how easy is it to set up a website?

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jaymar13

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i am interested in setting up a website for my bed and breakfast business

i admit i dont really have a clue about all this....i have tried to create a website using a free trial of a serif website creater and then i hoped to find a cheap domain through one of the sites that were listed in the thread before this. however i guess serif and other programs are for more complicated design because i got knowhere and all it did was confuse me lol

if i used for instance 1and1 would it have a simple wizard to help me create the pages and necessary links, and easily allow me to upload photos?

i am looking to create a site that simply gives information to potential customers; with a 2/3 pages that display prices, about us, photographs and contact details with a view to *perhaps doing online booking in the future if its not to complicated/expensive

any ideas would be welcome thanks
 
The easiest way to create a web site would be to create a page in MS Word or powerpoint and save it as a web page or HTML. You will need to put some links in to the different pages etc. Typically your startup page will be called default.htm. Once you have the pages ready depending on your operating system you could test them on your local pc. There will be step by step instructions out there on the web to tell you how to do it. I do think however you need some basic knowledge to be able to link pages together. If struggling with word then look for a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor as this will hide the detail behind the page from you and you can concentrate on getting the pages laid out well. I am hesitant to recommend any as there are many out there and I haven't used them for quite a while now. When you have your pages ready you will need to buy a domain. (They go from about £10 a year depending on who you buy them from) and you can upload to the site using ftp. This can be done in windows and again there should be some straight forward tutorials out there to get you started. I hope this helps although I haven't given you a step by step guide as to how it's done.
 
My tool of choice for building websites is Dreamweaver.
You can download a 30 day trial version HERE.

You can also have a look around your PC for something called Microsoft Frontpage, I'm pretty sure it ships with the Office suite?

Before you go looking into domains etc, have a bash at creating some basic sites on your desktop so that you get a feel for things.

You should also learn basic HTML so that you can look at the code and tweak bits & bobs to suit, and to get a basic understanding of what goes where, nesting, tags etc.

Start by creating a page called index.html, and a couple of folders called images & pages (or whatever you like).

Your index page is your home page & the one everyone will see when they visit your site.

Then create another page called "accommodation" and place this in the "pages" folder.

You will then have to link from the index to the accommodation page, and then create a link on there pointing back to your home page.
That should give you a basic feel of how to tie pages together.

The same with the images, you can store them all in the "images" folder so that everything is nice & neat.

Once you're OK doing this, then you can add other pages such as rates, directions, menu, local amenities, contact us etc.

As long as all your folders, images, pages etc retain the same relative path, then you can grab the lot from your desktop & drop the whol kit & kaboodle up to your webspace.

There's nothing stopping you transferring your data up to your webspace just now (VM give 50mb), you just won't have your own custom URL yet.

HTH.
 
go a google search fro free websites and templates some proveders do it for your for a small fee

h**p://www.bravenet.com/
 
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For some who dont want the trouble of learning and finding the software, putting in the time and effort etc, I think that 123-reg is a cheap half-decent solution. Make your own website | Website builder | Design | Essex
123-reg are known for their fairly cheap prices for domain names or hosting, but you can also build your own website simply from their templates. Its free with a domain name, or pay less than 30 quid a year all in with hosting and get more choice. Its not bad in my opinion and a decent quick start which you can then learn from. :)
 
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frontpage is probally the easiest to set up also google do a free website builder
 
don't use 1and1, a bunch of a-holes, although they are rated as one of the best, they aren't in my mind.
there are plenty of decent cheap or free domain hosts out there. have at look at a company called globat, they're pretty good for basic sites, i've had issues with them but that was due to some php issues but that wouldn't affect you.
why don't you offer a web designer a night or 2 in your b+b for his wife and 2 kids and in return he puts a site together for you and gives you an hour or 2 training on how to maintain it??? :wink:
 
