I need tips on web design. How much would it cost? Could i do it myself?

Question

I'm a complete newbie at all this. I've had a look a weebly. They are OK. How much would it cost for someone to design a webpage for me? Plus, i need a domain too. Does anyone have any tips?

Answer 1

There are two ways of making a website:

- The free way.

- The paying way.

The free way is simple: just google "free hosts", choose one and go for it.

Advantages:

- it is free

- they usually have predefined templates to allow you to build a website without any programming knowledge.

Disadvantages:

- They will bombard your site with adverts you don't want (and will come back here to ask how to get rid of them).

- They (usually) do not allow server-side scripts (php, asp etc) and do not provide databases.

- They (usually) do not provide email facilities (SMTP).

The paying way is a little bit more complex:

- You select a host provider in your country (Google "web hosting")

- They usually provide Domain registration as well, so, you select a domain name, reserve it, then "rent" a hosting package. These can cost as little as 50$/YEAR, so don't bother with the free ones!

(On average, 100$/year).

I strongly recommend you to choose a host that provides LAMP servers (Linux/unix, Apache, Mysql and Php).

These are "Unix based servers".

The other option is "Window servers", to be avoided like the plague: you will be bashed with licence fees every now and then.

- From now on, you have your OWN domain, and a server: that's half way through.

Time for you to "develop" your website.

I suggest that you play first with pen-and-paper: PLAN before coding!

- Design each "page" as an image (using Photoshop is the best way to have an idea).

- write down what you want the site to DO, what each "link" should do and where they go.

(This is called "Specifying your website requirements").

After that, you are ready to develop.

This can be done three ways:

- Use the host web-editor,

- Use your own editor (ie Dreamweaver)

- Write your own!

Many hosts provide a simple web editor IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that allows you to build your website.

They will have templates and plenty of things to help you.

You will make a website, but you will NOT learn how to make one!

You can decide to use an independant IDE (Dreamweaver, Frontpage), to develop your website on your own PC.

Again, you will make a website, but you will NOT learn how to make one!

(And, very soon, you will realise that these have so many limitations that they are unworkable)

You can download many free templates from the web that may make your website "great", but, again, you will NOT learn to code properly.

Finally, you can decide the hard route (the professional way): LEARN how to program...

This means going to w3schools.com, www.php.net, dev.mysql.com, learn HTML, javascript, Php, mySQL and, if you want interactivity, AJAX.

You write your code using Notepad++ (a simple, free download text editor);

You upload your code to your server using some FTP program (ie FTP Explorer);

You check your site using various browsers...

I recommend to have IE, FF, Chrome, Opera and Safari on your PC. These browsers cover 99.5% of users worldwide.

Check your site with ALL of them to see how it looks to others...

Good luck!

Answer 2

Absolutely you can do it yourself which is sometimes the best way because you will avoid costly updates with a web designer. You can use a click and build piece of software like this: http://www.searchen.com/website-builder.html



These web site builder programs work with WYSIWYG editors, which are those What You See Is What You Get thingies you'll usually find in forums or on blogs. They help you pretty much click and build, drag and drop your own web sites. And you can buy your domain web names there too at http://domains.searchen.com - check it out. Creating your web site doesn't have to be the haggle it used to if you know where to go!

Answer 3

Designing a website is not rocket science, Anyone can do it with minimal skill or input. Facts are that bad websites designed by amateurs become invisible websites. A basic webpage can be done with very little code but getting results from your website takes skill.



The first thing you need to do is decide whether the website you want to design has a purpose. What is the goal of the site, How are you going to get your target market involved and then how are you going to hold on to them.

Answer 4

The cost will depend on the site's complexity and the time frame it is needed to be completed: the complex it is, the more expensive. And yes, web designers can charge up to 100+ dollars per web page.



For a domain, there are a lot of cheap domains out there. But look at bandwith and storage and their history of downtimes and such to make sure your site runs smoothly.

Answer 5

For a domain, go to godaddy.com and register your domain, if it is available (looks like they cost about $10 a year).



For a host, it will depend on your needs, I have used http://knownhost.com/ with fairly high level of happiess. But for most websites (a site as opposed to an application) you don't need anything this elaborate. I think my first host was a host for like $2 per month or something. But it was crappy, of course, but if you just want to throw up a webpage or site that is not dynamic / interactive, then this type of thing should be fine for you.



Once you have your domain and host, you will need to set DNS servers to point to your host. The host will tell you where to point them, you can log onto godaddy and set them there. (This tells the world where the server your site is located on is, that way when someone types in your domain name, it knows where to go to retrieve the information)



If you are just wanting to make a static website (static meaning it is not dynamic, things do not change, there is one file, and that same file is always displayed, a simple html page, for example. If that is still not clear to you, then you probably want a static site) then you can make your own very easily. (X)HTML is extremely easy to learn, but even still there are courses offered all the time at local universities and community colleges on this, they are 100 level courses, so probably no prerequisites. You can code HTML with little effort, it is as straight forward as the tag system that many websites have (ie put [b]this is bolded[/b]). However, you can also get programs that will generate it for you, Microsoft's Frontpage and Adobe's Dreamweaver are very common. I think Netbeans can do it too (I'd be surprised if it couldn't) and it is open source (costs no money, you can edit the source code of the application if you so desire).



If you are wanting an actual application, something dynamic, interaction with users, a database, etc, then you have a few options. Your best is to try and find some out of the box software that meets your needs, if you want a forum, there are lots of free forums like invision, and some great pay forums like vbulletin. You might be able to get what you want with a CMS (Content Management System) but you'll have to look into that on your own, they tend to require a little know how to set up, but if you are willing to trudge through tutorials and google search results, you can probably set something up to your satisfaction. Another option here is to pay someone to help you set your CMS up, I have no idea what they charge, but I'd not be surprised if they asked for $30-50 an hour for their help. But, most of the work will be done, in that the CMS is already written, the person helping you doesn't have to write the application code himself, he just has to tweak some config files, initialize some values, maybe add some hacks if he is good enough and it is necessary.



If you have something specific in mind, it will need to be designed for you, you will need to go to a designer. At this point, you can expect to be paying thousands of dollars, and you can expect to get a professional site. Designers cost more because 1, they do this professionally for a living, they deliver, 2 they have a team of people who will work on your project, each one specializing in whatever their particular role may be, you have freedom to specify exactly what it is that you want, you will have meetings with them, receive updates, and so on.



I suppose you could also try a local university, you'll probably find students there wanting to try out their skills, build up their portfolios, more interested in the knowledge and experience than the Capitalism of it. If this is what you need, I'd suggest you find the Computer Science department (heck, try the design department too), they should have their own building, and there will probably be multiple bulletin boards around, put up a request for what kind of skills you're looking for, and see if any of the students read it and contact you. I wouldn't expect too much from these people, though, they are still students, and the CS programs focus is not web-related, I don't think many schools teach PHP or Rails, I know mine doesn't, so these people may have to learn as they go.



Anyway, hope that helps.

Answer 6

tips web design cost

Answer 7

You could design yourself.To design use Windows Web developer or Windows Front Page.The first one is free and available for free download.You could get a free domain from microsoft,go to microsoft's website for how to create free domain.You could use the beginner's guide from both these softwares to create your own website!



Think it helps ;) santhosh

Answer 8

go to this link and that will answer your all three questions.

http://www.ipowersoftwares.com/webhosting-reviews.htm



you get free domain with plan , instant site builder so you can design your site quickly. average you will pay is $60 to $70 / year.



if you are looking to design high quality , professional looking web page then go to

http://www.ipowersoftwares.com/Design-Promote-Package.htm