Web Sites and Blogs: Getting Started

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Web Design in Miramichi: Get your site up and running for less

I get inquiries all the time form people who want a website, and don’t know where to start. The first thing I ask them is if they plan on updating it themselves, and how often. If they they are planning a relatively simple site that they wish to maintain themselves, I highly recommend a WordPress Blog. WordPress blogs can have menus like a “regular” web site, as well as links to recent blog posts etc. They are totally customizable with a dashboard that allows you to experiment with looks and content. I offer set-up and training for sites with up to 4 pages (home, contact, and two others), as well as some basic deign services to make it all look great.

Costs

1. Hosting for a year – $120 to $170 (depends on the plan, the provider,and the length of the contract)
2. Template - $0 to $100 (you can get some great templates in the $30 to $50 range)
3. Design, Implementation and Training: Starting at $450 (includes logo design or modifications, css and layout changes, authoring first 4 pages including contact forms, analytics set-up, maintenance training and web traffic analysis training)

Here is an email I sent to someone who recently inquired:

Dear Joe, here is some information to get you started.

1. First you need a hosting plan. I recommend the Advantage Plus plan that is now on sale for $9.07 month. It has 2 free domains, and plenty of resources for running a small business site. With the 2 free domains, you could register a “.ca” and a “.com” site, or host two completely different companies. Here is the link to the hosting plan details:

http://www.netfirms.ca/web-hosting/

To get started, just click SIGN ME UP and see if your domain name is available.

HINT: When choosing a domain name, it is a good idea if your domain name is also a likely search term. For example, the flower shop in Chatham is called Country Floral, but their website is called www.miramichiflorist.com, because they know people will be searching on Google for “florist in miramichi” or something like that. So for your two domains, one could be called your business name, and the other could be called something like www.miramichiadventuretours.ca or something like that (one would link to the other). Having Miramichi in the domain name is a good idea too because most people include that word in their searches.

2. Choose a template. I recommend a WordPress site, so you’ll need a WordPress template to get you started. Remember, is your site is going to be fairly simple, choose a basic template. Also choose one that has a colour scheme that is complimentary to your business logo. Here is a link to the templates that are included free with a WordPress installation:

http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

And here is a link to templates that you can buy:

http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress

The internet has MANY sites that sell WordPress templates. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.

3. Design, programing and training. If you provide me with the text, logos, pictures and video for your site, I can start putting it together. When it’s finished, I can sit with you or whoever is going to maintain it, and show you how its done. I can also go over the analytics so you will be able to keep track of you who is visiting your site. My fee for the design, implementation and training would be $450. I think there are local companies that want about $40 a month for hosting, so you’d be in money before long.