Total newbie to websites - off the shelf options?

[fizz47]

Hi all

So I recently purchased a domain name and now want to get a website up and running..

At the moment traffic is going to be light but has potential to get quite a large following due to its niche.

I have no clue about websites and this is something I am doing at the side so want to keep costs at a minimum.

At the moment all I will be doing is reviews... So need the ability to upload reviews that will be sorted by region and category of product. Will also need to upload relevant photos.

Ideally would like it linked to a twitter, Instagram and FB account..


As a non tech guy can I buy a template which can do this for me and look professional at the same time

Where should I start looking?

[akirk]

Try wordpress...
you can install it / run it / etc. without any technical knowledge as long as you are prepared to read up options online...

if you have bought a domain - see if the place you purchased it might offer you wordpress hosting - if not, easy enough to find

[Vealie]

^^^ This

.....and then get the Divi theme by Elegant Designs. Simple, intuitive and you need very little knowledge to build a one page website.

[TheD]

There is always Wix as well. No affiliations I might add.

[KFC]

TheD said:

There is always Wix as well. No affiliations I might add.

Wix is absolutely garbage! There is no legitimate reason to suggest using it.

[Lexual]

KFC said:

TheD said:

There is always Wix as well. No affiliations I might add.

Wix is absolutely garbage! There is no legitimate reason to suggest using it.

What's been your (bad) experience with WIX, KFC?

I've no affiliation with them but I built my website from scratch with WIX (can see a link in my profile) scrapped all the template and started with a blank page. Its the first website I've built and only ever tried WIX but I think its a really easy platform to use and create with.. seo etc is simple as long as you're a bit savvy..

Their customer service is st though with the call back option they give and no direct contact..

[Timsta]

Lexual said:

What's been your (bad) experience with WIX, KFC?

I've no affiliation with them but I built my website from scratch with WIX (can see a link in my profile) scrapped all the template and started with a blank page. Its the first website I've built and only ever tried WIX but I think its a really easy platform to use and create with.. seo etc is simple as long as you're a bit savvy..

Their customer service is st though with the call back option they give and no direct contact..

Compare your website to the Divi theme on Wordpress: http://www.elegantthemes.com/demo/?theme=Divi

Even their one page site is stunning: http://elegantthemes.com/preview/Divi-One-Page/

[Dejay1788]

Shopify is really simple to get started and set up with.

[Frimley111R]

Do not DIY. You have no idea of what makes a good site or an effective one. You'll spend hours of frustration trying to build one which you'll never be happy with. Pay someone to design one for you and don't forget about the copy for the site. Can you write good copy? If not find someone who can and bear in mind the cost may be similar to the overall design cost.

[KFC]

Frimley111R said:

Do not DIY. You have no idea of what makes a good site or an effective one. You'll spend hours of frustration trying to build one which you'll never be happy with. Pay someone to design one for you and don't forget about the copy for the site. Can you write good copy? If not find someone who can and bear in mind the cost may be similar to the overall design cost.

How can you say "dont DIY" without knowing what the OP is trying to do, what his budget is etc etc.

For a lot of people its worth just throwing Wordpress on and bodging some edits to a theme will get them up and running. If they're just a butcher, baker or candle stick maker their average user isn't going to notice, or care. And it'll get them up and running without a 4 figure bill from a 'web designer'. When realistically, often at the low 4 figure 'fully custom' end of the market your design is going to look st in comparison to just using a professionally done, off the shelf theme.

[Frimley111R]

KFC said:

Frimley111R said:

Do not DIY. You have no idea of what makes a good site or an effective one. You'll spend hours of frustration trying to build one which you'll never be happy with. Pay someone to design one for you and don't forget about the copy for the site. Can you write good copy? If not find someone who can and bear in mind the cost may be similar to the overall design cost.

How can you say "dont DIY" without knowing what the OP is trying to do, what his budget is etc etc.

For a lot of people its worth just throwing Wordpress on and bodging some edits to a theme will get them up and running. If they're just a butcher, baker or candle stick maker their average user isn't going to notice, or care. And it'll get them up and running without a 4 figure bill from a 'web designer'. When realistically, often at the low 4 figure 'fully custom' end of the market your design is going to look st in comparison to just using a professionally done, off the shelf theme.

