Building A Website - Is It Worth The Trouble?

QRI

Being as I am newly licensed I am looking for cost saving ways to promote my business. The next logical step seems to be building a website.

I would like to build it myself, however i am an extreme novice on witting HTML. I had download a template and was making a feeble attempt at making some changes to the site. Frustrated with the process I quickly gave up.

Is it worth the trouble to go and buy a HTML / CSS how to book? I don't really care for the look of the sites that are made using yahoo's editor, etc.
Money is fairly tight so I don't think that hiring some body to create the site is in the cards. Thoughts? Suggestions?

jlhaslip

have a look at using a Content Management system like Joomla or Wordpress.
Lots of free templates for them. And very little html or coding required.

Rory Read

I'll echo jlhaslip:

I went with wordpress. You can get something up in a day, and then build on it as you want.

It may not be to everyone's taste, but for the money, i.e. 0$, I think I did all right.

Rory

RDG Read Development LLC
Portland, OR

custrel

Not bad at all. Good job.

I've been holding off from putting up a site for two reasons:

1- I'm not going to generate many leads that way since I have to go to GCs to bid projects and they could care less if I have a website - at least they sure don't seem to care.

2- I want a very professional looking site, which I know will cost more money than I'm willing to put into it right now.

tinner666

Adding content to your site is fairly easy. You don't need to know code with WYSIWYG editor like CoffeeCup ($49.99, or so), or FrontPage for instance. 5-8 line of meta tags is all you need to know, and just R. click any site and select 'View Source' to see what they are.

Why would you only market to GC's looking for cheapest price they can find?
Lots of store owners may want a change of face without needing a GC.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.

Rory Read

I get the impression that many people now expect it. It's not like it brings in much work, but people go to it at some point in the bid process. It's like driving a dirty work truck with no sign on it (I need to wash that thing, don't I). It's not vital, but... Some customers are just going to look at your references, but some want more warm fuzzy before hiring. And some will think you are a dinosaur if you don't have one.

Cheers,

Rory
RDG Read Development LLC
Portland, OR

cbscreative

I'll echo the WordPress advice. Joomla has a much steeper learning curve and WP is easy enough that nearly anyone can pick it up quickly. It's often thought of strictly for blogs, and it was originally designed for them, but it has grown considerably. Do an Internet search for "WordPress themes" (think of them kind of like templates but easier) and you'll quickly discover that your choices are endless. Find something that suits your needs and go for it.

You do need to invest ina domain name and hosting ($10 yr for domain and $5-7 for qualified hosting). You mentioned Yahoo. That might mean you already have Y for hosting which is fine. Just use their help files to add WP.

For the direct answer to your question, yes, it is worth it. Even if it's not for lead generating, not having a web site can hurt you. You'd be surprised how often a customer will check your site in their decision making process, even if they are a referral.

Once you have a site going, feel free to post in this section for review. You can get a lot of help that way too.

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Steve Chittenden
Web/SEO Geek • Graphic Artist • Writer • Marketing Guy
One reason I know so much about the web and marketing is that I don't have to know as much about construction.

curapa

For a beginner I would reccomend a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor.

I used GoDaddy for my site. It is by far not the best site around but it serves the purpose intended with minimal cost. I was up and running in a few days with a cost of roughly $100.

I began learning some HTML for a quality site and quickly said F it. When it comes time to upgrade my site I will just pay the $ for someone who knows what they are doing. I have too many things going on and HTML doesn't peak my interest enough for me to spend the time.

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karunnt

ok, tell me what you want and I will make it for free. I'll make a custom wordpress theme and you just get a hosting account (Hostgator is good).

PM me and we can talk by email.

carolinahandyma

That seems like a great offer. Please share the finished product.

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noahweb

The website is a must for someone on a tight budget with no other means of promoting his business. Like many others have said - Spend $100 and get a host (I recommend HostMonster) because they let you host wordpress for free.

Find yourself a good domain name - before you purchase the domain name make sure you do some simple research because it will make a difference in getting your site in the top of Google rankings (which is the most important thing you can do since google is your daddy)

Give me some information about your business, your market, your product, your business name, and maybe I can help you find a good domain name.

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JV Marketing

here is another vote for wordpress....great content management system. Easy to use....lots of free tools to help you optimize it.

get your hosting at hostgator....I have 100+ sites through them and we do things you'll never dream of without a single complaint.

here is a link to all kinds of videos on wordpress to get you started (and not its not my site)

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/wordpr...al-collection/

j

QRI

Thanks for all of the help offers and information. I would love to send a few of you PM's (karunnt and noahweb) but I can't figure out how to send a PM. I went though my user CP, but can't see any options to turn on Private Messaging

karunnt

Then email me at calpub[at]gmail[dot]com

Tell me what you sell, who your competitors are, and five sites that you like and what you like about them. I'll send you a sample in a couple of days.

tinner666

DO NOT POST THE NAMES YOU ARE LOOOKING FOR ONLINE ANYWHERE!!!!!!!

Domainers search for posts like this and reg the names to resell to endusers every minute of the day! Not just that, but to NOT search for domains without registering right away. The web has eyes, and if you search for domains and not register IMMEDIATELY, they will disappear from availablity in as little as a few hours.

Put the names on notepad.
Leave OFF the .com, .net extensions.
Go to your registrar when you want to buy.
Look around for register domains, and find the drop down menu and select "Bulk Register", or something similar.
C &P your list there and select your extension, then enter any code needed.
Register ALL that are available! There is usually a discount offered too.
Use the shortest one for your site and 301 all the others for SEO purposes.
Seriously!! NO searches until you are ready to reg! And only do it at the site you're regging from! The bulk reg tools let you search for many name combos at once, and let you reg only the ones you want, within minutes, of your search.
Examples: Type in slateroofspecialist.com to see what I mean by type in traffic and SEO.

Give me a call at 804-833-6418 and I will explain in more detail.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.

cbscreative

Ditto that!!!

__________________
Steve Chittenden
Web/SEO Geek • Graphic Artist • Writer • Marketing Guy
One reason I know so much about the web and marketing is that I don't have to know as much about construction.

QRI

Once again thank you to everyone for offering there insight. Hopefully I can get get a site up and running soon.

JohnD

Wordpress is an excellent platform... I use it for most of the customers I design sites for.

Remember you get what you pay for... so look for good deals with respect to custom design and support and make sure that when you get a deal it doesn't include advertisiments and popups that will just annoy visitors to your site and yells " On the Cheap " They will assume that's your philosophy with respect to the work you do as well !!

Perception is everything on line! If you have trouble getting your site up an running... give me a shout.

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