Just a general website

[davidgilham]

Hi,

I want to create a website for my new business,

I own the domain already I just need a 3 page site giving some basic information as to what we do and who we are. Just to give us a professional image.

Does anybody suggest using template or any of these website builders? I have looked at a few but they seem quite limiting.

Any advice would be appreciated,

Regards

David

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Get Wordpress installed on your server (one click install on most decent hosting accounts) then pay a developer a couple of hundred pounds to chuck up a few pages.

What is quite limiting if you only need a few basic pages?

 

[fisicx]

Install a CMS like Wordpress.

A steep learning curve for about an hour then it's plain sailing all the way with thousands of tutorials and videos to help.

You also have thousands of themes to choose from, plugins for every possible eventuality and a huge support network.

All for free.

And it means you can add pages later, tweak and fiddle from any computer anywhere in the world.

And it's super Google friendly. I posted something a few days ago and within minutes it was indexed by Google and is now sitting in the #3 spot.

 

[B&H Digital]

Install a CMS like Wordpress.

A steep learning curve for about an hour then it's plain sailing all the way with thousands of tutorials and videos to help.

You also have thousands of themes to choose from, plugins for every possible eventuality and a huge support network.

All for free.

And it means you can add pages later, tweak and fiddle from any computer anywhere in the world.

And it's super Google friendly. I posted something a few days ago and within minutes it was indexed by Google and is now sitting in the #3 spot.

I second Wordpress. It's a great script!

 

[PhilipWest]

If you use one of the hosting companies that has c-panel as the user interface they will probably have a simple icon to click to get you going

Just google c-panel and wordpress

 

[finleydesign]

Would also recommend Wordpress, great for company and brochure style websites.

Don't forget that once its set up its actully worth considering adding more content and useful blog content, as it won't cost you any more per page or post once the main design is done

 

[PhilipWest]

'Google sites' might be sufficient to start if you just want brochureware.

 

[smallpond]

Have you tried BF Internet?

 

[PhilipWest]

or look on 'freelancer' for a cheap overseas site developer

 

[B&H Digital]

'Google sites' might be sufficient to start if you just want brochureware.

No no no...

You'd be better off installing something like Wordpress, installing a free theme and using their basic plugins - in fact, you could do all this within about an hour. Then build your content

It's better to do all this at the beginning, than build a site with Google sites and have to change it all over once you've realised how poor it is

Good luck!

 

[PurplePearCreations]

No no no...

You'd be better off installing something like Wordpress, installing a free theme and using their basic plugins - in fact, you could do all this within about an hour. Then build your content

It's better to do all this at the beginning, than build a site with Google sites and have to change it all over once you've realised how poor it is

Good luck!

When will people realise?????
Don't use those cheap nasty templates - from anywhere!!

Wordpress, Just do it, its all there for you and you can integrate your own CSS later on if you like... Hundreds of Videos (as mentioned above

As has been said, its so easy - I bet I could teach my dog to do it well... almost...

Get it right the first time and save yourself some money and hassle later on.

Installing the SEO plugin also a must...

Good luck

David.

 

[jules12345]

Use wix flash ... neater and cooler for a basic..!

Regards
Jules

 

[ITsoldUK]

Get your hosting sorted, install wordpress and head over to http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress (not affiliated) and choose a pro theme for peanuts.

Build content and they will come.

Simples.



Why the above recommendation?

Simple to install, easy to learn and the developed theme will give you a pro look and offers excellent value for money.

With Wordpress you can add content easily without worrying about 'breaking' the installed theme hence destroying the front end of your website all visitors will see.

No need to overkill and of course, it all depends on your market as to how far you go into flashy themes.

Less is more...

 

[URBAN COLOUR]

Joomla is great also and while free you can add to your site as it grows.

But if you are busy building up your business and dont want to spend time (sometimes frustrating) then let someone do it for you. It will be cheap and looking good for what you want.

 

[kim_il_sung]

or look on 'freelancer' for a cheap overseas site developer

Don't do this unless you want communications problems. You can hire a local (For example, me!) in the same time zone and who speaks the same native language to do it for £150.

Also: Wordpress, wordpress, wordpress!

 

[Trust Malcolm]

Wordpress is a good entry level website builder. I'd advise hiring a webdesigner to make your site which sounds really straightforward, and then spend an hour with them to show you how to update it. It is easy but like like everything else can seem daunting if you don't know what you're doing. As you gain confidence you can try different things and pretty soon you'll be a whizz. With imagination Wordpress can look fantastic.

Alternatively if time is an issue, and isn't it always, you can sit down with the web designer and tell him what you want and let him do it. It nwon't cost you more than £300-£400.
Good luck.

Malcolm

 

[kennygrady]

I would have to suggest Wordpress as well. It may take a little getting used to but it is very user friendly. Anything that you cannot figure out there is a good chance there will be a tutorial video available on youtube or some other medium.

Good Luck

 

[geester]

Install Wordpress, then get All in One SEO this will help get the site ranked in Google! Then you can add themes (current themes can now be edited to fit individual needs).

Just remember though, to have a 9 character password and back up the database and files every week at least. Learn from my mistake...got hacked and no back up this was 2 years ago!

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

Good advice all round, although any decent host should provide at least daily backups.

Having said that, those are complete account backups, so it's always a good idea to also perform a daily database backup, and for example get this emailed to yourself. There are plenty of scripts or plugins available to do that.

As mentioned, any decent host will provide a one click installer to have Wordpress installed for you in seconds. Arguably the best out there is Softaculous, which can also email you when updates are available.

Because of its popularity Wordpress is frequently targeted by hackers, so keeping it up to date and making sure your plugins are secure and up to date is very important.

The beauty of open source software like Wordpress is that you can start off yourself, and as your budget/need and so forth grows you can always get a professional involved. There are plenty of designers and developers on this forum that would be happy to help you and do a good job.

Make sure you install a good SEO plugin like Yoast or SEO Ultimate.

And yes, themeforest is great for premium themes. Weaver is a good free theme if you're looking for something very customisable and that will teach you a bit how themes work in Wordpress, although out of the box it's not very attractive.

Good luck. Once you get going just search for your questions and you'll find plenty of help, including on this forum.

Here's a good place to get started:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started_with_WordPress

I hope that helps

Good luck

Dan