Seedy_r0m said:
@ Jaymar13

Was any of this information helpful at all, or are you just bl00dy rude and don't bother your arse replying when people have given you the advise/help you asked for?
Click to expand...

perhaps it might be worth asking yourself the question of why i may not have replied back to anyone next time you feel like taking a guess and ranting at people, and the reason is i simply havent had the chance to sit down and spend enough resonable time to dissolve it all!
now that i have, i am thrilled with the helpful responses from everyone and now all i need to do is work out whats best for me and see how i get on. despite your touchiness seedy r0m, i do genuinely thank you for your contribution, and ironically you gave the best and most comprehensive tips. its just a shame people jump to conclusions when they dont know the score
 
jaymar13 said:
perhaps it might be worth asking yourself the question of why i may not have replied back to anyone next time you feel like taking a guess and ranting at people, and the reason is i simply havent had the chance to sit down and spend enough resonable time to dissolve it all!
now that i have, i am thrilled with the helpful responses from everyone and now all i need to do is work out whats best for me and see how i get on. despite your touchiness seedy r0m, i do genuinely thank you for your contribution, and ironically you gave the best and most comprehensive tips. its just a shame people jump to conclusions when they dont know the score
Click to expand...

Fair enough, I have been known on occasion to grab the wrong end of the stick, this case displays that. :)

One of my pet hates is when someone goes out of their way to assist other people with their problems/issues/whatever, and does not hear anything back from then, or even as much as a thank you for their efforts.

Anyway, that aside, I'm glad you are able to get something from the various comments above, hopefully you'll be up and running soon.

One other piece I should have mentioned, is that I use an app called - WS FTP LE to upload files to my webspace.
It's free for educational users, gov employees, non-business home users & can be grabbed from HERE.

There are more comprehensive app's out there, and even a newer version of the prog I linked to, but this one works perfectly, is easy to use & doesn't have any clutter.

Another thing I do when I've built a site in the past is to draw the pages out on a bit of paper just to get a "feel" of what links where, and to visualise it before I start...other people may work differently though, it's just a case of finding what works best for you.

Post back with your progress, we can offer hints, tips, & reviews :Cheers:
 
Seedy_r0m said:
Fair enough, I have been known on occasion to grab the wrong end of the stick, this case displays that.

One of my pet hates is when someone goes out of their way to assist other people with their problems/issues/whatever, and does not hear anything back from then, or even as much as a thank you for their efforts.

Anyway, that aside, I'm glad you are able to get something from the various comments above, hopefully you'll be up and running soon.

One other piece I should have mentioned, is that I use an app called - WS FTP LE to upload files to my webspace.
It's free for educational users, gov employees, non-business home users & can be grabbed from HERE.

There are more comprehensive app's out there, and even a newer version of the prog I linked to, but this one works perfectly, is easy to use & doesn't have any clutter.

Another thing I do when I've built a site in the past is to draw the pages out on a bit of paper just to get a "feel" of what links where, and to visualise it before I start...other people may work differently though, it's just a case of finding what works best for you.

Post back with your progress, we can offer hints, tips, & reviews
Click to expand...


thats great advice, im looking forward to getting stuck in and giving it a go :)

its all good mate, i dont like people who do that either. forums and etiquette go hand in hand:Cheers:

i promise to post back with my progress ;)

and look forward to your help
icon6.gif
 
im joinin the que here like..i posted a wee while back about doin this aswell and got as far as usin
Streamline.net - Web hosting made easy for an account and i downloaded adobe master cs4 for dreamweaver and paintshop as well as fireworks.. ive come to a dead end now..i done a wee dreamweaver course last year but minds totally blank now..any help as to what to do next..is it as easy as people make out..i have all the tools for things its just the next step lol

what kind off site im lookin for is just one where people can posts things and add videos along with me addin links for things and kinda like this site but not for as many people.just my mates and that..any help is really gratefull
 
