logo on it too big at teh bottom
or carry adverts

all looks very unpro in my opinion.

I would go for wordpress hosted everytime
check you tube for simple questions
OB