ok hi, nice to find some real help online.

i looking to get a site going for my lawn service. i want something basic something easy. somthing where i can have about 5 links including, contact info/ request quote / pictures / services...etc

you guys are probably laughing that you could whip this up in 5 min but i cant seem to take a direction.

i'm pretty set on a domain that is still availible.

i could probably start with some kind of template but would like something i could maybe edit on the fly once i get a little more accustomed.

can you guys point me in the right direction...i really dont know where to begin i'd like to just buy the rights to my web domain. i dont really want to get roped into the free damain thing.

Everyone at some point is inexperienced in something, that's why we're here.

If you know what domain name you want, go ahead and buy it. You don't have to point it to a site right away. Also, it's good practice to use a different host than who you buy your domain name from.

If your coding experience is limited, and this is a landscaping business, I'd recommend hiring a coder, especially if you're wanting the site to have quote forms and the like.

tim

Originally Posted by serandfae

Everyone at some point is inexperienced in something, that's why we're here.

If you know what domain name you want, go ahead and buy it. You don't have to point it to a site right away. Also, it's good practice to use a different host than who you buy your domain name from.

If your coding experience is limited, and this is a landscaping business, I'd recommend hiring a coder, especially if you're wanting the site to have quote forms and the like.

tim

no no major coding. i dont do landscaping.

it would be basically sending me an e-mail for a call back..nothn fancy about that i dont think.

So, what you need to do is make a plan of what you want your website to have in it. Good web design follows a plan on paper before any code is written, just like any good business plan.

So, let's presume that you've bought your domain name. You've made an overview of what you want your site to have. Since your coding experience is limited, you'll have to check out templates to see if that will satisfy what you're wanting. If not, you have the plan in hand to get quotes from someone to do it for you.

tim

getting domain from godaddy.

wheres a good place to search for templates and hosting?

i like the pencil and paper idea i'll have to do that.

where should i start my search for a host and some templates? where do you guys recommend?

I'm not sure about your question. Are you wanting to build it yourself? Do you know how to build websites? There are plenty of good resources available to build yourself. Or are you more worried about how much it's going to cost if you have someone else build it. I could have it done in a day, if you host it on my server.

id like to maybe try build it myself. something where i could edit frequently.

something where i could maybe use a template to start out with. then if i dont like it i could maybe start from scratch or hire someone i guess.

Buy your domain if you have one you like. Do it today. Godaddy is great for domains. Not so good for hosting.

Do you know of a site you like the looks of? Post the name here but not as a live link. Simple clean lines is best for a beginner. My advice is to stay away from those site builder things.

Definitely buy the domain asap, so someone else doesn't get it. Many hosting providers that offer shared hosting include free template software...or your could check with a local university/college to see if they have a service that match students with website design projects like this. A small project like this shouldn't cost much, and a student would value you as a business reference once the work is done.

got my name www.GrassMasterService.com what do you think.

now i just need a hosting site and design.

help me pick where to start. i think i just might start with some type of template? i just want to get something up and running.

i dont need much space or anything fancy.

Now I don't claim to be any kind of expert. But like you I could not figure out how to build a website, and I tried to use some free tools that were very highly recommended. The thing is I don't want to really be a designer. I want to be a marketer and let others do the design. But I have no budget for design. So I went and bought a very inexpensive do it yourself tool called Web Page Maker. It only cost $30 or $40 and it had a bunch of templates.

The URL for it is http://www.webpage-maker.com/. I have no interest in this company or its success.

Now I am sure it must have some serious drawbacks in some ways. Perhaps the really experienced designers here can provide some direction as to what to look out for. But if you can't afford to hire a professional, then this may be the way to go. It's worked for me, but I still have a lot to learn.

If you can afford someone with experience, then I highly recommend doing so. There are many technical issues that a really qualified developer can help you understand. For one of my companies, we found a very talented high school student who could help us. He had the knowledge and the tools to make a pretty good portal for us that carried us through a couple of years until we got some funding and could hire a professional design firm.

Good luck. I am looking forward to learning more about how this is going.

How much do you value your time? If you really don't have much interest in website design, a simple site like you are describing can be handed off to a student (or someone overseas) for very cheap. This way, you can wash your hands of the whole thing and just focus on building your business.

If you are determined to do it yourself, the link that stevenlw posted above is a good one.

yes thank you i think i'm going to try that webpage-maker out

Congratulations on that first big step!

how does http://www.webpage-maker.com/ compare to wordpress.org?

basicall which is easier to use? i don't mind paying a little to run the webpagemaker.


if i use webpage-maker can i use any host i want? like justhost or go daddy?