# Website design



## irumbold (Apr 20, 2008)

Hi guys,

Im going to be starting my own business, and will require a website. However i do not know the best way to go about this. For example who should i use? How much will it cost? Anything i should know or consider?

Cheers,

Ian


----------



## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Have a look at mine and see what you think.

I can put you in touch with the builder. Great guy and knows what he's doing


----------



## irumbold (Apr 20, 2008)

Thanks for that, looks good. Do you mind me asking how much that was? PM if you like. Also are you able to add to and update the site yourself?


----------



## steeleez (Jan 10, 2006)

Showshine said:


> Have a look at mine and see what you think.
> 
> I can put you in touch with the builder. Great guy and knows what he's doing


Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm in the same boat, any chance you could pm the same info as Ian has requested please?

Gary


----------



## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Will do :thumb:


----------



## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to stick my head up and say a spendid chap on here sorted all our website, no hassle probably the best company i have deal with.

I wont go naming him until he gives the nod but i would suggest hes your first port of call being on DW.

Thanks

Paul


----------



## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

The chap I use is also on here.

Just speak to a few and see who you want to choose


----------



## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

This is nothing to do with the advice that has already been given, just my opinion.

A pretty looking website with bells and whistles is of no use if it's not effective as a business tool. 
A bad website can be worse than no website.
Two identical looking websites can be at opposite ends of the price spectrum.
Two identical websites can be at opposite ends of the price spectrum.

Do you want it to look pretty for people you direct there or do you want it to generate revenue? If it's the former then sub £500 there's plenty options. If it's the latter then you could easily spent 4 or 5 figures.


----------



## Morph (Aug 12, 2008)

Get some quotes and look at portfolios then feel free shoot me a PM, I'll let you know if you are being robbed. 


People seem to assume you need to spend 800 notes on an ugly website because they tell you it's effective. 


On a side now, the ShowShine site is V nice  Custom Joomla template?


----------



## AboveFunction (Aug 8, 2011)

If you are looking for a good site but at a lower cost than going with an agency then just do a search for freelance web designers in your area. But have a look at their portfolio first and even contact people they have designed for and find out what they were like  

Also if they are in your area you can meet with them


----------



## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Up until a year ago I would of jumped at the chance to do one for you. Ive done a few for people on here, one who is approved so I can list it: www.bespokecarcare.com

A site like this with graphics came in below 500 to give you an idea. If you need more ideas of costings I'll pm you some more sites and how much they cost.

Remember you should always aim for good local search engine rankings with something like mobile valeting.

I'm no longer taking on new projects as I have too much on though.


----------



## irumbold (Apr 20, 2008)

Apart from a site looking good, what else do i need to know about websites?

For instance how do you get to the top of local listings on google, how does Search engine optimization work, and ways of geting the most trafic to your site, etc? This is the area i am totally clueless with


----------



## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Soooo...
it's more about marketing than website design. If you don't know much about it find a marketing agency that does and pay them to do it. If funds don't allow for that then you need to start reading/researching now. Find a mentor at a local networking event or online. 

The design bit needs to make it easy to manage/update with good traffic analysis. 

There's an awful lot more to say on this and lots of opinions... On here PB have got it right... Ask them.


----------



## Defined Reflections (Jun 4, 2009)

I would never touch a seo company again, i paid the webmarketinggroup £1500 and now nearly all the work they have done has dissapeared,im not happy and im going to be taking further action to get my money back
Theres others ways to get your website were you want it very simply


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

i'd recommend trying www.wix.com

you can build your own flash site.. totally customisable loads of options, easy to use, 
free to build and test, then if you want rid of the ads and attach it to your purchased domain you can pay the fee to go premium..
i set up my site for £30 all in, and costs £9 a month to run.
that includes a flash based "my site" on your facebook page, and a mobile version of the site for smartphones.


----------



## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

CraigQQ said:


> i'd recommend trying www.wix.com
> 
> you can build your own flash site.. totally customisable loads of options, easy to use,
> free to build and test, then if you want rid of the ads and attach it to your purchased domain you can pay the fee to go premium..
> ...


what's your traffic like? How does it find your site? How much revenue does it generate?


----------



## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Iphones and ipads + wix = no good. Wix is great for some things though.

To gain good google rankings, you need good relevant content, regular updates with auto updates to google for their robots, a good name can help ie. carvaletingin(insert city).co.uk etc., good incoming links (lots of them) and actual time/history on the web helps too.

There are many other ways to get a site higher too but your web designer will explain and go over the options with you as some can cost money.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

Nanoman said:


> what's your traffic like? How does it find your site? How much revenue does it generate?


its been up less than a couple days.. its not finished and hasn't been marketted yet.


----------



## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

CraigQQ said:


> i'd recommend trying www.wix.com
> 
> you can build your own flash site.. totally customisable loads of options, easy to use,
> free to build and test, then if you want rid of the ads and attach it to your purchased domain you can pay the fee to go premium..
> ...





CraigQQ said:


> its been up less than a couple days.. its not finished and hasn't been marketted yet.


Good recommendation.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

Nanoman said:


> Good recommendation.


did i say it was better than spending £5-1000 on a website?

i said it was possible to build your own!!

not everyone has £1000 to spend on a website..

i recommended trying wix.com to build your own... maybe you shouldn't overthink the written words next time.


----------



## Defined Reflections (Jun 4, 2009)

My website costs me £130 per year,i know its noware near as good as some but it was a good starting point for me when i started, and it was very very simple to construct it all myself,is a vistaprint website
I will be looking to get a new website next year (hopefully)


----------

