Website needed - advice please

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A

art200380

Free Member
Jul 29, 2011
30
2
Cheshire
  • #1
    Hello

    I am considering using a "static" website to advertise some accountancy consultancy services I offer.

    I was thinking about using a company who offered a pay monthly service - and have recently seen numerous adverts for 1&1 who will let you rent a website starting at £10 + VAT per month.

    Has anyone used 1&1 and were they any good? Or can anyone recommend any other similar company for websites?

    Thanks

    Andy
     
    J

    Josh_Farmer

  • #3
    Hi Andy,
    We can provide you a monthly website, if your interested drop me a PM with your number on and i'll give you a call.


    However i wouldn't personally use 1&1 my website as there too limited, and the quality is not good enough.
     
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    F

    Faevilangel

  • #6
    1) Don't use 1&1 - you build the site using their software which is carp and their support is atrocious
    2) Expect to pay a lot more than £10 a month for a decent website, a decent 5 page website will cost you £300-£500 so to pay monthly, expect £40+ a month (for a 12 month contract)
    3)If you pay per month, you won't own the website and if you fail to pay the fees, you could lose the site so it's better to pay up front and then have total ownership.
     
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    Dan_HiHosting

    Dan_HiHosting

    Free Member
    • Mar 7, 2011
    1,114
    271
    UK
    www.hihosting.co.uk
  • #7
    I'd also recommend against renting a site, especially because you can get something better for less.

    A lot of our clients use us to host their own Wordpress sites, which is good for the beginner.

    From the sounds of it you'd be better of with a Wordpress site than a stricly static site.

    Wordpress is good for simple brochure sites where you list your services and then you can also easily include a blog with useful posts to help drive traffic and interest. That's probably the approach I'd take for a site like yours.

    I'm happy to help get you set up. Wordpress is probably the easiest solution out there. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself though and don't mind paying a professional, there are a number of members on here that offer Wordpress design services. If you've already got your site up with some content, I imagine getting them to smarten it up and sort out the SEO wouldn't be too difficult or costly.

    I hope that helps. If you've got any questions I'm happy to help :).
     
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    T

    timanderson

    Free Member
    Mar 29, 2012
    3
    0
  • #8
    art200380 said:
    Hello

    I am considering using a "static" website to advertise some accountancy consultancy services I offer.
    Click to expand...

    Hosting a small static site costs pennies so don't pay that much.

    Designing a worthwhile site on the other hand can be expensive. The most cost-effective approach is to use an existing template.

    You may not want a completely static site. What if you have some news to share? Or to update with latest tax news?

    A simple CMS like Wordpress is good for this. You can use an authoring tool on your own computer to add or update articles.

    Another important point is how new customers will contact you. Ideally include a contact form rather than publishing your email address as you get less spam that way.

    Tim
     
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    F

    Faevilangel

  • #10
    Baz Watkins said:
    I've sent you a pm, but to back up what others have said, go for a cms so you can build it up, only rent if you find someone with a great rep, and reconsider using 1and1 just incase all the whinging is true.
    Click to expand...

    You have read the rules of the forum right? You're only allowed to PM a user IF they ask for PM's...

    The OP asked for recommendations of other companies not to be spammed with "offers"
     
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    B

    Big Pete

  • #12
    Just put in a few pointers here ..
    1 and 1 i wouldnt touch way to expensive for a DIY web builder , most cpanels have site builders free anyways , so if you are competent enough to DIY your own website most decent hosters give you that Free.

    The question of to rent a website against buying one premade at a set price .. is decent rent website producers include seo and ongoing maintenance monitoring tweaking and in short ensuring the web is always doing its job , all for peanuts a day . approximately £ 1 a day on average..

    Wordpress it may just be me ? but if i see the word wordpress on a website i cringe as they are diy square bloggy horrible things . so not a good choice.

    Hosting you get what you pay for , sure you can get a website hosted for £ 3 a month , but poor hosting reflects in the search engines and saving a couple of quid is bad business sense when your website loses a page ranking due to being in the wrong location or mixed with poor reputed other websites sharing the server.


