Creating a website

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chip247

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15 Mar 2012
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I wasnt sure where to post this so feel free to relocate if it needs to be else where...

Well i'm looking for some free advice/resource for building myself a website for my small business as i want to expand my own work rather than the house bashing side of things that currently pays my wages.

i have never done this before so any tips, advice, links etc would be a great help, also what do i need to do regarding my chosen business name is there a way to check that its not already in use? i appreciate alot of this will be uk generic but i'm sure my european friends can provide some helpful advice.

Hopefully someone in the clan has experience in this field & can guide me through!
 
You have any experience in any computing languages (or any wishing to learn one?) or you going for a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) way of doing it, such as using Dreamweaver?
 
hi chip i dont know crap about websites but i know one thing hat you should do is set up a business page on Facebook. I always try to talk my contractor buddies into setting one up but they never listen to me. its a good way to get free advertising and possibly referrals.
 
no experience of shit sam apart from building houses just want a pain free cheap way of setting up my own website to promote my services.
& tom yeah gonna do that aswell with link to my official website etc..
 
My Internet provider offers a free website to every DSL contract, its like a construction kit for stupid people, you just have to put your text, pics etc on, so you dont have to be a PC geek. Maybe your provider offers something similar Chip.
 
chip247 said:
no experience of shit sam apart from building houses just want a pain free cheap way of setting up my own website to promote my services.
& tom yeah gonna do that aswell with link to my official website etc..
Click to expand...
If you want to do it the easiest way possible you prob gonna look at companies like 1&1 which off hosting and basically pre-made site templates
 
samoz83 said:
chip247 said:
no experience of shit sam apart from building houses just want a pain free cheap way of setting up my own website to promote my services.
& tom yeah gonna do that aswell with link to my official website etc..
Click to expand...
If you want to do it the easiest way possible you prob gonna look at companies like 1&1 which off hosting and basically pre-made site templates
Click to expand...
Thats what I was talking about :)
 
for a first time and secure website i'd go with a redone flash site for good security. but to make it easier to edit etc might need some other format like xoops, php.

i got a link for good sites ready to use and pretty cheap but can't find it atm need to do a better search. creative something.. it's called.

I've done a few sites and first i'd do is check the domain name.. easiest way to do it is to see if it's free just write the adress you have in mind in a browser and see wether it is existing or not.
if not then it's most likely free. then a server provider to get you webhosting. i think a good one would be servage.net or gamingdeluxe.co.uk. GD have very cheap domains. like 11£ or so (11-18£) a year for registering your domain.
so first check the domain availability, then register it, then get a gameplan for your choice of code to the site and see if you find a nice template. If you'd love a custom site i could ask a m8 if he'd have time to fix one for you (if you're not in a real rush).
 
I suppose all i need atm is a front page that gives basic info such as tel number etc & details of services i provide together with a few pretty pics of my handy work, with the option to add more as my business expands. i was looking at the 1&1 site they seem to offer the full package.
i have searched my preferred domain name & nothing so i guess its not in use, but didnt want to go to the trouble of setting it all up to find that some little builder with no internet use already has the business name.
 
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Couldn't you check for other ones using the same name on Companies House? (not sure if you have to pay to do it) not really sure what the law is with biz names as there are a lot of builders with the same names lol
 
If I remember right on 1&1 you have to choose first a domain name and then they search if its in use, if not you can take it, if you have to choose another one. So you would be on the save side there.
 
checking them is free.. registering one as domain costs the 11£ or so a year. some more pounds depending on abbreviation if you want .com, .co.uk, .net, .org, .biz or something else.

you are about to get webhosting for it? www.servage.net is after years of searching webhosting one of the most reliable and cheap ones i know. not many can match their prices.

so the first steps are done.. i think the website making might be better to listen to the other options if they are more into how to make a UK site the easiest way. the options were more in general.

