# looking at setting up a web site for a new business idea that I am trying to get goin



## PADDYBOY99 (29 Jul 2010)

Hi all,
I am looking at setting up a web site for a new business idea that I am trying to get off the ground. Could anyone tell me where to start. I have never created a web site AND AM TOTALLY GREEN IN THIS FIELD.
Cheers.


----------



## jhegarty (29 Jul 2010)

You really need to pay someone to do it.

A DIY website just won't pass if you are trying to operate a business.


----------



## allthedoyles (29 Jul 2010)

I designed a website for a family relation using www.vistaprint.ie  and it is proving popular . 

Needs to be well managed  and all leads must be followed immediately .

It costs € 15 per month ( first month is free )


----------



## aristotle (29 Jul 2010)

If its a fairly basic site you want (no order processing etc) then a good option for these types of sites is wordpress. 

You are going to need someone to do this for you. You need to register a domain name e.g.  and you can set up wordpress on it. Wordpress is easy to customise and update and there are plenty of templates that can be used to get you started.

The hardest thing for you is finding someone to do the work. At a minimum there is going to be 4 or 5 days work depending on big the site is.


----------



## john martin (29 Jul 2010)

This company set up a site for me .His e-mail is apastronweb@gmail.com. He was very good and not expensive A good website is not a DIY project. I don't have any personal connection with this man but just a satisified customer.


----------



## Leo (30 Jul 2010)

john martin said:


> This company set up a site for me .His e-mail is apastronweb@gmail.com. He was very good and not expensive A good website is not a DIY project. I don't have any personal connection with this man but just a satisified customer.


 
I'd consider their own site as a poor advertisment! Using a gmail address for a business account isn't great either.


----------



## Complainer (30 Jul 2010)

The first thing to do is to work out what you want on the website - the content. There are lots of techies out there who can set this up for you, but content is a different. First of all, sit down with paper and pen (or an MS Word document) and write down what the website is going to look like, and what text is required. 

The (very hard) trick is to write from the point-of-view of the customer, not the business owner. Put yourself in the customer's shoes, and write down what the customer will want to read, in language and terminology that the customer will understand.

If you can't do this yourself, you'll need to pay somebody with a good marketing head to write it up for you. Once you have this content sorted, you can start talking to the techies.


----------



## Satanta (30 Jul 2010)

PADDYBOY99 said:


> I am looking at setting up a web site for a new business idea that I am to get trying to get off the ground.


What do/would you require the website to do? 

If it's simply to provide information on the services/products you have, you could get a design produced ranging from a few hundred euro to as high as you wish to spend. If it requires ecommerce, selling directly through the website, it will require a higher base price due to the more detailed systems involved.

Going cheap on web design can be a very costly mistake. I'm not suggesting that paying top price guarantees best results, but don't select your designer on the price alone. Look through their portfolios, see if you like their designs, if they offer SEO services (search engine optimisation and web design [in terms of layout] are different beasts. Personally, I'd like to think that a designer was working while at least having SEO in mind) see how the sites they produced perform in search engines, etc. etc..

There are a few different elements to consider (purchasing the domain, hosting, the design, SEO and then marketing), but a good designer will be able to assist you with most of this (perhaps with suggestions for SEO/marketing. Also, do take care with offers of hosting services as they might be receiving a commission for this so be sure to do a little research of your own) and make the entire process a lot easier.


----------



## TreeTiger (30 Jul 2010)

I know someone who had a website built by this crowd (and was very happy with it) - http://www.entheosweb.com/default.asp - who are based in Bangalore.  Yes, Bangalore in India!  They are very competitive in price I gather, and produce some pretty good stuff - there are off the shelf templates to choose form.  I have absolutely no personal experience of this company but it might give you some ideas.

One of the first things I would suggest you do is go and buy a book like "Websites for Dummies".  If you are paying someone to build you a website you will suddenly find them talking to you in phrases that make no sense to you, so getting a bit of basic knowledge will always be useful.

You might get more detailed assistance here if you can describe - without giving away your secrets! - what you are trying to achieve with your website.


----------



## schmile (31 Jul 2010)

OT but I know that place in Bangalore well I passed it every day on my way to work when I spent a month there! 

Anyway back on topic. Wordpress which I have used myself and have seen examples of very good websites is a good place to start. Yes you can use templates but you can change them to suit your needs. 

Remember if you do hire a web designer you will need to keep the site up to date. Obvious I know but its one thing places tend to forget about. 