    Accountancy is what i call a simple website, no flashy products no bells and whistles needed, just a sharp financial theme inspiring confidence etc, a simple easy peasy thing. the tricky part will be being page 1 number 1 in key terms and this a DIY job will struggle to do. so do your Business and yourself a favour.

    Rent one from a good seo website maker and concentrate on your business and leave the web to those that know .. i am unfortunately not doing new business at the moment as i am busy on other new ventures . but scout around tap in "seo expert website designers uk" or similar find a sensible mid range one and let them sort you.

    Remember a website is not just for xmas its your identity and your most valuable sales tool .
     
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    M

    MaxDigitizing

  • #13
    I can recommend you a very good company. I am having this website
    maxdigitizing dot com
    I own this website, how much I have paid for this?
    let me calculate,

    1. domain purchase from godaddy $9.99(for One year, I am the owner)
    2. I paid about £ 80 for bundle (Web hosting + web designing + email accounts + basic SEO) for one year. after one year I just need to pay to godaddy (for domain name) and £ 30 for web hosting and email accounts.

    You can see my website, If you are interested PM me I will arrange same package for you. I know no one can beat this price :)
     
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    B

    Big Pete

  • #16
    MaxDigitizing said:
    I can recommend you a very good company. I am having this website
    maxdigitizing dot com
    I own this website, how much I have paid for this?
    let me calculate,

    1. domain purchase from godaddy $9.99(for One year, I am the owner)
    2. I paid about £ 80 for bundle (Web hosting + web designing + email accounts + basic SEO) for one year. after one year I just need to pay to godaddy (for domain name) and £ 30 for web hosting and email accounts.

    You can see my website, If you are interested PM me I will arrange same package for you. I know no one can beat this price :)
    Click to expand...


    :D I looked had a , and Designed by Outsourcetopakistan.com

    sure the OP wants that on there website :D and it looks like a cheap diy website in my opinion. think its expensive for what it is.
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
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    M

    MaxDigitizing

  • #17
    Big P I am not going in any debate, my website is still under construction but I am very happy and one more thing is that my ranking was not good on google but now just write in google " digitizing in London" my page is on top. so they did well.
     
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    B

    bdw

  • #20
    but now just write in google " digitizing in London" my page is on top. so they did well.
    Click to expand...
    There are some problems with this. I checked using Google's keyword tool and it reports no searches for this phrase. By "no searches" mean exactly that. No one is searching for that term so it is probably a bit of a chocolate teapot. It is extremely easy to make a site rank high in the search engines for obscure phrases that no one is using.

    If you also want to feature at number one in Google for "brown and yellow smashing embroidery in London" I can guarantee you number one position for £50. :)

    In fact if you want to search for this in an hour or two you will probably find this thread in number one position. It's that easy! ;)

    .
     
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    Dan_HiHosting

    Dan_HiHosting

    Free Member
    • Mar 7, 2011
    1,114
    271
    UK
    www.hihosting.co.uk
  • #21
    bdw said:
    If you also want to feature at number one in Google for "brown and yellow smashing embroidery in London" I can guarantee you number one position for £50. :)

    In fact if you want to search for this in an hour or two you will probably find this thread in number one position. It's that easy! ;)

    .
    Click to expand...

    Negatory on that one ;) Oh well.
     
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    The Web Guy

    The Web Guy

    Free Member
    Feb 16, 2012
    21
    6
    London
  • #22
    Hi Andy.
    I replied to this thread yesterday, but its been deleted. Not sure why.
    So here's another try.
    There are many new web builders out there offered by hosting companies like 1&1 and also dedicated services like Wix. It really depends on a few factors:
    1. How much are you willing to spend?
    2. Are you cms / wordpress savvy?
    3. Do you need a cms?
    4. Are you happy to use a template or need bespoke design?
    5. Who are you targeting?
    These are just a few. I set up a wordpress site for a client using a premium theme at very little cost. He was very happy. But then he told me he couldn't get to grips with WP. He's 60 and no real pc skills. Hee also saw 1&1 advertised web builder and says it looks great! I don't think its suitable for all commercial websites. That's because i'm a web designer and i see further than pretty pictures and large rollover buttons. I am moving into responsive (mobile-friendly) web design and html5 development. Regarding wordpress, its easy to assume everyone can use it - not true. If you can, its a great blog / cms platform and has tons of free plugins and very seo-friendly.
    There are easier open-source cms solutions out there. These are ideal for small 5-20 page sites not requiring blog posts. I am already looking at 2 new cms's and quite impressed. You could also choose a template / theme and purchase it at very little cost and have it branded with your logo, change header and a few basic tweaks. This would be much cheaper than bespoke design and development.
    I am happy to help you further with regards to whats the best deal out there, but you'll have to pm me first as i don't want to violate any forum rules here.
    Good luck with your business :)
     
