Wordpress type website builders or manually

[northernladuk]

I am looking to get a website setup, initially with 7 or 8 standard pages, very basic informative one, graphic heavy with email documents functionality to start off with however would like to put some fancier content in later, library of downloads, interactive element and was wondering what the best path is...

I read through the links about wordpress and at the website, also at the 1on1 webbuilder offering but last time I used something like this donkeys years ago they were pretty restrictive, poor for SEO and were stuck to the confines of the tool.

Has wordpress grown past this or would you get someone to code it so it will stay flexible and easy to manipulate, seo and so on in the future? I see the wordpress ones do look good but does it limit you where a Dreamweaver'd type site wouldn't?

I probably intend to covers someones time to do it as I want it to be fairly graphical so could ask them to do in either.

Thoughts and standard replies to my posts () always appreciated.

Yes I searched and no I am not cut out for webdesign work

[SimonMac]

Wordpress is much more than a blog, its a full CMS now. I have a web WP websites and the plugins pretty much cater for everything I could think I might need including SEO

[Vandalay]

Wife and I do a lot of web development on the side of contracting, mostly wordpress based.

Steps to go through briefly are:

1 - buy domain (<£10)
2 - buy hosting (£30-70 per year)
3 - buy a wordpress theme (Really good ones are around £40-50)
4 - install domain, setup with a logo etc. Buy any images you want to use (<£20 for a contractors website, using decent images)
5 - write up pages & configure social media linkages etc
6 - launch
7 - register with google etc

eg my 'contracting' website is Effective MI | Management Information & Business Intelligence Consultancy

Drop me a PM, I could help you get started, if you like.

[Battenburg]

Wordpress Sites

We use WordPress, plus some other tools, almost exclusively. It's pretty good but a bit of a learning curve initially. A friend of ours has used one of the template ecommerce web development tool kits and is quite disapppointed with the results, and the lack of support for the money she paid!

We created quite a graphical based site (everlastingseasons.co.uk) plus some others still under development. Take a look as an example of what you can achieve graphically. Happy to help further if you don't want to take it on yourself. (Sorry, blatently pimping myself here.)

[Vandalay]

Re the specific functions, there are plugins one wordpress for more or less anything. Most are free, but some premium ones cost a little more.

Yes, as you say it's perhaps not as fully customised as a totally bespoke website but for the vast majority of small businesses it's an excellent and low cost solution.

[northernladuk]

Wife and I do a lot of web development on the side of contracting, mostly wordpress based.

Steps to go through briefly are:

1 - buy domain (<£10)
2 - buy hosting (£30-70 per year)
3 - buy a wordpress theme (Really good ones are around £40-50)
4 - install domain, setup with a logo etc. Buy any images you want to use (<£20 for a contractors website, using decent images)
5 - write up pages & configure social media linkages etc
6 - launch
7 - register with google etc

eg my 'contracting' website is Effective MI | Management Information & Business Intelligence Consultancy

Drop me a PM, I could help you get started, if you like.

Great post thank you very much. Am happy with the process, have had sites before but they were created in Dreamweaver so 'custom'. I just wasn't sure if these new plug n play things had viable solution over a Dreamweaver created type site. I think from the feedback already that they have it nailed so going to have a play.

It was just me being a dinosaur I think. The last CMS type builder I looked at delivered the page in frames without the HTML option so was invisible to google and the like.

[Vandalay]

Great post thank you very much. Am happy with the process, have had sites before but they were created in Dreamweaver so 'custom'. I just wasn't sure if these new plug n play things had viable solution over a Dreamweaver created type site. I think from the feedback already that they have it nailed so going to have a play.

It was just me being a dinosaur I think. The last CMS type builder I looked at delivered the page in frames without the HTML option so was invisible to google and the like.

Good stuff.

A good place to start is www.Woothemes.com. All of their themes have additional features built in and are very simple to use once installed.

For images use iStock Photo: Royalty Free Stock Photography, Vector Art Images, Music & Video Stock Footage | iStock

[cojak]

We use WordPress, plus some other tools, almost exclusively. It's pretty good but a bit of a learning curve initially. A friend of ours has used one of the template ecommerce web development tool kits and is quite disapppointed with the results, and the lack of support for the money she paid!

We created quite a graphical based site (everlastingseasons.co.uk) plus some others still under development. Take a look as an example of what you can achieve graphically. Happy to help further if you don't want to take it on yourself. (Sorry, blatently pimping myself here.)

You haven't added links so you're forgiven

Thanks to V and B. This is very useful.

[Netraider]

You haven't added links so you're forgiven

Thanks to V and B. This is very useful.

WCS

Might have to go at updating my online presence. Rep well and truly spread

[Sysman]

Re the specific functions, there are plugins one wordpress for more or less anything. Most are free, but some premium ones cost a little more.

Yes, as you say it's perhaps not as fully customised as a totally bespoke website but for the vast majority of small businesses it's an excellent and low cost solution.

Agreed, but don't go mad with your plugins; just use the ones you really need.

And make sure that you keep your Wordpress site at the latest revision. Over the last few months I have seen an awful lot of attacks targeting older versions of Wordpress on a site I manage

Updating Wordpress is a doddle to do, so there's no excuse.

And if you allow strangers to register for an account and post, Akismet is an excellent plugin. Free for personal use, and not at all expensive for commercial use.