[Misfit45]

Please can someone help me.

I'm looking to start a small business up, and i would like to have a website. I am a Newbie when it comes to websites. I would like to have a Professional looking site but at minimal costs (if this is possible) I don't mind paying for one, but not over the top (as it depends how the business does).

Can anyone please help me with advice on this subject. Any help will be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[tomdkat]

First, I would figure out what a realistic budget for a quality website would be for you. It could be $100 or it could be $1000 (not that all $1000 would be spent) but you really need to have a budget in mind.

Then, I would shop around for web designers willing to do a site within your budget. You could design a site yourself but unless you're willing to invest the time and effort involved in getting to function the way you want, you will drive yourself crazy and won't be happy with the results. There WILL be browser issues to contend with and if you want any kind of eCommerce functionality, that will require more work (the amount will vary based on the sophistication of the eCommerce parts).

There are many free website templates you can use as a base but I advise against that unless you really want to learn about web page design. If you just want to "get something up" and in a short period of time, hire someone. You will definitely have to factor in the dollar value of your time, energy, and frustration as a site development "cost".

EDIT: Also, could you post links to existing sites that look similar to what you envision for your site?

Peace...

[Hughv]

How about a free site from Microsoft?
http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/
You'd be better off with a pro designer, and I'm sure you could give them a budget to stick to.

[surender19797]

Hi Guys,
If you want free website and free space you go for www.FreeWebs.com OR
googlepages.com Or Geocity.yahoo.com

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by Hughv

How about a free site from Microsoft?
http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/
You'd be better off with a pro designer, and I'm sure you could give them a budget to stick to.

I also second this recommendation. A friend has a house-cleaning business and used the Microsoft Office Live service to get a site up for her business. It's not fancy but it's certainly functional. She's not a web designer or anything but was able to get the site looking the way she wanted without a ton of effort.

Peace...