Completely disagree. He says he knows nothing about websites and you recommend DIYing? If he said he new nothing about engines would you recommend him DIYing a rebuild? A crap website will look amateurish and unprofessional. He doesn't need to pay a fortune but spending a few hundred pounds is the least he should do. Sounds like you have had some bad experiences with web designers too if you say that a custom built site will look st compared to a theme and, tbh, the statement really makes little sense. A templated site isn't just a shelf you stick your products on, it still needs work to make it attractive and effective.

[KFC]

Frimley111R said:

Completely disagree. He says he knows nothing about websites and you recommend DIYing? If he said he new nothing about engines would you recommend him DIYing a rebuild? A crap website will look amateurish and unprofessional. He doesn't need to pay a fortune but spending a few hundred pounds is the least he should do. Sounds like you have had some bad experiences with web designers too if you say that a custom built site will look st compared to a theme and, tbh, the statement really makes little sense. A templated site isn't just a shelf you stick your products on, it still needs work to make it attractive and effective.

We've still no real info on the background of the OP though. Other than he's no idea what he's doing, but also wants to keep the costs down.

If he's building some hobby site that he does have intentions to make money from further down the line, it might make sense for him to do it himself. He'll keep costs down while learning what he's doing. That would be preferable to spending £1000 he doesn't really have on a designer, who'll turn out a crap website. And still leave the OP with no idea how to do basic edits etc.

I don't think you can get a good custom website for < £3000. Any less than that and I think 99% of people would be far far better off with an off the shelf template, then some basic edits/new logo (whether they do these edits themselves, or outsource it). Any time I see websites delivered for £500-1000 or whatever they just look horrific. Their sole selling point being "this is completely bespoke". Which completely fails to take into consideration the fact that someone hiring a gas engineer in Stoke, or buying bathroom Taps online, isn't going to know that the website wasn't done from scratch in the first place...

[BGARK]

For blogging as you mention - Wordpress.

For selling stuff - Shopify.

Lots of free apps that will also link to Twitter, Facebook and so on...

[akirk]

KFC said:

Frimley111R said:

Completely disagree. He says he knows nothing about websites and you recommend DIYing? If he said he new nothing about engines would you recommend him DIYing a rebuild? A crap website will look amateurish and unprofessional. He doesn't need to pay a fortune but spending a few hundred pounds is the least he should do. Sounds like you have had some bad experiences with web designers too if you say that a custom built site will look st compared to a theme and, tbh, the statement really makes little sense. A templated site isn't just a shelf you stick your products on, it still needs work to make it attractive and effective.

We've still no real info on the background of the OP though. Other than he's no idea what he's doing, but also wants to keep the costs down.

If he's building some hobby site that he does have intentions to make money from further down the line, it might make sense for him to do it himself. He'll keep costs down while learning what he's doing. That would be preferable to spending £1000 he doesn't really have on a designer, who'll turn out a crap website. And still leave the OP with no idea how to do basic edits etc.

I don't think you can get a good custom website for < £3000. Any less than that and I think 99% of people would be far far better off with an off the shelf template, then some basic edits/new logo (whether they do these edits themselves, or outsource it). Any time I see websites delivered for £500-1000 or whatever they just look horrific. Their sole selling point being "this is completely bespoke". Which completely fails to take into consideration the fact that someone hiring a gas engineer in Stoke, or buying bathroom Taps online, isn't going to know that the website wasn't done from scratch in the first place...

I recommended Wordpress above - for a non-technical person, it is a very easy route to a professional looking website - yes there is compromise when compared against a bespoke site, but free is a lot cheaper

It is slightly different to an engine rebuild / build - there is no option I know of where you can go and have an engine plugged into your car with no mechanical knowledge and basically for no cost - on the cost / value model, wordpress does very well indeed...

regarding custom built websites - you could get them built for £500 - £1,000, but again the compromises will be there - for that cost we certainly wouldn't deliver very much functionality or a huge amount of bespoke design - for a website sitting on our in-house built CMS you are realistically starting at c. £3,000 - £4,000, and a fully bespoke skin for that pushes the price higher - as with all of these things there is compromise in whatever choice you make unless you spend a lot of money - base the artwork on a template and customise it = cheaper / use a standard CMS = cheaper - anything done bespoke = costs more...

yes, there are companies who will do all sorts of things for not very much cost, but you will be lucky to get good results...
so for a professional bespoke system - your budget is likely to be higher
for a professional templated system on a free CMS (which manageable compromises) - wordpress is a very good option

so you pick the right choice for where your business is at that time - there is no point spending money which could be better spent on growing the business...

as for WIX mmm - enjoy we spend quite a bit of time taking companies off such website builder systems as the business matures...
with the site referenced above - sorry, it looks amateur, it might have a mobile version, but it is not size responsive, so doesn't work well across a range of mobile screen sizes, it would definitely not give me the impression that the business is professional and a place to spend money...

If a company can deliver the service - the website needs to match that level of professionalism / expectation

[KFC]

akirk said:

for a website sitting on our in-house built CMS you are realistically starting at c. £3,000 - £4,000, and a fully bespoke skin for that pushes the price higher - as with all of these things there is compromise in whatever choice you make unless you spend a lot of money - base the artwork on a template and customise it = cheaper / use a standard CMS = cheaper - anything done bespoke = costs more...

How do you justify an in in-house built CMS to most customers ?

I can't think of any legitimate reason that I'd want a site on that. I'm pretty much stuck with using you for any updates etc then. Or I'm paying someone else more than I should, to learn how your system works first. If you shut up shop, cheerio easy updates. It would feel like I"m paying you to reinvent the wheel when Magento, WP and so on are all available.

[Frimley111R]

KFC said:

I don't think you can get a good custom website for < £3000. Any less than that and I think 99% of people would be far far better off with an off the shelf template, then some basic edits/new logo (whether they do these edits themselves, or outsource it). Any time I see websites delivered for £500-1000 or whatever they just look horrific. Their sole selling point being "this is completely bespoke". Which completely fails to take into consideration the fact that someone hiring a gas engineer in Stoke, or buying bathroom Taps online, isn't going to know that the website wasn't done from scratch in the first place...

Yes, agreed with you on the costs although it depends on the size of the site but we don't do anything for less than £5000. People MAY be able to build their own website from templates but they don't really know what they are doing and a nice looking site may be very very poor at converting visitors which is its main aim. People buying from, 'Taps Online' won't know or care who built the site or how it was built but they will care if it is hard to navigate and use and if it is they will go elsewhere.

[cuneus]

Frimley111R said:

if it is hard to navigate and use and if it is they will go elsewhere.

Quoted for posterity - the irony is cast iron

[akirk]

KFC said:

akirk said:

for a website sitting on our in-house built CMS you are realistically starting at c. £3,000 - £4,000, and a fully bespoke skin for that pushes the price higher - as with all of these things there is compromise in whatever choice you make unless you spend a lot of money - base the artwork on a template and customise it = cheaper / use a standard CMS = cheaper - anything done bespoke = costs more...

How do you justify an in in-house built CMS to most customers ?

I can't think of any legitimate reason that I'd want a site on that. I'm pretty much stuck with using you for any updates etc then. Or I'm paying someone else more than I should, to learn how your system works first. If you shut up shop, cheerio easy updates. It would feel like I"m paying you to reinvent the wheel when Magento, WP and so on are all available.

Easily

If you need a bespoke CMS system - without paying through the nose, we can do it, and it allows us to build business processes into the system - we specialise in online processes / platforms / systems, and can build bespoke platforms that talk to the company's website... we spent quite a lot internally building the first version, and have refined it since - its modular nature means that we can install what is needed and add to it as required...

I quite agree that for many people it is better to use a known platform - and we have a number of clients doing exactly that - we have installed magento systems / big commerce systems / joomla systems / wordpress systems and customised them for clients - however that only makes sense when the company is happy to use the core system and has little need to have it tweaked to their system requirements - the minute they need bespoke work done, the cost is no different, and every upgrade of the underlying system can break the bespoke work - often requiring expensive re-work each time... At that point it can make a lot more sense to have your website sitting on a platform tailored to work with their needs...

For example we are currently building a modified version of the CMS so that one CMS system will run two websites, one in the USA / one in Europe - each using the same CMS, but with some content shared, some content separated, and some content automatically feeding European content to Europe, and USA content to the USA, but using the other content if the home country's content is not yet written... This will be relatively simple to do with our system - a nightmare to do based on a standardised CMS system such as wordpress...

It is horses for courses - there is compromise in every solution - the aim is to make sure that compromises don't hinder the end-client's business growth... we certainly find that our customers like what we can offer them - and for many they migrate from a system such as Wordpress which they find overly-complex and too restrictive

[Simon Brooks]

have used Jimdo a couple of times very easy to build a simple website, maybe do this until the business is a little more established