Also ask around local design/IT colleges students may be willing to do the job for experience


----------



## german (1 Aug 2010)

Have used redlemon.ie, nit expensive at all, few hundred euro. Fir big projects I've used circus.ie , more expensive but amazing work


----------



## PADDYBOY99 (8 Aug 2010)

Is there any DIY solutions as it is only a pipe line idea that I want to test the market with?


----------



## PaddyBloggit (8 Aug 2010)

Best DIY solution is to set up a site with WordPress.

You need:
* a domain name
* hosting

and a bit of knowledge to set up the site.

If you're clueless about it I'd suggest getting someone to set one up for you.

There's a guy in Leitrim offering website set up for €99 on donedeal:

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/businessopportunities/1129355

(I've no connection with the above --- just saw it on donedeal)

No harm in contacting him and asking to see samples of his work.


----------



## Complainer (8 Aug 2010)

PADDYBOY99 said:


> Is there any DIY solutions as it is only a pipe line idea that I want to test the market with?


There are indeed DIY solutions, such as the Wordpress option mentioned by Paddy, but think carefully about whether you want to do this. Would you do a 'DIY solution' for your leaflet, or your van lettering, or painting your shop etc. There are lots of things that can be done DIY, but this doesn't mean that DIY is the best option. 

If you want your website to give a professional impression to visitors, you're going to have to pay someone. Do you want to risk your only chance at a first-impression on a DIY job?


----------



## siobhand1 (23 Aug 2010)

I was told yesterday the yola.com are a free set up website company and are easy to DIY best of luck I was also told vista.com or ie make free business cards


----------



## aristotle (3 Sep 2010)

Could be useful....

"The WebActivate programme aims to help 600 SMEs get online for free and develop their digital strategies, with the help of ‘Web-activators'. "


http://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/item/17596-free-scheme-to-help-smes/


----------



## Shane.B (5 Sep 2010)

*Paddyboy99,

The previous posters are correct, design is important. Good content is vital. 
If you do hire a developer remember that you will need to have your site updated regularly so it would be best in that instance to use someone local or easily available/contactable. 

If you want to build the site yourself you must have good image editing capabilities and a good knowledge of HTML and CSS at a minimium. 

Wordpress is the best platform for many sites that will contain frequently changing content. 

Large sites that will require an online store or other functionality may require a more powerful platform like Joomla.

I prefer to use Wordpress but you don't need to use either or any CMS at all.

Think about accessability (mobile browsers, old browser like ie6, etc)
Make sure your site loads quickly (optomize and minimize images)

If you need advice while in the midst of this process feel free to email me/pm me.

I am not a professional web designer but I have previously done:
ocl.ie
yourmemories.ie

and I am working on blackrath.com.

I am sure you can learn to build  a good site and in the process you will learn how to edit and update your own site.

If you give a shot and don't like your results you can Hire someone local to you and you will be able to discuss the issues from a more knowledgable position.

Best of Luck

Regards

Shane
twitter.com/blackrath*


----------



## Brendan Burgess (6 Sep 2010)

Hi Shane

You break the first lesson. Make the text readable. 

I am unable to read the script on the right hand side of your website easily. So I would not spend any time on the site. 

This is a very common error. Designers go mad. Text should be very dark on a very light background. coloured text on a coloured background is very difficult to read by  some. 

Otherwise - not bad.

brendan


----------



## droileen (6 Sep 2010)

*Bold Text*



Shane.B said:


> *Paddyboy99,*
> 
> *The previous posters are correct, design is important. Good content is vital. *
> *If you do hire a developer remember that you will need to have your site updated regularly so it would be best in that instance to use someone local or easily available/contactable.
> ...


 
Shane.B - Why are you using all bold text ?  It makes very hard reading.


----------



## mikka (22 Sep 2010)

Another out of the box package that could be what a start up business is looking for is called magento (google it, as I can't send links atm), this offers a full shopping cart system free of charge (note: as with wordpress you will need to register a domain name and a hosting account that supports PHP and MySQL).

You can also purchase magento themes to make your website look unique as the default theme isn't great.

If you have no experience in setting these applications up I recommend contacting a web design company (or possibly your hosting company sometimes) to assist you.


----------



## SoylentGreen (4 Jan 2012)

Is there a website where I can design a web page and play around with the design before I have to give a domain name and email address?  I would just like to practice a bit before commiting myself to anything.


