I need website advice!

weefa

hi just hoping that someone can help me out. Im in the process of starting up a small home run business and I need a website. Im just a bit confussed over where to buy my hosting, domain name and website builder. Im obviously trying to do this as ecconomically as poss, but I dont want the overall look of the website to suffer. So basically I'm asking if anyone can recommend any irish companies offering good value for money on this type of thing, Should I spend that little bit extra to get a better product and exactly how difficult is it going to be for a first timer to build her own website??
I need to have a shop on the website aswell, will this come as standard with any template or will I have to spend more?? Ive had a look at letshost.ie but im really not sure what package im going to need!!
OH im soo confussed, this is way out of my comfort zone!!

ronkmonster

If you really want to have a website with a shop then you should get a web developer to make your site. Site builders on hosting packages are very basic.

Letshost are good (we use them in work) and have good support guys.

You are really looking for two things though. Hosting and Website.
If you get someone to make a site they might offer to look after the hosting, will cost more but you won't have to deal with stuff you're not comfortable with.

MAndrew

How much could you spend on just a site?

Noodleworm

Websites are very pricey from companies.
If you want to be cheap maybe look into a freelance designer or experienced student but you'd be taking a risk

worc

weefa wrote: »

hi just hoping that someone can help me out. Im in the process of starting up a small home run business and I need a website. Im just a bit confussed over where to buy my hosting, domain name and website builder. Im obviously trying to do this as ecconomically as poss, but I dont want the overall look of the website to suffer. So basically I'm asking if anyone can recommend any irish companies offering good value for money on this type of thing, Should I spend that little bit extra to get a better product and exactly how difficult is it going to be for a first timer to build her own website??
I need to have a shop on the website aswell, will this come as standard with any template or will I have to spend more?? Ive had a look at letshost.ie but im really not sure what package im going to need!!
OH im soo confussed, this is way out of my comfort zone!!

You could check out Shopify which has premade online shops that you can choose from and sell your product that way. They host your site and their sites allow for a blog as well so you can cover that angle too. If you're just starting off for a feeler into the market I'd seriously consider it before spending a few grand getting a bespoke website. You could chance getting a "cheap" website offer but generally you get what you pay for and a bad website shopping experience for potential customers because you went with the cheap option could end your business prospects fast. Shopify does charge per month but you can write the costs off against tax.

emmasmith

Deleted Spam.

Fnordius

weefa wrote: »

hi just hoping that someone can help me out. Im in the process of starting up a small home run business and I need a website. Im just a bit confussed over where to buy my hosting, domain name and website builder. Im obviously trying to do this as ecconomically as poss, but I dont want the overall look of the website to suffer. So basically I'm asking if anyone can recommend any irish companies offering good value for money on this type of thing, Should I spend that little bit extra to get a better product and exactly how difficult is it going to be for a first timer to build her own website??
I need to have a shop on the website aswell, will this come as standard with any template or will I have to spend more?? Ive had a look at letshost.ie but im really not sure what package im going to need!!
OH im soo confussed, this is way out of my comfort zone!!

I did a lot a work with Magento (which is probably out of your price class), but here's some things to really consider:

1. How are you going to sell your products? If you want to sell online, the low turnover at the beginning means you are better off going to an online shop like Etsy or whatever the current favourite is. When turnover gets higher, then you can then move on to your own store.

2. How many people will be visiting your page? At the beginning, you will be disappointed. Get a hosting plan that you can upgrade later, but don't budget for it at the beginning.

3. How will you update contents? Nowadays there are some good content management systems. Unless you want to spend for a real developer, I recommend sticking to a prefab shop that your hosting service should have on stock.

4. THIS IS IMPORTANT: what works for the next few months may not work in the next couple of months. You may take off, or stagnate and need a change. Be ready to be flexible!

I know, I probably made things seem worse, but considering this stuff will take the sting out of the future.

Good luck!

Zantergog

hi , a lot of people use wix.com to create a website, its kinda drag and drop, and easy to set up, it gives you a nice flash website. It is also free, but you have to pay if you want a good domain name and to get rid of their (small) ads. I am in the process of setting up a site, iit's ideal for small business, cost you around 10 euro a month with the premium package.. Check it out

wix.com

Kenny Logins

Zantergog wrote: »

hi , a lot of people use wix.com to create a website, its kinda drag and drop, and easy to set up, it gives you a nice flash website. It is also free, but you have to pay if you want a good domain name and to get rid of their (small) ads. I am in the process of setting up a site, iit's ideal for small business, cost you around 10 euro a month with the premium package.. Check it out

wix.com

But with Flash aren't you building a site that can't be viewed on iPad and iPhone? I use neither but really dislike Flash sites, I rarely give them any time.

I would look around to see what local companies are offering, there are great deals out there.

Zantergog

Kenny Logins wrote: »

But with Flash aren't you building a site that can't be viewed on iPad and iPhone? I use neither but really dislike Flash sites, I rarely give them any time.

I would look around to see what local companies are offering, there are great deals out there.

fair point, if they don't want a flash site, but the larger percentage of user traffic still browses from a static PC. The thing I liked about wix was it's ease of use, it's free and you have 1000's of templates to choose from. Horses for courses

maddragon

I got several websites done by a cork based (location unimportant) freelance web designer. These sites were done for a maximum of 350euro. Hosting and domain name including tech support for around 96euro pa. Pm me if you want details.

seoirserob

Hi, I develop websites for people and am increasingly using CMS (content Management Systems) to build up to and including sites with ecommerce aspects, even full on webshops, especially for small to medium sized businesses. Joomla! is a good one. You will need to get involved in some nitty gritty learning if you are committed to doing it yourself, though having a designer on call is highly recommended, if you want it to look a bit slicker and opperate more efficiently. While CMS systems can be self built, they can also be expertly designed, the advantage is that you, as the owner, get a 'back end' interface for maintenance, and don't have to shell out repeatedly for experts to add/edit products or content. So even if you pay out initially for a well designed fully functioning site, you can maintain it there after yourself.

letshost is good registering a .ie
godaddy is good for registering other types of dots.
the only reason I mention two is that godaddy don't do .ie but are a much bigger company, which means to me that they might not dissappear so easily and compromise your domain name (these are recessionary times), but letshost is good.

I find blacknight great for hosting . . .

It can be worth buying a little above the cheaper deals, I have had some bad experiences with 'too-good-to-be-true' deals on hosting, loads of down times, email addresses disappearing . . . all sorts.

Hope this helps. (Let me know if you need some design/development work done . . .!)

NeVeR

www.cheapwebdesignireland.com might be what your look for.

They have domain name/ hosting/ store/blog .. check it out.

Mister Man

I'd recommend a freelancer. But make sure you go through his work, and make sure it's all his own before taking them on.

I personally do a bit of freelance web work and find sites such as Designcrowd.com, Craigslist (Change location to somewhere like Newyork is your best option), and in general browsing advertising sites great for finding clients. Yes it can be risky, but as I said, make sure you go through everything they clame as their own work, and make sure it is just that.