Setting up new business - help!

paulwf

Mrs_Monkey_Boy wrote: »

Brilliant paulwf - thanks for all your help.

A few silly questions. If I was to have the site designed by someone using a CMS do I then upload it via my host? Are the CMS options easy to set up and is there one that would be better suited to me?

I've seen a few templates for CMS with fairly nice designs. Is it fairly foolproof to do my own site using one of these or would I be better to get someone else to do it for me?

Generally a developer will have a favourite CMS system that they are familiar with, I think Drupal and phpWebsite are popular but there are loads more...some are more shopping cart orientated such as zen cart.

The developer might well have a server to host it on or have a company that they regularly use...as I mentioned before the lines between hosting, developing and graphic design are often blurred. The developer should build it on the server for you so it's all ready to go, and it might be best to get someone who can do all the other bits for you such as pointing the domain name at it and setting up your email.

Most CMS systems come with a dozen or so themes installed that you can choose between. There will probably also be literally hundreds of themes that can be installed with a little more work. If you already have a logo designed and a chosen font and colour scheme then if you find a theme that you like your developer should be able to sort it out. If you require a very professional level of design on your site then you might want to use a specialist website graphic designer.

There are websites where you can post a job online and people from overseas will bid for it very cheaply. I might suggest looking for local students if you are on a budget though as they can talk you through it step by step. If you need a pro job then obviously go with a pro

debbie42

It's easy enough to get a free account with the Wordpress CMS, and have a play with it. If you go for their basic free account they handle the hosting on their servers and you just login to it. This has a reduced feature set to the own hosted one.

You could then opt to host your own Wordpress site with your own domain name, should you decide you like it. Many hosts will have an out-of-the-box Wordpress option.

There are lots of free templates available, and add-ons (like anti-spam and shopping carts).

emv

Or have a look at a Mr Site website that would allow you to set up your own website. It has a built in shopping cart - doesn't look so flash but it's very simple to use & powered by Paypal. You can pick up a basic package for £15 which includes domain name & 1 yera's hosting or Mr Site Pro for £49.99.

HTH

Victoria