Need a proper "How to" guide for creating websites

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Toxin

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Long story short.

Firstly, I need something in the form of a guide that I can use to help my dad create a website for a business he wants to start.

Did a Google search and came up with http://www.2createawebsite.com/, but for some reason I get an uneasy feeling about it. :erm: Can I trust them?

Secondly, I need a list of programs that can be recommended by you guys, that is fairly easy to use.

And thirdly, Webhosts. Should we go local or international? Recommendations?
 
First of all, you should consider what the nature of the website is going to be. Is it going to contain dynamic content, in other words, is the website data-driven? If so, you need to decide on a server-side technology to create these dynamic pages for you. There are numerous options available, like ASP.NET, PHP, Ruby, Java, etc... It all depends on what you are comfortable with. Each of these technologies have there pros and cons. You also need to decide on the database engine that is going to host your data, like Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, etc.

Next, you need to decide if you want to develop your site from scratch, or do you want to use one of the many free open-source packages to facilitate your website needs. There are always the paid-for alternatives to the open-source ones, which usually have a feature or two to their credit - plus the fact that the developer's name is on the line if they supply a sub-standard product which is riddled with bugs and inconsistencies.

Finally, the local vs international hosting is going to depend on the target market of the site. If you are planning on targeting mainly South Africans, then you should really consider local hosting, as local bandwidth is cheaper and faster. If you are planning on having many international customers, then international hosting would be better. Local hosting is usually more expensive than international though...

I don't really think there is a proper "how to" for web development. It is a specialized field in its own right (even though every person who is semi-computer literate and his dog claim to develop websites) and if you plan on having a professionally designed site to promote a good image of your business within the least amount of time, it is best to consult a professional web developer to get your site up and running.
 
^^ What FO said. There are too many variables to count, and each can make a profound difference. You'd need to give us more than just "I need to build a website". Alternatively, there are many that would gladly do it for you, or consult - for a fee.
 
You also have to think about graphics. Who will create the graphics and the styling for the site? I know someone that can create you a basic PHP site for around R1.5k to R2k to give you a ball park figure. If you need a very dynamic application, I can help you out with ASP.NET.
 
FarligOpptreden said:
First of all, you should consider what the nature of the website is going to be. Is it going to contain dynamic content, in other words, is the website data-driven? If so, you need to decide on a server-side technology to create these dynamic pages for you. There are numerous options available, like ASP.NET, PHP, Ruby, Java, etc... It all depends on what you are comfortable with. Each of these technologies have there pros and cons. You also need to decide on the database engine that is going to host your data, like Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, etc.

Next, you need to decide if you want to develop your site from scratch, or do you want to use one of the many free open-source packages to facilitate your website needs. There are always the paid-for alternatives to the open-source ones, which usually have a feature or two to their credit - plus the fact that the developer's name is on the line if they supply a sub-standard product which is riddled with bugs and inconsistencies.

Finally, the local vs international hosting is going to depend on the target market of the site. If you are planning on targeting mainly South Africans, then you should really consider local hosting, as local bandwidth is cheaper and faster. If you are planning on having many international customers, then international hosting would be better. Local hosting is usually more expensive than international though...

I don't really think there is a proper "how to" for web development. It is a specialized field in its own right (even though every person who is semi-computer literate and his dog claim to develop websites) and if you plan on having a professionally designed site to promote a good image of your business within the least amount of time, it is best to consult a professional web developer to get your site up and running.
Click to expand...

Your first paragraph makes my head hurt. :o Not at all clued up on the creation of websites. :D

My dad wants to create a touring business for disabled people (internationally and locally) that want to take tours in South Africa. The site would have a list of touring destinations, facilities and equipment, his qualifications, contact page, etc, etc. All with nice little pictures to go along with it.

My dad'll have a lot of free time on his hands so he'd like to try and tackle it himself using open source software. I don't think he'll succeed but I'd like to get him going in the right direction.

Any web developers you could recommend?
 
Get yourself something like Dreamweaver CS4 and work through the tutorials... It will show you step by step from the beginning up to where you can create basic web applications, with good references within the Help files... Dreamweaver is quite expensive though...

OR

Download Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express and make use of the MSDN to help you create ASPX pages... Interface is a bit more difficult than Dreamweaver, but one or the other way, will guide you how to start with websites...
 
Personally, I would go the Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express with SQL Server Express (All free) to get him started. There is loads of tutorials and how to videos. But to create a data driven web site will require a lot of time from your dad if he has never done this before, but hey its a challenge and its fun!

If you want a developer to create the web site at some stage, you can contact me.
 
Shred said:
Personally, I would go the Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express with SQL Server Express (All free) to get him started. There is loads of tutorials and how to videos. But to create a data driven web site will require a lot of time from your dad if he has never done this before, but hey its a challenge and its fun!

If you want a developer to create the web site at some stage, you can contact me.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. :) This will keep him busy.
 
