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Author Topic: Creating and maintaining a website  (Read 387 times)

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Offline Parts

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Creating and maintaining a website
« on: June 25, 2008, 07:54:16 PM »
How hard is this to do for a small business  and how much does it cost?  I have been considering it lately and wondering about it.  Felt for sure someone here would know about it.
"Eat it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do or do without." 

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Offline jman

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2008, 08:24:29 PM »
depends on what you want do and what you are trying to sell. You can make money off making a blog and putting ads all over it but that's a really saturated market. Allso avoid anything that is a "home-based-business" most of those are scams..


What kind of product or service do you want to sell?

Offline Parts

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2008, 08:36:59 PM »
I sell home weatherizing and insulation to homeowners and contractors.  Installing insulation in new and retrofitting older homes.  With oil at $4.00 + a gallon many people are interested in getting this done.  I just want a piece of the pie.  It would be very simple as for now I have an add in the Greater New Haven Yellow pages but you like more
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Offline Icequeen

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2008, 09:35:03 PM »
Check your plan with your ISP and see if it includes any free web space, alot do, some of them even have set-ups that basically allow you to pick a template and tailor your page to your needs changing or adding text & photos.

Had a couple of free sites over the years, set up a couple of forums, no time for much of either anymore. Nothing real professional but it was fun doing.

 

Offline omega

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2008, 01:18:09 AM »
If you only want to simply present your company and one static page will be enough. A simple HTML page, and a HTML editor to manage it, will do.

If you want more. Dynamic content and multiple pages, maybe some news pages or a blog. I would use a CMS (Content management system).

If you want to sell things online professionally you can use one of the available open source cart systems. Like Zen Cart or Magentocommerce (newcomer, but very promising). Depending on your needs and skills this may take quite some time to set up and customize to your needs though.


For the simple static HTML page free hosting/webspace will do. For a content management system I would not advise to use free webspace, and for the cart system you really need a good host which will cost something. It does not have to expensive though. I think I pay about 500 dollar a year for a virtual dedicated server, but for about a 100 dollar a year (very rough estimation) you must be able to find a good host that offers shared hosting without overcrowding the servers (free and very cheap hosting companies usually put to many domains/user on one server, which is not a good idea for professional websites).

The costs to set things up totally depend on what you want and how much you are able and willing to do yourself. If you want an advanced system nut do a little as possible yourself to set up, customize an configure it, I think you will probably easily spend a couple of thousands to set it up + a monthly/yearly amount for updates and such. If you you a able and prepared to do it all yourself it does not have to cost any money, but heaps of time...
« Last Edit: June 26, 2008, 01:20:20 AM by omega »

Offline Mr Smith

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2008, 01:43:09 AM »
You can get free hosting for static pages.

If you want a domain name, that will usually cost you.

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2008, 06:58:20 AM »
I think I could maintain it myself and run things if it not too complicated.   I don't think it wold change much it just a place to get leads
"Eat it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do or do without." 

'People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.'
George Bernard Shaw

Offline Tesla

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2008, 07:02:57 AM »
I think I could maintain it myself and run things if it not too complicated.   I don't think it wold change much it just a place to get leads
I for one really like business that have websites.  You can check out their work, you can put up customer referrals, explain all the work you can offer.  I think it's really important, and shows that they give a damn.

Just my opinion. 
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Offline omega

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2008, 11:17:53 AM »
Exactly Tesla

@parts:
In that case would register a domain at a host that offers inexpensive hosting and use a simple CMS, like http://www.cmsimple.com/ for example. It does not even require a database, is very easy to install and use, and it includes the most basic stuff like a page editor and a contact form and such. And it's free :-)

It's just an example, there are so many solutions available these days which makes it difficult to choose....

Offline Parts

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #9 on: June 26, 2008, 11:57:10 AM »
I will look into it and post the results here for review
"Eat it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do or do without." 

'People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.'
George Bernard Shaw

Offline odeon

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2008, 01:32:06 PM »
Our host (Hostgator) is a good one, and offers cheap hosting, timely support, and practically no downtime. You can also buy a domain name through them, and a we page or a CMS is very easy to set up once you have an acocunt--there are tools to help you do both, I think.
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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2008, 02:30:16 PM »
Our host (Hostgator) is a good one, and offers cheap hosting, timely support, and practically no downtime. You can also buy a domain name through them, and a we page or a CMS is very easy to set up once you have an acocunt--there are tools to help you do both, I think.

Thanks looking into it :plus:
"Eat it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do or do without." 

'People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.'
George Bernard Shaw

Offline odeon

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Re: Creating and maintaining a website
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2008, 03:12:00 PM »
And, of course, if you need help, PM me.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

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