Website design advice (Experts)

[neworldman]

Hello,

I have some friends that would like me to build a Website for there company. They are willing to pay me for it. I am good with computers and Cad/Cam programming... but never tried building a website. Is there a good place to start learning how to build it? How much should I charge for doing this? The site would be for a sales company that sells cutting tools for Machine Shops.

[Poppa_Meth]

Dreamweaver is great for this, but expensive if you aren't doing it professionally. DW allows you to use a visual interface to design the site and it generates the correct code for you. Also, you could build it off a CMS (content management system) if it is something they want to do constant update to. Wordpress is by far the easiest I've dealt with. You can get a WP site up and running in 20 minutes. It's all customization after that.

[betwixt]

I create and look after several web sites and find Wysiwyg web builder the easiest and quickest site producer and when flash is needed I use Koolmoves, they work well together and their combined cost is a tiny fraction of Dreamweaver.
The places to look are: www.wysiwygwebbuilder.com and www.koolmoves.com

Brian.

[TreeTops]

Get yourself a good background in HTML and CSS first. Buy a couple of books on those subjects and read them and do the tutorials.

[lordsmurf]

Do your friends (and yourself) a favor and tell them it's outside your experience, and that if they're serious they should hire a pro. What they're doing is honestly quite stupid. They want to sell something, but are unwilling to buy anything? Maybe we should all start making our own cutting tools -- it's easy, after all! (Ridiculous statement intended.)

Your IT experience does not qualify you to design/code a website.
That takes a special mix of communication and tech skills that you don't have.

A good site doesn't even have to be expensive. I've done them for as little as $200.

[zoobie]

what are you going to do when your friends hate your amateur site you've made them?
you'd be better off having them find a CMS template they like then impliment it...if possible

[neworldman]

Do your friends (and yourself) a favor and tell them it's outside your experience, and that if they're serious they should hire a pro. What they're doing is honestly quite stupid. They want to sell something, but are unwilling to buy anything? