Forum Moderators: mack
1)Is there a easy Software to use and learn I have heard Front page is best?
2)Cart Software to use?
3)Have I lost my mind and should outsource. The problem is cost of site quotes I have gotten are 5-10K.
4)Should I learn about SEO let someone build the site and try to do SEO on my Own.
Thanks,
Mark
If not, then you'll need to hire someone.
I suggest that you write your own stuff, in HTML. using only plain text editors
like Notepad and/or Wordpad to write the code.
There is a reason for this. You will be forced to think logically, and its really really important.
You need to know how each piece fits in, how everything is done, basically how things work.
Without this, you are forever at the mercy of software which never quite does what you might prefer. -Larry
If you're wanting a sizeable site, with a cart, then you should either consider paying the money for a professional to do this for you, or else be prepared to wait quite some time before you know enough to get yourself up and running. This isn't a minor undertaking, and I think you're going to have to pay, either in time or in cash.
Good luck!
Eliz.
Any thoughts to companies on the web that develope a retail site for a fair price. Local providers at 5-10k seems like mucho dinero....
Any thoughts on that...
Thanks,
Mark
So you don't have to know HTML to create a site. But if you do know HTML you can edit the templates to suit yourself. I haven't looked at the code or experimented with it yet, but it looks like an serious contender for anyone who doesn't know code but wants to create a website.
The interesting thing about Bubbler is that there's a free hosted version if you don't have much traffic, which allows you to start small, then upgrade to a paid hosting version later on once your site has grown (and by that time making money).
The only downside I see is that the hosting gets expensive once you need more than 100MB of bandwidth, like $25/month for 4GB and $100/month for 20GB.
But then again, you are saving a lot of money on hiring a web development person to create and maintain the site, so it may make sense economically to pay a higer rate for the conenvenience of doing it yourself without having to learn HTML.
According to the review in PC Magazine, you may be able to save on hosting, it looks like you might be able to use it with your own webhost. The review is over here [pcmag.com].
I started off by using nn editor and I would recomend anyone just gettign started to avoid this. An editor takes a lot of the coding duties away from the designer. You may think this is a good thing because it makes the task simpler, but it slows down the rate of learning.
I really recoment you begin by learnign to write HTML code. Once you know how to code, you can then look into using tools that speed up the process. Knowing how to code will help you out a lot even when using an editor. Editors are not perfect. If you know how to write code then you will be in a better position to fix up the editors errors.
Mack.
If you need the site to be up and running within 6 months, outsource it. If you care only about the profits your website will bring, and not about user experience or accessibility, outsource it. If you think you'll have a website that goes virtually unchanged for several years, outsource it. Otherwise, do it yourself.
Re: Learning SEO yourself if you outsource
If your outsourced site gets built without anyone mentioning SEO, then you and the design firm you employed have already failed. Good SEO happens while the site is being built. Anything after the fact, while possibly successful, will just be making up for an underperforming website. Anyone who owns, operates, or profits from a website should know the basics of SEO. If you do the site yourself, you should learn SEO as you learn HTML, and should not start building your site until you know your fair share of SEO tactics.
Re: What kind of WYSIWYG Editor... learning HTML
All the WYSIWYG Editors have their advantages and pitfalls; there is no clear-cut best program... and you should learn HTML. It is extremely easy to learn how HTML is written on the basic level. The difficulty lies in applying the language correctly to achieve complex results. Even if you use a WYSIWYG Editor, you should know how HTML is written.
Local providers at 5-10k seems like mucho dinero
That's actually a very good price for a smaller site done professionally.
Yes I've toyed with dynamic content, by its a pain, you need to be profficient with SQL for the background database. You need to be proficient with HTML to buld the basic site and ASP or PHP to build all the cart stuff. On top of that you need to be a good designer to produce a site that looks good and is well laid out and easy to use.
Get a professional, because there are web hosting issues to consider as well. So if webdesign isn't you business, pay some one who's business it is and absolutly take their advice when they offer it!
That's actually a very good price for a smaller site done professionally.
Agreed. It also depends on what you are selling, and whether you are expecting online traffic, or you are funneling traffic to your site from another source.
Also... if you don't know what you are doing with the site, you have to depend on someone for any changes. Figure that in.
If you'll depend on online traffic, you have to have the skills to know whether it is there, or what it takes to get it, and how to get it. You also have to know that your designers are in sync with that.
