Making a website

Terri Walsh · Feb 7, 2008

Where do I begin?
Ok I know I have to Buy a domain name and Pay for hosting. But then what?
How do I Build a site?
Where do I begin. I want to do it myself, if possible.
Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated!

DSLR noob · Feb 7, 2008

Well it'll help if you know HTML, or better yet, know how to write codes that meet xHTML standards with stylesheets. I have a free webdomain that lets you plug text and images into a template or provide your own HTML. I was going to write the HTML myself (as I know it) and let the template hold up the site until I wrote the codes, but I got lazy and now I'm just content with the plug in layout (you can choose themes). Only problems is, it'll scroll down a lot past the contents o fmy page ebcause I don't fill every blank in the plugin.

here's my site

www.chrisrowephotography.biz.ly

and to get your own for free go to:

www.biz.ly

MarcusM · Feb 7, 2008

Well, you could spend money on a nice program like Adobe GoLive. I have it but have yet to learn how to use it myself.

Or, you could buy a book about HTML and CSS and build your own website. HTML is fairly simple to learn, if you don't mind typing code.

But please, please, please, don't go for one of those cheesy premade web site templates. They look like crap and are generic and thousands of other people probably use them. If you are designing a photo site, you want something unique, stylish, and nice.

Terri Walsh · Feb 7, 2008

Thanks Chris, I will check out your site. I dont know HTML. I did create a very basic site years ago, but dont remember a thing now.
Any other suggestions? Anyone?

Terri Walsh · Feb 7, 2008

I do want something UNIQUE, and not one that everyone has or has seen.
I do know people who know HTML, maybe I will have to talk really nice to them?!? lol

Sandspur · Feb 7, 2008

May I ask ... is this a personal site or one you want to use to develop or supplement a business?

Terri Walsh · Feb 7, 2008

business site

jedithebomber · Feb 7, 2008

My personal preference of program is Dreamweaver. What I suggest to most people not willing to pay me to make them a site is to scour the web for templates. Basically you copy the files over, change a few things, and be on your way. Its a good way to go if you want something that looks like crap. If you want something completely unique, well get going on your css and html. Javascript is nice to know too. And have loads of fun with quirks in all the different browsers.

Or you could prolly just "talk" some geek you know into doing it...

MarcusM · Feb 7, 2008

jedithebomber said:
My personal preference of program is Dreamweaver. What I suggest to most people not willing to pay me to make them a site is to scour the web for templates. Basically you copy the files over, change a few things, and be on your way. Its a good way to go if you want something that looks like crap. If you want something completely unique, well get going on your css and html. Javascript is nice to know too. And have loads of fun with quirks in all the different browsers.

Or you could prolly just "talk" some geek you know into doing it...

lol...your recommendation is to scour the web for templates to make a crappy site if they're not willing to pay you to do a site?

I agree though...you basically have 4 options that I can think of:

1. Learn HTML and CSS and do it yourself. This could be done in a fairly short amount of time if you are a self-motivated learner and you have some extra time to spend every day or at least a few days a week for a couple months.

2. Find one of those free web site services that either give you a free website with limited bandwidth and lame ads all over your site that bombard your visitors with annoying, crappy pop-up ads, or give you the option to use their cheap, generic, templates and create your website with that.

3. Buy a program like GoLive or Dreamweaver and make your own website with that. Probably quicker and easier than learning HTML and CSS but if you run into snags it's harder to figure out what's wrong, and also less control over the design of your site.

4. Pay a good web designer anywhere from $300-$1000 to design you a decent looking website (depending on what type of site you need and what's on your site, price could vary)

azruial · Feb 7, 2008

IMO, if it's a business site and you want unique then you have to get this done by a professional web designer.

You can spend lots of time learning from the ground up html, css, php and maybe some Flash or Javascript and then how to make sure that your scripts run happily on your web server and on all of the common internet browsers. Then linking the domain to your hosting package's DNS servers, maintaining file structures etc.
Or....
You can pay someone who has a degree in that stuff to do their job and end up with an expandable easily-maintainable, good-looking site that should come with some sort of service agreement to make sure you are happy with it when all is said and done.

Of course you really can make your own, but Professional web developers don't get enough credit, they earn their money. It's kind of like saying "I can point the camera at you, so why should I pay a pro portrait photographer to do it..." IMHO, there is a lot to be gained by contracting something like this out, and of what i have seen 95% of websites that people make by themselves are either nonfunctional or just look like they came from a template anyways, or they drive the person crazy because they are impossible to maintain.

All that said, writing html, css and php can be (almost) as rewarding as it is frustrating. Start http://www.w3.org/Style/Examples/011/firstcss anything that starts with "www.w3.org" should be quality, and if you type html css php (maybe photo viewer if you are adventurous) should give you the kind of fundamentals you need to start thinking about building a professional looking, consistent website with photo gallery capabilities. Remember, when you do anything, test it in AT LEAST Mozilla Firefox AND Internet Explorer 6/7 because there is little more frustrating than completing a nice page, just to find out that IE renders your perfect, compliant css all wrong :grumpy:

.

It really is a hard job, good luck and let us see what you get done!

P.S. If any of that sounded too argumentative or negative, I apologize, I don't mean to offend anyone, and as always, I'm just dropping in my 2 cents. :hug::

Sandspur · Feb 7, 2008

Will your site be aimed at promoting your service locally, marketing your work online worldwide, providing information, teaching, selling e goods ... what?

Regardless of which it is, doing business on the internet is about content and traffic ... because you can have the prettiest, most unique site design in the world, but unless you know how to build traffic with valuable content and monitize your site, it's a big waste of your time, money and energy!

I've found a way, and it works!

If you'd like to explore it, just log onto my website below, scroll to the bottom of any page and click on the little box that says: "Powered By:SiteSell."

There's lots of help there. Spend some time with it and I think you'll get the idea: it's about building a real business, not just building a unique and attractive web page or two.

leila · Feb 8, 2008

i tried this route, it's a pain to learn all this and have time for photography. i would much rather had paid someone to do it. there are so many talented web designers out there and they are becoming more and more affordable.

jedithebomber · Feb 8, 2008

leila said:
i tried this route, it's a pain to learn all this and have time for photography. i would much rather had paid someone to do it. there are so many talented web designers out there and they are becoming more and more affordable.

I hate to agree, but there are quite a few talented people out there that can be had for next to nothing. I do less and less design, and more and more backend work.

MarcusM said:
lol...your recommendation is to scour the web for templates to make a crappy site if they're not willing to pay you to do a site?

Pretty Much

I get approached constantly by people that basically want me to work for free. In fact I think I have told a client that exact line before. I guess thats why I pretty much dropped out of design. I prefer fiddling with databases anyway.

ernie · Feb 8, 2008

leila said:
i tried this route, it's a pain to learn all this and have time for photography. i would much rather had paid someone to do it. there are so many talented web designers out there and they are becoming more and more affordable.

I think you're right. You want to spend your time taking pictures to place on your website, not on the website itself. And if it's for a business, that probably means you're making money with your photos. So just pay someone with your hard-earned dollars

Iron Flatline · Feb 8, 2008

See if this meets your needs:

http://my-expressions.com/

It's a photo blogging business, but it allows you to set up Galleries, and an "About You" page which you could use for pricing info.