Website

Janej

Hi
I've decided its time I got a website but I dont really know where to start. I have found a domain name that fits with my existing e-mail address so thats not a problem but I have no idea about web hosting or how to go about building my website. I thought I would do it myself as I am going for a simple info only one. Any recommendations for web hosting companies would be much appreciated. Are they all basically the same or are some better than others :001_unsure:
Jane

Kjmcculloch

Sorry Jane, but I really cringe when someone who has never built a website decides they'll do it alone because "it can't be that hard". It's the same cringe I get when people tell me that they're going to do their own tax return and then ask a really basic question. It brings the old phrase "penny wise pound foolish" to mind.

Your website is your shop front, your window to the world. If it looks like an amateur site, people will think of your business as amateurish. If it's messy and disorganised people will think of your business as messy and disorganised. If you care about your business get someone who knows what they are doing to build it, it will pay dividends later.

If you are determined that you really don't care enough to let a professional do it you can get hosting from a number of companies. Not all are the same, and price is not really a great guide to the quality of the service. The big difference is the uptime. What is uptime? It's the time your website will be live to the world, the higher the uptime percentage the better. There is a great host I have used for small website called m8internet (www.m8internet.com) who offer a great basic hosting for £1 per year.

Designing your site is going to your biggest problem, and just like I couldn't tell someone who knows nothing about accounts how to do their tax return in a single post neither will I even attempt to tell you how to build your site.

This may not be the reply you are looking for, but there is no point telling you that it's easy.

Regards

Kris

Moominyak

Hi Jane, if you are looking for a straightforward and simple website builder, then you could try something like Moonfruit (self-hosting, you just point your domain name at it) or Wordpress.org (rather than .com) (for which you need a host, eg 5quidhost who have a free package).

I'm sure I will be pilloried for such suggestions, but if your needs are simple then a self-build might well suffice.