# Starting a Website



## JLMissouri (Dec 12, 2012)

I have decided to open a website, its focus will be selling products from my farm as well as motorcycle and vehicle parts. I am also planning on having some pages about what I am currently working on for the farm and what I have learned.

I have done my initial research and have narrowed it down to Bluehost or Hostgator and building it with either Weebly or Wordpress. I am not computer illiterate but I am not a programmer either. Has anyone else done this and what was your experience? What route did you go, or is there a better way?

I have had an Ebay store for several years and figured I would use PayPal to process transactions on my future site.


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

i like wordpress and I personally use hostgator and bluehost. i like hostgator better because there support seems a little quicker but they are both the same really

wordpress is easy to install and I'd do it for you for free if you wanted

http://www.makemoneyhomesteading.com/start-your-blog-or-website-free-wordpress-installation/

sounds like you want a "blog" to update now and then with a store attached (or the other way around), they are considered two different things usually 

wordpress will give you a bunch more freedom over using weebly to do whatever you want down the road

the store part depends on a few things like if you just using paypal, or google checkout or all the above, or do you want to accept credit cards in your businesses name etc. do you need a shopping cart or just buy now buttons, how much commisions do you want to pay someone to handle payments for you, willing to pay a monthly fee for a service? etc.

good luck on your site. 

(my experience is selling thousands of dollars of software over the years online (never did physical products though, yet))


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## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

We have used weebly, and paypal is the way to go!


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## JLMissouri (Dec 12, 2012)

Thanks for the input. I decided to use wordpress but it wouldn't upload to the host so I tried to use Weebly. Weebly charged to use some features so back to wordpress. I went with Bluehost and their technical support has proven valuable twice already as they fixed the problem with wordpress. So months of work ahead, but I am off to a good start.


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## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

JLMissouri said:


> Thanks for the input. I decided to use wordpress but it wouldn't upload to the host so I tried to use Weebly. Weebly charged to use some features so back to wordpress. I went with Bluehost and their technical support has proven valuable twice already as they fixed the problem with wordpress. So months of work ahead, but I am off to a good start.


Let us know when you get it up and running!


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

good luck JLMissouri

let us know how it goes, put your url in your sig when you get it going so we can see, might also get you a visitor or two


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## larryfoster (May 15, 2009)

JL Missouri, with Hostgator, there is something called cpanel.
In cpanel look for "fantastico" (could be softaculous)
Click on that and look for Wordpress.
You can install in under a minute.

I would suggest you sell your different types products on 2 different sites


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## JLMissouri (Dec 12, 2012)

Thanks, I have already got wordpress going, don't know what the problem was but Bluehost fixed the problem. Everything is working now, just have a lot to set up. It will probably be awhile before I am really selling much as I am sure I won't have a lot of traffic, so for now I am just trying to build a good site. Plus Ebay is kinda hard to beat for the traffic they give me on my store, but diversification is always a plus.


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

JLMissouri said:


> Thanks, I have already got wordpress going, don't know what the problem was but Bluehost fixed the problem. Everything is working now, just have a lot to set up. It will probably be awhile before I am really selling much as I am sure I won't have a lot of traffic, so for now I am just trying to build a good site. Plus Ebay is kinda hard to beat for the traffic they give me on my store, but diversification is always a plus.


I'm curious if you could drive traffic from ebay to your website also? is it worth it?

I see some people doing this

they put their url as a watermark in their pictures, they also link to their website on the product pages

I haven't sold on ebay yet but thinking about it after I get my nursery going and other ideas i have floating around


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## JLMissouri (Dec 12, 2012)

I have seen similar, it is against Ebay policy for obvious reasons, but I don't care for Ebay policies sometimes. A lot of the things I have bought on Ebay come packaged with a flier for a website. Only problem for me is my website is more about small farming and my ebay store is about misc. stuff and car parts they don't really go together.

My site is www.JLmissouri.com I cannot find a way to add a signature, maybe I am too new of a member to have that privilege.


