[FittedSheets]

Hello Everyone!

I was wondering if you all could give me some advice on creating a new website. I'm in the early phases of starting a business, and need some guidance on getting a site up and running. I have very little knowledge of coding, so I'm guessing I either need to purchase templates, or have someone design it for me. However, I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible. I realize most designers are going to charge quite a bit for a custom site, so I'm leaning towards finding a decent template. Would that be a good way to go?

[CrazeD]

What is your business for, and what does your website need to do?

[FittedSheets]

Hi CrazeD. Thanks for the response!

The business will provide a service, so there will be no tangible products involved. It will be somewhat similar to this website... Handyman.Com

I need people to be able to create listings, profiles, etc..

I'd like for it to have a forum available as well.

[SuxoR]

There are a few sites where you can buy hosting that have website wizards and tools for in experienced users.

Bravenet and Webs have things like that

Not to mention a quick Google/Youtube search can turn up thousands of tutorials

[FittedSheets]

Thanks for the info, SuxoR.

I did some searching on Google, and the sheer amount of content out there is a bit overwhelming. Do you have any personal experience with a certain company? What about the Bravenet that you listed?

I just want to make sure I'm going with a reliable/professional option here.

Thanks again for all of your input guys!

[CrazeD]

I use Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting, and Dedicated Website Hosting w/ cPanel - HostGator for my personal site, and I love them. Unlimited disk space/bandwidth on all package, and it only costs me $10 a month (I have the middle package). Great features, I find that it has everything I need, and much more.

Anyway, Drupal should be able to do what you want. Drupal is a free and very powerful CMS (content management system). It has a ton of plugins which allows it to do virtually anything.

[FittedSheets]

Anyway, Drupal should be able to do what you want. Drupal is a free and very powerful CMS (content management system). It has a ton of plugins which allows it to do virtually anything.

A couple of questions...

Is Drupal easy to use? Especially for someone who knows very little about web design.

Do I need anything special to install/run Drupal?

[CrazeD]

You need a web server with PHP and MySQL installed.

It's easy to use as far as user interface goes.

[FittedSheets]

Ok, so I contacted a local guy about web design, and here's the price list he sent me. Does this sound reasonable?

[Wrex]

This might and might not be off topic. I'm just really scared you will be scammed from wherever. Make sure you are using trustable sources for your wishes, FittedSheets.