PERSONALLY I would recommend you hire someone to do this for you, someone that knows what they're doing and won't **** you in the end.

It's a business site after all and even though it's fun learning new things, someone visiting your dad's new business site would go "Holy crap, okay.... next business then"

I'm not trying to be nasty, I don't know what l33t ninja skills you have. But in this day and age a website like this won't float: http://www.lutec.com.au/index.htm

Especially if it's going to be the image for your dad's business.

Get the pro's in. It will save in time and money and make you look good in the end. If you want to then start playing around and learning these things, go right ahead, but if the first paragraph made your head hurt already then your dad's business would either hurt in it's image or take so long to develop and get up and running properly that it will have "Construction" or whatever lame-ass type messages are displayed on there forever.

Remember, a lot of people nowadays look to the web first. You really need to know what you're doing in terms of SEO to even get noticed, and even if you do, if you go to a site that looks like it's been done by 2 year old it won't reflect nicely on the business it's trying to advertise.

I apologize if I sound insulting and I urge you to learn this technology if it's REALLY what you want to do in the end, but start out with a personal website first. Learn what there is to learn about everything mentioned and then look to programs to automate life for you a bit more.

I can't stress it enough though, avoid WYSIWYG editors like the plague until you have the basics down, otherwise you'll end up lazy bum who can't do **** for himself even if you shove google links in his face to explain how it works.

Again, apologies if it sounds insulting,not trying to be
 
What Shred said. Just keep in mind that Windows hosting *is* more expensive than a LAMP setup. I'm always biased towards Microsoft, seeing as I work in .NET all day, every day and have a Microsoft certification as well. But the truth is the truth - if you go with PHP (or similar) and MySQL than you can cut your hosting costs down considerably.

By the sound of it, you need a CMS so that your dad can continually update the details of the tourism destinations. Have a look at Drupal or Joomla! for open-source CMS packages built in PHP. Alternatively, look at Umbraco for an ASP.NET based CMS package.
 
AcidRaZor said:
I'm not trying to be nasty, I don't know what l33t ninja skills you have. But in this day and age a website like this won't float: http://www.lutec.com.au/index.htm
Click to expand...

:eek:

AcidRaZor said:
Remember, a lot of people nowadays look to the web first. You really need to know what you're doing in terms of SEO to even get noticed, and even if you do, if you go to a site that looks like it's been done by 2 year old it won't reflect nicely on the business it's trying to advertise.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Also, don't be fooled by all the CMS packages claiming to do "SEO" for you. Rewriting urls and adding in a few meta keywords is far from a complete SEO strategy.

AcidRaZor said:
I can't stress it enough though, avoid WYSIWYG editors like the plague until you have the basics down, otherwise you'll end up lazy bum who can't do **** for himself even if you shove google links in his face to explain how it works.
Click to expand...
...and I can't agree with you more.

AcidRaZor said:
Again, apologies if it sounds insulting,not trying to be
Click to expand...
Acid? Sounding insulting? And not trying to be? :D :D :D
 
AcidRaZor said:
PERSONALLY I would recommend you hire someone to do this for you, someone that knows what they're doing and won't **** you in the end.

It's a business site after all and even though it's fun learning new things, someone visiting your dad's new business site would go "Holy crap, okay.... next business then"

I'm not trying to be nasty, I don't know what l33t ninja skills you have. But in this day and age a website like this won't float: http://www.lutec.com.au/index.htm

Especially if it's going to be the image for your dad's business.

Get the pro's in. It will save in time and money and make you look good in the end. If you want to then start playing around and learning these things, go right ahead, but if the first paragraph made your head hurt already then your dad's business would either hurt in it's image or take so long to develop and get up and running properly that it will have "Construction" or whatever lame-ass type messages are displayed on there forever.

Remember, a lot of people nowadays look to the web first. You really need to know what you're doing in terms of SEO to even get noticed, and even if you do, if you go to a site that looks like it's been done by 2 year old it won't reflect nicely on the business it's trying to advertise.

I apologize if I sound insulting and I urge you to learn this technology if it's REALLY what you want to do in the end, but start out with a personal website first. Learn what there is to learn about everything mentioned and then look to programs to automate life for you a bit more.

I can't stress it enough though, avoid WYSIWYG editors like the plague until you have the basics down, otherwise you'll end up lazy bum who can't do **** for himself even if you shove google links in his face to explain how it works.

Again, apologies if it sounds insulting,not trying to be
Click to expand...

Don't worry man I hear ya. :) Where can I look for pros to do the site?

FarligOpptreden said:
Acid? Sounding insulting? And not trying to be? :D :D :D
Click to expand...

I loled. :D:D
 
AR is right. Take a look around this forum, and see who posts the answers, who argues the points (and who gets irritated at the newbs :p)... you'll find the pros soon enough.

I find the most active posters get more respect (read: business) than those that sit and wait for paying jobs to pop up.
 
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