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## quietintheland (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi JL,

I do freelance web design/development, including wordpress and shopping cart sites.

You won't go wrong with Hostgator, they have been a great host for my clients.

You stated that your focus will be selling parts, etc. It's important to note that while it's possible to sell items via a Wordpress widget, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are only planning on selling a few items. There are much better programs specifically designed for shopping cart applications. Most of my clients use ZenCart, but I also like OpenCart. 

It's important to know now what your business model will be before getting in too deep. There's nothing worse than having a client who started with one idea, and their business grew, but their software didn't keep up with their needs. Shopping cart programs, including wordpress widgets, don't always share their data cleanly - if at all - into another application. 

So don't rush into something. Think where you want to be in 6 months, a year, 3 or 5 years from now and then pick an application that will meet your needs for growth, instead of choosing what's easiest right now. Otherwise, it can cause a lot of headaches later.

Best wishes with your project.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

45n5 said:


> i like wordpress and I personally use hostgator and bluehost. i like hostgator better because there support seems a little quicker but they are both the same really


I host for HT members for $1/month. PM if interested.


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## JLMissouri (Dec 12, 2012)

Thanks for the input. I was torn between Hostgator and Bluehost. The main reason that I went with Bluehost was that I could have as many websites as I wanted with no additional fees while I was limited to one with Hostagtor.

After a lot of thought I decided not to worry about sales from my website, I want it to be more of an informational site about what I have learned and my projects.


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## John Haylow (Apr 23, 2006)

Interesting thread! We're just looking into this, and wondering about creating webpages in MS Publisher. It seems very versatile as far as colors etc. are concerned. I guess we would then need to have a host to upload to, and that's where Bluehost or Hostgate would come in?
My wife used Homestead quite a few years ago, but they don't seem to be highly recommended anymore. We don't know HTML code, so need it to be simple. Any experiences with MS Pub? Thanks!


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

I've tried to make web pages with MS Publisher, and even MS Word. In both cases the code was terribly inefficient. Even for a small page the amount of html code that was generated was huge. The code is repetitive. Try it and you'll see what I mean.

You are better off with an html editor like FrontPage or Expression Web. You would even be better off with a free html editor like Kompozer.

http://www.kompozer.net/

It really pretty good.


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## John Haylow (Apr 23, 2006)

Thanks for the quick reply. We'll have a look at all of them.


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## Whistle Pig (May 13, 2013)

We currently use Bluehost and have had no issues with them but will be switching to WPEngine after this year is up for our contract. We blog in Wordpress and are not professional coders. My wife has attended several Wordpress workshops and they are cheap and great for learning the basics. From there you can learn a lot by searching for "how to" videos to do just about anything you want to do with your blog. 

Our blog is www.whistlepighollow.com and you can see that while it is not the most professional blog out there, we are quite pleased with how it is turning out. Best of luck! 

farmer dickie


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Just found this thread. Much good information here. 

JLM, hope your site is up and running well for you.

I just today received an email from BlueHost letting me know my account has been set up. The only thing I've done thus far is set up my cPanel password; so I have a lot to get done. Already I've discovered the personnel at BlueHost are kind and patient; also very helpful.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

motdaugrnds said:


> Just found this thread. Much good information here.
> 
> JLM, hope your site is up and running well for you.
> 
> I just today received an email from BlueHost letting me know my account has been set up. The only thing I've done thus far is set up my cPanel password; so I have a lot to get done. Already I've discovered the personnel at BlueHost are kind and patient; also very helpful.


A lot of people start a web page by searching Google for free or inexpensive web page templates, then customizing the template for the application. To show you what I mean, I used this template for a western folk musician's web page.

http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/westerntemplates/lonesomecowboy.htm

Here's what I did with it.

http://www.desertbreezenv.com/

Just search at Google for free templates. You'll find lots. When you find one you like just edit it with kompozer, as was suggested in a previous post.


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## HollidayS (Jul 26, 2013)

I have been a web designer since 1985. I don't suggest using free templates. One, if they are good, there is a chance that they have been copied from a designer and might be copy righted and you would be opening yourself to a lawsuit. 2) If they are free, then many others are using the same template. Better to set yourself apart from the pack, even if it means letting loose of a few bucks. I know, my starter sites are only $300 and that includes a custom designed logo and help getting started. I use godaddy to host. Their econo hosting is under $60 per year and they have 24/7 support that is excellent. 
To date, I have designed over 300 sites. While Paypal is great, please don't limit yourself to them. I have also found that I really like squareup.com 's service and reader. They pay very fast and it goes directly into your checking account, not into an online acct with pp. Their fees are comparable to Paypal, and depending on how much you use them, can be less. Paypal does also have a reader now, but you have to qualify for it. Squareup didn't. As for software for doing web design, I haven't used a lot of different ones as I use to work for Adobe and am still using GoLive. They retired it and replaced it with Dreamweaver, which I don't care for. I will be looking into some less expensive programs that will run on both Mac and PC and will report my findings. One thing I can highly recommend. Learn code. It is very simple. Start by finding a basic page you like and view the source code. If you are using Chrome (my fav), go to View, Developer, Source Code. Other browsers will have something like that as well. You will notice that every new thing you do starts with a bracket. example <html> and will end with </html> that means, begin html and end html. <b> </b> start bold, end bold, etc. It is easy to learn, if you just know the basics. Google html basics and you will find many sites that let you know what all the codes mean and do. I am in the midst of redoing my jewelry website. it is a very simple selling site, but you can ck the code and get a good idea of what i mean. hollidaysmith.com I am reworking the shopping cart and not selling anything off the site, so this is not a sales pitch. It is for informational purposes only to help you learn to do your own website. If you want a logo, that is another matter. You want simple, clean, memorable and affordable. ;o) Then talk to me.


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## HollidayS (Jul 26, 2013)

Nevada: What you did was copyright infringement. You replaced the designers name with yours. If the designer finds out, you will get sued. I know, I have sued others for doing that with my work. If you go back and read the free sites rules, it states that you have to leave the designers name and link as is, unless you want to pay them a fee. Or buy the template so no one else will use it. Many of the templates on free sites are stolen as well, so make sure what the legal ramifications are and please don't advocate others doing it. Here is that sites has Terms of Use are. You really need to read them! http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/faqs.htm



Nevada said:


> A lot of people start a web page by searching Google for free or inexpensive web page templates, then customizing the template for the application. To show you what I mean, I used this template for a western folk musician's web page.
> 
> http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/westerntemplates/lonesomecowboy.htm
> 
> ...


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

HollidayS said:


> If you go back and read the free sites rules, it states that you have to leave the designers name and link as is, unless you want to pay them a fee.


I paid for that template.


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## HollidayS (Jul 26, 2013)

Yes. but it still requires that you not call the work your own. By changing the web design by tag, you are referring to yourself as the designer. Paying for it gives you the right to use. Unless you bought complete rights, you don't own in. They would have to RETIRE the set if you bought exclusive rights. Here is the Terms of use for that site:

What are your Terms of Use for the Graphics?

Everyone may use our graphics, provided they link back to our website. 

Please do not alter the graphics. When I say do not alter the graphics, that means the graphics themselves. Of course you can put text on the buttons, headers, banners. And you can change the layout of the templates however would best suit your page. In other words, you can change the arrangement of the buttons and the graphics. Just dont alter the pictures, etc, on the graphics themselves. 

We do NOT allow reselling of our graphics. 

*Do not claim them as your own. If you are a Web Designer, you can use our Theme Sets in creating websites for others, as long as you provide a link back to our website in a very visible manner.*

These graphics may not be included in any Postcard Site, CD, or Graphics Collection. 

DO NOT put these Templates on another website and call them your own either for free or for resale! 

*Sorry if this upsets you, but not knowing this specific designer myself, I say to be cautious and follow their rules. If in doubt, contact them and ask them. *


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

HollidaysS that is really welcomed information. I remember years ago while mother was still alive and I had a lot of time in the house, I downloaded a program called "Note Tab Light" and a book that taught me the basics of HTML. It was fun!!! I actually created an entire diversified website. Then my host dissolved his hosting services! Now I've purchased a site from BlueHost and am in the process of understanding terms all over again. And apparently WordPress will help me do what Note Tab Light did....I think!

I do remember pulling up "source" on various sites and looking to see how they html their page. I never copied it; just learned from it; but that was very helpful.


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## 349141 (Oct 16, 2012)

Whistle Pig said:


> We currently use Bluehost and have had no issues with them but will be switching to WPEngine after this year is up for our contract. We blog in Wordpress and are not professional coders. My wife has attended several Wordpress workshops and they are cheap and great for learning the basics. From there you can learn a lot by searching for "how to" videos to do just about anything you want to do with your blog.
> 
> Our blog is www.whistlepighollow.com and you can see that while it is not the most professional blog out there, we are quite pleased with how it is turning out. Best of luck!
> 
> farmer dickie


Added your blog to my RSS reader; looks pretty good. Thanks for sharing.


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## 349141 (Oct 16, 2012)

Nevada said:


> I've tried to make web pages with MS Publisher, and even MS Word. In both cases the code was terribly inefficient. Even for a small page the amount of html code that was generated was huge. The code is repetitive. Try it and you'll see what I mean.
> 
> You are better off with an html editor like FrontPage or Expression Web. You would even be better off with a free html editor like Kompozer.
> 
> ...


I agree Nevada, Kompozer is an excellent free wysiwyg editor for HTML; Amaya is my second chose after Kompozer. http://www.w3.org/Amaya/ (Another great free html editor).


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## Blue Ridge (Jul 2, 2013)

Do any of these free WYSIWYG editors mentioned have an export to Wordpress Theme module?

For someone using Wordpress as a CMS (which is a whole other discussion), it may be easier to just be selective of the free templates on wordpress.org. And, Yes!, leave any copyright information in place. If you are careful about what you select this would not be a problem.

Paying someone $300 to create a website is actually a very low price.

But, if you like to have more specific control and you have an artistic eye you may consider the base version of Artisteer, which I believe is still only $49. It is not so much a HTML editor, as a template creator and will write the proper CSS and HTML to produce a unique Wordpress template, which you can remove all copyright marks and traces to Artisteer from, and create your own.

If you want to move up to a proper CMS, such as Joomla (my recommendation) or Drupal, the Pro version of Artisteer can do that to.

It is NOT an HTML editor, but is handy for creating templates that are used in CMS based websites.

Remember, there are three parts to creating a website:
- The design, which includes the look/feel, graphics and navigation structure
- The content
- The technical

Using a blogging platform, such as Wordpress; or a CMS such as Joomla helps smooth out the technical aspects. (Wordpress being easier, but Joomla being more powerful.)

The design requires thought and planning to get the look that you want, is front end heavy on your time, but can be low maintenance over the life of the website.

The content is where most people need to focus. The prettiest website in the world isn't worth a hill of beans, when after you get people to visit, there is nothing worth while to see. It is also the area that is easiest for the website owner to be involved in.

As a website owner, you probably have great ideas and a passion for sharing that with others. This will easily come through in the content, if the design and technical aspects are taken care of.

Good Luck!


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## HollidayS (Jul 26, 2013)

That is the smart way to go. 



motdaugrnds said:


> HollidaysS that is really welcomed information. I remember years ago while mother was still alive and I had a lot of time in the house, I downloaded a program called "Note Tab Light" and a book that taught me the basics of HTML. It was fun!!! I actually created an entire diversified website. Then my host dissolved his hosting services! Now I've purchased a site from BlueHost and am in the process of understanding terms all over again. And apparently WordPress will help me do what Note Tab Light did....I think!
> 
> I do remember pulling up "source" on various sites and looking to see how they html their page. I never copied it; just learned from it; but that was very helpful.