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Creating a basic web page, building a small website, building a large corporate website, or running a full multi-user forum type site are all different things. A website for small business is what this thread is about, which I really dont think will apply to the advice you require wilson1980. In my opinion, its a bit unfair to jump on someone else's post and force it into a different direction, but in any case to help you out of your dead end I would say your next step is to find the software suited to run an interactive multi-user website (forum or network). You probably wont be able to construct this without ready-made 'web forum software' such as the most populars- vbulletin or phpbb or Vanilla etc. You could use online ones that are pre-built and some are free, then incorporate this into your pages, or if you are confident with cgi or php scripts I guess you could create your own, but I'd say you will need far more experience with basic html first.
As an idea, take a look at the current 'fashionable' service from Ning.com which is a networking site where you can create your own private network with its own forum. That may suit your needs? You have lots of control to make it look how you want, but mostly everything is automated to keep simple.
In any case what you want wilson1980 isn't to create a webpage or a small basic website, so its like trying to get to the moon but asking in a car showroom which car suits the job :)
 
......Couple of very small local 'Ning' based sites I know of are here- Tendring Essex Network <<this doesnt have anything in the forum
Walton-on-the-Naze <<this is very small for a few locals but has more in the forum section
These both use the Ning pre-made forum type software to make multi-user interactivity very simple for whoever maintaines the website. The problem is that as its free you do get adverts, but it could work well with adding links and videos, inviting users to join and post etc etc.
Maybe others can recommend other types of solutions that may suit you, because you can also use 'wordpress' or blog sites etc for links and people posting and interacting, it doesnt have to be a forum as such.

---------this is all old info, 'spruz.com' is a good site for free forum webs
 
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cheers for going out your way there bud to write that and im going to look more into what ya said as for the other bit about the thread..sorry about that. i didnt know things were totally different as to what we wanted..i posted cause i thought we could have helped each other since we were both in the same boat if u know what i mean..i posted the site wizard for the guy to have a wee read cause it seemed pretty helpful but just wantin on the guy to reply to c how far he has got..cheers again
 
I will give you real advice from experience
It is EXTREMELY HARD
First of all, don;t worry about your content which will actually go on the site
Worry about how many users will be using it, if you will get 10,000 visitors or more a day, you will need a VPS
If less, a high shared hosting plan would go down nicely
I recommend using hotgator:
http://www.hostgator.com

For a shared hosting plan and a domain name, it will cost you about £20 a month to run the site on the highest shared hosting plan they've got, with a fee of £15 for the domain name

Make sure the domain name is .com

Then after that, you will have to start adding content

I recommend getting a professional to do this for you, it will cost you a lot, depending on what type of script you want running

E.G. If your going to have some login system, it will cost you a lot
If its plain and simple html, it wont cost a lot at all

Then, after you've got enough content, sign up to Google Adsense, and put ads on your site, I believe that without ads a site doesnt look 100% professional, and with too much ads, it doesn't look 100% professional

After all this, you will have to do something called building backlinks, you'll have to start linking to your website from other websites and blogs, what this does is put your ranking up in google for a search term
E.G. If i posted a link of my website here, with the text "Weather reports"
My ranking in google would go up for the search term "Weather reports"
Your going to need a lot of backlinks from high PR websites, about 10 should do well to begin with

Pay to have your website put up in directories, this will give you targeted traffic and also a high PR backlink
Yahoo directory is good, but costly

If you ever need any help, PM me, I'm an internet webmaster, I can help you!

Oh, and one more thing, don't be surprised if you get less than 100 hits a day for your first 3-4 months
All websites have to go through a phase called, "Sandbox"
Google will knock down your search term ranking by more than 100 until you have established aged backlinks and an aged domain
To bypass this sandboxing system, buy a domain name which has already been registered for a few months, and has gone through all the sandbox effects already
Or, you can buy a domain name from somewhere like eBay, which already has a lot of backlinks to itm this way you can start receiving high traffic immediately
 
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