Help for a newbie - Transferring Small Business Website?

[mattman190973]

Hope you guys can help a complete web novice!

Situation. I have a small car sales business which I have had a website setup for me. The web designer is unable to continue doing the updates for me, which I need to do in order to keep the stock list updating.
I would like to be able to update the site myself, but don't know where to begin.

Do I need to host the website myself or can I get one of the many host services on Google? any recommendations?
Once hosted, what do I need to have in order to update the pages? software etc?

Sorry for asking really stupid questions, but if I can use a spanner on it, I'm OK, with this stuff its like astro-physics to me!

[dragonthoughts]

If I were a newbie, I would get it hosted on a reliable server, not attempt to host it myself.

For personal recomendations, please feel free to send me a sticky mail (as advertising is not allowed here).

For a car sales business, you msut find a hosting compnay in your own country.

[Staffa]

As I understand it, you have a web site up and running?

If it is not hosted with your designer but with a separate hosting company then as yet there is not need to change the hosting company, unless you are not happy with them.

If so, all you need to do is to learn how to update your site.

[mattman190973]

Thanks for the help - do I need special software to enable me to update the site?

sorry for being dim

[dragonthoughts]

That will depend...

In general, to update ordinary pages on a site, you would need an FTP (File Transfer) program.

You can download these. Reasonably good ones for Windows are Smart FTP, WS FTP, Cute FTP.

Some web sites have systems for authorised users to change them using only their web browser.

[dlynn]

[just me...stating the obvious] :)

Of course at a minimum you'll need to know html I think. Depending on your site you may also need other skills such as:
xml; asp; flash; javascript; etc., etc..

If your designer built the site using any specific editor (NOF, Dreamweaver, etc.), having your own copy of the same editor is recommended (sometimes required).

--dlynn

[webtrix]

First you need to get in touch with your old designer and find out if he/she hosted the website themselves or hosted it through a company. Normally when you hire a company/freelancer, your contract will tell you if the hosting and/or domain name is still available after the contract has expired. If you do not have a contract, hopefully the designer would not just shut you down, however I have seen it in the past. I would try to get everything in your name so you do not have to worry about the hosting and domain name.

Definitions:

Hosting- the server where your website is stored.
Domain Name- the actual name of the url (www.example.com)