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## HollidayS (Jul 26, 2013)

Be careful with WordPress. I designed a website and after maintaining it for years turned it over to the organization because they had found someone to maintain it for free for them. The person is using WordPress. They have totally screwed up the website and are now begging me to fix it. They have not taken down my name as the webmistress so you can check it out and verify what I have said. http://nickelplatetrail.org/ The little logo at the bottom of the page is one of the banners I did for them. Shows some of my work. 

I also do the this site (and the logo), but they learned to edit using html in notepad. www.egardengate.com (I have turned it totally over to them and they have done an excellent job.) Using straight html is too much work unless you are doing minor textual updates. While i'm not taking on any new web design jobs unless it is local, i am doing logos and banners. I can also do a one page set up to help with design, but don't want to be the "webmistress".


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## HollidayS (Jul 26, 2013)

Well said. I know my prices are low. But I am also "VERY" fast. And that is for a information site with logo, etc. It does not reflect shopping cart set up. That is pricey. What I can do when they want to use paypal is do one item and then teach them how to do the replicate and modify method, then let them do that themselves. 

When doing a local website, for a small hourly fee, once the site is done, I can teach them how to maintain it themselves. It is unfortunate that many think that they can just download some free or low cost program and just jump in and have it not have it turn out looking crappy. I have had many emergency calls from website owners needing me to "fix" issues.

It is good to hear of other programs. I always go look at the end result. That way, i can recommend or not recommend to my clients. Most of the programs I use are not for the average joe. Not only are they expensive, but the learning curve is very high. I use to recommend Adobe (not just because I used to work for them, but because they are still the best), but since they have gone to a subscription type set up, they are even more expensive. Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator and GoLive are still my most used programs (other than Chrome browser). 

Oh, one very important thing I have to suggest for anyone doing a website. ALWAYS, check your work with ALL of the different browsers and if you are using a pc have a mac person check with the different browsers and if you are a mac person have a pc person do the same. You will find that you may have issues you didn't realize. 



Blue Ridge said:


> Do any of these free WYSIWYG editors mentioned have an export to Wordpress Theme module?
> 
> For someone using Wordpress as a CMS (which is a whole other discussion), it may be easier to just be selective of the free templates on wordpress.org. And, Yes!, leave any copyright information in place. If you are careful about what you select this would not be a problem.
> 
> ...


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Reviving this thread because it fits where I am at this time.

As mentioned above, I did purchase a site from BlueHost. I used Note Tab Light to create the entire motdaugrnds.com site the old fashioned html coding way. It is obviously not professional; but it does all function well together.

Then I created four (4) sub-domains there at my BlueHost account. I have now been trying for months to get one of these set up. I have tried several WordPress "free" themes and have discovered the terminology throws me; and I've not been as successful as I would have liked to be. You can see the inspirations.motdaugrnds.com domain that I used the Adventure theme with. (I just left it like it is now because I have become frustrated with it. I could not get the black banner to change into a less intimidating color; so moved it to the bottom. I was able to create a hyperlink taking the viewer from that sub-domain back to my primary domain and it actually works; however, I have no idea how to get that link on either of the two pages I created (a static/front page and a posting page). I was able to get a link on the static page taking the viewer to the posting page; however, I was not able to take that same link off the posting page. Thus, it looks foolish linking back to itself! At least it is up with a front page and a way to post. And the link in my primary domain will take the viewer to that wordpress sub-domain.

I am trying now to create a small store to sell about 30 items. Having had so much turmoil with the free WP themes, I am seriously giving thought to purchasing a theme specifically designed for "stores/shops". I uderstand "Woothemes" do this; so am looking at those.

Sure would appreciate some guidance here. Feeling rather discouraged!


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