EDIT: bear in mind a retailed site by a company can cost 500 - 1500 £ so the free or cheap ones are best to go for first try but try stay off the advertising if possible.

EDIT 2: the website template place i had in mind was this one : http://www.creatingonline.com/ fairly cheap templates unless you want to buy it exclusively. As a curiousity, not sure if it's what you're looking for.
 
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AW: Re: Creating a website

chip247 said:
I suppose all i need atm is a front page that gives basic info such as tel number etc & details of services i provide together with a few pretty pics of my handy work, with the option to add more as my business expands. i was looking at the 1&1 site they seem to offer the full package.
i have searched my preferred domain name & nothing so i guess its not in use, but didnt want to go to the trouble of setting it all up to find that some little builder with no internet use already has the business name.
Click to expand...

it gives two ways to find out!!! Switch lawyer specializing in patent law, second way take information from the commercial register.
 
well chip... as it happens my friend and I have a small business going on for making websites... if you wish we could probably help you further?
 
Try squarespace.com They do templates that are easy to alter without any coding experience (unless you want to ) and you can have a two week trial (no credit card details are required). You can get some discounts too if you search around. Created site is mobile aware too.

If you do decide to go for it, if you do a yearly subscription you get free custom name registration thrown in to. For about $20 a month you get unlimited bandwidth. I've used them for a few years now and am very happy with them.
 
thanks for all the usefull links guys will start sifting through everything tonight, rebirth what would it cost me m8, i dont want to spend much atm because i'm not sure this is best way to promote myself but if it doesnt cost a great deal then doesnt really matter!
i have bought a domain name so spending money already & will probably get some business cards printed but i dont know how much business would be generated ffrom a website for a local carpentry company?
 
'm not sure this is best way to promote myself but if it doesnt cost a great deal then doesnt really matter!
Click to expand...

best way is to post a naked pic from you on facebook with the headline "i´m doing it the cheap way" think you will got lot of nice inquires.

honestly, dont know how it is in UK but here in germany lot of guys look into internet about craftsman. me was searching a installer for my geothermal system some days back. looking online about this because i want to know what guy is specialized in that and my system. so a business website is very important here.

its so easy to search google about the craftsman and the town and results you look about.
 
yup. i agree. a company with a good website should not be underestimated. they can get a good increase in revenue and more customers if the website is straightforward, adequate and logical. Location, prices, examples, recommendations, stylish design and multiple ways to contact the service. i don't think you need a forum, but a good and easy to use form so they can contact you with what they need and so you can contact them back to make a deal.

It has to have a good customer care feel and not be too "stiff" so that if you were a customer it'd feel more like a web flyer than a nice way online to get what you need.
 
chip247 said:
thanks for all the usefull links guys will start sifting through everything tonight, rebirth what would it cost me m8, i dont want to spend much atm because i'm not sure this is best way to promote myself but if it doesnt cost a great deal then doesnt really matter!
i have bought a domain name so spending money already & will probably get some business cards printed but i dont know how much business would be generated ffrom a website for a local carpentry company?
Click to expand...

Honestly, internet promotion has become everything nowadays.
Willing customers might get annoyed by not being able to find the right information they seek in a short period of time.
Which in the end might end up costing you money rather than saving.

Also we do quite alot of work on the part of SEO (search engine optimalization), which basically means that we make the layout in such a way that it earns a higher ranking in google's search mechanism (as we all know... nobody likes to do the effort of looking on the second page of google let alone third, fourth etc.) The most optimized seo for you would be then, that people in your neighborhood would be able to locate you, contact you, view your work(your skill) and decide if they want their carpentry done by you or not, and that al within just a few minutes of going on the internet.

We also design the site in such a way that a potential customer is able to find everything according to standards and we also make it look appealing on the side :p.
All in all it makes you look like a more professional carpenter which in the long run hauls in more customers.

If you could send an e-mail to: [email protected], we might be able to help you out.
 
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