Best cheap way to Create a website

Stami

I am thinking about creating a consulting website and would like information on the best way to about this.  Should I hire a consultant, buy firefox and learn the software, or find a cheap webcreator online?  My idea is to create a website and test the market to see if this service will work.  Has anyone done test market websites or test companies? 
Thanks,

todaydvd

Hi Stami, It is not necessary to buy firefox (it`s free) and don`t hire a consultant (it`s expensive) as you are going to test the market.I had experience on creating different website, let me try to give you some suggestions. I think you can try in the following simple steps... The first thing is that you need to find out what kind of website and what will you put on the website. Is it provide simple company information only? Or implement an online consulting system?Then you can research some related website, study their Design, Structure, Functions and Content, so that you have a blueprint of your website.If you do not have any experience on website design and programming, I would strong recommend that you hire some people to do that. You can go to elance.com and ask someone to bid on your project base on your "Blueprint". Just my 2 cents. Good luck!Regards,Mars

FEV

Hi Stami,I have worked in the web development world for a while now and there are lots of ways to get a website done for cheap. It either going to cost some money or your time to learn how to do it.  I would recommend spending some money, so you can concentrate on your business.1 - College Students: call up a college, talk to their graphic design or computer science department and see if you can connect with a talented kid.  You can pay them next to nothing or sometimes get them for free. Just offer to help them with a good recommendation or fill out their paperwork so they can get credit for it.2 - Use a bidding site: you can put out your request for quote on sites like designquote.net or elance.com and people can bid on your work.  3 - India: this is really tough and be prepared for communications problems, but you can get firms in india to do web work for very little.  Hope that helps!
FEV2007-4-25 18:11:16

wifster

Hi - My husband is trying to get some web design work, but he needs to build a larger  portfolio (the one he has now is beautiful, but small)....he can work for cheap, just to get the referrals and larger body of work.If you`re interesting in seeing what he has, please contact me directly!

aio193

i`m no expert in this field but I have created quite a number of websites the past 3 years such as
http://kaerazami.com</A>just to name a few.
building a website isn`t easy nor should it be painstakingly difficult. Some have advised you to learn how to design a website but that will distract you from managing your business / project.
I have dealt with designers from India, and, (only from my experience), designs are below par, lots of communications problem and they don`t really do much research on the concept you have in mind.
I suggest you get someone who knows how to bring out the best of your business through the website.
I think of only two things when I want to help a business start. Their logo and the website.
Reason being is that the logo, is actually the most valuable asset (to me). It sticks to your newsletter and every other media. (Remember Mr Happy Crack) and the website. A website is your 24/7 business card. It tells people about you whenever and wherever they are. Plus in the world of web 2.0, audience are more impatient (you blab too much , they leave) and they are accustomed to be able to `accomplish something` from your website.
hope that helps

toddatemedia

Unless your business is web design or marketing or information providing of some kind (or you like to tinker on  your computer) I would leave building a site from scratch to someone who knows how to do it.
I am a web designer and consultant and teach web publishing. The point
of any site is to build your business. It should be attractive to your
target customer for the right reason: it has substance over style
period.If you can find a hosting / template provider that completely suits YOUR business then go that route. If your consulting business is about how expert you are in X then I would look at a blog.A blog:- has MANY templates (themes) available (can be customized when you get to apoint to do that.- is dead simple to startup (10 mins or less) blogger, blogspot, wordpress- is VERY search engine friendly - frequent content change makes it attractive to search engines- has many add ons (plugins and widgets) for things like email subscriptions, contact forms, item sales (Amazon, etc.) translation, etc.If your site is about you doing business and less about promoting your
"brand" then I think a blog is the way to go. Its fast, simple and
powerful - with almost no web design experience necessary.No matter which direction you choose be aware that the only way for a site to be valuable to your business is frequent updating and maintenance. Both should be simple as possible. Web sites are more like a magazine or newspaper than a billboard. Be willing to invest the proper amount of time.Hope that helps!

nevadascul

Hi Benreich,

Stami

I am sorry for not replying sooner.  I have read all of your comments and appreciate your feedback.  My business will be professional recruiting services.  I have looked at most of your sites.  I liked the idea of maybe starting a blog.  I am currently employed by an engineering firm, so I dont know if its ok to start calling other consultants or prospects.  I thought I could maybe put a website together and send it to some of my consultant friends and get their opinions.  All of you have been great help.  If you have any other advice for starting a recruiting firm please email me. 
Thanks,
Rusty

aio193

benreich
dude, your site, needs a lot of work, the information is clutterred. nevermind the  layout, a side navigation bar and an image header on top is already good. Its just the content area. why not try opening a magazine. like national geographic, glamour and stuff. mimic their layout (for text) and try other fonts like arial, georgia or verdana.  
regarding Stami`s biz plan, I agree with Terrence and Steve because I think a blog is a more personal approach that fits the one-on-one relationship but what would he blog about? about clients (i dont think so) or about job temperament?  what job/post/description best suits you (the reader)?

Stami

Again, this feedback is great.  I have spoken with two people who currently own successful recruiting businesses (one medical and one engineering).  They have both offered to mentor me and help me get started.  I have a full roladex of potential clients, I would have to work on the job seekers.  It is relatively cheap to place an ad in surveying and engineering magazines and journals or online.  I could start with that.  I think the blog idea is a great option for me to start with.  I don`t have any recruiting experience except for my own experiences in trying to find candidates, but I have a very strong sales background and aptitude. 
My main big problem......being currently imployed in the industry.  I unfortunately need the cash flow of my current job.  I was thinking of talking with them about my situation, but that could go the wrong way.  
I guess this is what this whole idea of entreprenuership is all about, finding a need, planning, and then taking the leap..... 
 

SmartCompSoft

Go over to themeforest and buy a website for $25. It you have some technical skills then you could be up and running in two hours.

Broderick

Hello friends.. i also wanna to create new web site.. Plz guide me...

gethxn

hi i wish to add my experience here .i brought the web site fully designed for my business from here xnynz.com here they design the web site based on our needsthis mainly saves our time and money a lot .here the process is as follows1.tell your dream to them2.they work for you3.finally our dream comes to livethey provide us with:* Your own Web site consultant to guide you through every step of the process* Your own personalized dream Web site design* Monthly updates to keep your site and content fresh and up-to-date* Hosting--With 99.9% guaranteed uptime and 24/7 support, your site is always up and runningi felt happy with their service.

getridofsore

I think the first thing is that you need to find out what kind of website and what will you put on the website.

alenascott

If you have little knowledge about IT terminologies then you can use dynamic websites like Wix.com to create website. Otherwise you can hire a professional.

frederickgreer

Hi Stami,
No need to hire a consultant to create a website. Today there are several online sources where you can find some great articles to create a website in any format. Recent while surfing online I came across a good tutorial at simplewebsitetutorials.com where they have many more articles that gives the detailed description of creating a website. Pay them a visit, they definitely provide you detailed information regarding website and all your queries as well.