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    FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper

    FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper

    Free Member
    Sep 14, 2009
    1,556
    348
    Barrow-in-Furness
  • #23
    The Web Guy said:
    Hi Andy.
    I replied to this thread yesterday, but its been deleted. Not sure why.
    So here's another try.
    There are many new web builders out there offered by hosting companies like 1&1 and also dedicated services like Wix. It really depends on a few factors:
    1. How much are you willing to spend?
    2. Are you cms / wordpress savvy?
    3. Do you need a cms?
    4. Are you happy to use a template or need bespoke design?
    5. Who are you targeting?
    These are just a few. I set up a wordpress site for a client using a premium theme at very little cost. He was very happy. But then he told me he couldn't get to grips with WP. He's 60 and no real pc skills. Hee also saw 1&1 advertised web builder and says it looks great! I don't think its suitable for all commercial websites. That's because i'm a web designer and i see further than pretty pictures and large rollover buttons. I am moving into responsive (mobile-friendly) web design and html5 development. Regarding wordpress, its easy to assume everyone can use it - not true. If you can, its a great blog / cms platform and has tons of free plugins and very seo-friendly.
    There are easier open-source cms solutions out there. These are ideal for small 5-20 page sites not requiring blog posts. I am already looking at 2 new cms's and quite impressed. You could also choose a template / theme and purchase it at very little cost and have it branded with your logo, change header and a few basic tweaks. This would be much cheaper than bespoke design and development.
    I am happy to help you further with regards to whats the best deal out there, but you'll have to pm me first as i don't want to violate any forum rules here.
    Good luck with your business :)
    Click to expand...

    When a thread asks for advice or recommendations that doesn't allow for self promotion. If you stick to just giving advice it will keep you out of trouble :)

    I will agree with you though that Wordpress isn't the most intuitive option for a basic website even though it is a popular choice.
     
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    M

    MaxDigitizing

  • #24
    Thanks for your answer. Actually they ask me what keywords I want to target, so I said just digitizing in London or embroidery digitizing in London, I am targeting local embroidery companies but I will ask them for different keywords :) thanks for your suggestion
     
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    T

    tommy

  • #32
    My advice is.

    1. Stay away from 1and1, come on £120 per year for hosting a static site, with the worst possible customer service known to man, there are plenty of members on here who provide high quality hosting and even higher quality service and a domain from about £30 per year.

    2. I would recommend going with a CMS its an easy way to update etc Wordpress, Modx, Joomla & Umbraco are a but a few to name. And again there are plenty of developers, designers UKBF members who if you placed a tender would be willing to give you a quote.

    Just my two main suggestions.

    Tom
     
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    R

    RevaxMedia

  • #33
    art200380 said:
    Hello

    I am considering using a "static" website to advertise some accountancy consultancy services I offer.

    I was thinking about using a company who offered a pay monthly service - and have recently seen numerous adverts for 1&1 who will let you rent a website starting at £10 + VAT per month.

    Has anyone used 1&1 and were they any good? Or can anyone recommend any other similar company for websites?

    Thanks

    Andy
    Click to expand...

    1&1 - however appealing, it will not give your business that professional look. You can buy templates already made which can be customized or hire a freelancer to design you a basic website. Renting websites IMO always leads to issues, maybe not right away but 1 year, 2 years down the line when you have put the hard work in and they keep your website, because you never owned it.
     
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