----------



## DrMoriarty (5 Jan 2012)

LetsHost.ie offer a demo of their . But you'd probably be better off with a Wordpress site. You'll find any number of tutorials/demos online: http://youtu.be/vD3a9A8MgyE


----------



## PaddyBloggit (5 Jan 2012)

or investigate installing wampserver on your pc and running wordpress locally ... but this demands knowledge which you haven't got at the moment so is probably a non-runner.


----------



## SoylentGreen (6 Jan 2012)

Thanks for the links and the info. I had fun messing about a bit.

How much would it cost to get someone to set up a one page website with a few pictures, prices and contact details?  Any recommendations for someone in South County Dublin. I might approach the local college?.


----------



## nai (6 Jan 2012)

Not quite South County Dublin but worth a call - www.invictus.ie

I've recommended Invictus previously to a number of people.


----------



## IsleOfMan (8 Jan 2012)

Is it difficult and costly or even worthwhile to have background music added to your website? Assuming that the music you use is royalty free.


----------



## PaddyBloggit (8 Jan 2012)

To be honest .... background music on a site is an annoying distraction ... unless of course it's  music/band etc. related site .... 

If you do add music give users the option of turning it off!

Re. difficulty ... it's not .. depending on how you do it.


----------



## IsleOfMan (9 Jan 2012)

Interesting. It's a site selling a French item. I thought that a bit of French accordian music in the background might add a bit of ambience, but I take your point.


----------



## Leo (9 Jan 2012)

It is generally recommended to steer clear of background music as it is annoying to many. Think of people surfing during a break at work, or those listening to other music.


----------



## DianeC401 (11 Jan 2012)

I have used Weebly.com for 3 websites over the last year and they are great. No huge techie skills needed, you can use their domain so you don't need to go registering your own (eg: www.yourwebsitename.weebly.com) and they provide lots of great templates if design is not your strongpoint.  You can set up paypal facilities with them and considering they are free, I think they offer a very impressive and  flexible option.

I totally take on board other poster's points about good design and professionalism. If you want a really impressive website for business it's probably not a good idea to go the free route. But Weebly are a great option for community groups and small volunteer organisations who haven't the money to spend on a website but who need a presence on-line and a way to communicate info to their members.

No affiliation to them, just a satisfied user.


----------



## IsleOfMan (12 Jan 2012)

If someone is searching a product that you might have on your website and if your  site is attached to another site like weebly are you likely to be buried in page 56 or similar of the Google search engine?  What is the likely hood of someone remembering your site name if the have to stick dot com dot weebly after it?


----------



## DianeC401 (12 Jan 2012)

The first companies to appear on the google search engine are the ones who have paid to be there. But after that it's a bit more complicated and you may need to employ a professional to oversee your on-line marketing strategy. 

I think a lot depends on the name of your company/site and how reflective it is of the product/service you are offering. And if you are competing in a crowded market place with hundreds of companies offering the same thing that will have an impact too. 

With regards to remembering the full address of a site, speaking from personal experience I rarely do; I either check it in the history, or do a google search making sure to use the actual company name (rather than the service it provides) to pinpoint it.  

If they are customers who are returning to the site, most computers are set up to retain the history of sites visited so will quickly prompt the rest of the address. 

But I take your point - the .weebly.com bit on the end is not an advantage. It's a free service and they cannot compete with a paid-for professionally designed site. Incidentally though you can register your own domain name separately and then just design the site through Weebly.

When weighing up all the options you have to think about how your customers will be driven to your site - will they be likely to already know about you (and therefore have your name), will they be looking for local generic suppliers (in which case they may go to Goldenpages online or google the area you are in) or will they search via service description, for example? These considerations should be taken into account when deciding on the website name.

If you think your product is going to be primarily sold to ad-hoc websurfers finding your site you should probably consider paying for professional advice.

If however, the website will be part of a multi-layered PR and publicity approach focussed on specific customers who can be targetted in a number of ways you might get away with something along the lines of Wordpress or Weebly.  

Weebly has worked for me because I consider most people interested in the groups I'm promoting already have a high degree of motivation to find them. Either that or they have already heard about us and now just want to find out more information. 

But obviously this is not the case for many people - especially when you are actually selling something.


----------



## car (2 Feb 2012)

DianeC401 said:


> The first companies to appear on the google search engine are the ones who have paid to be there. But after that it's a bit more complicated and you may need to employ a professional to oversee your on-line marketing strategy.
> 
> .



the first 2-3 advertisements are certainly paid up members of google, after that its SEO skills.  Freely available at a google near you.


----------

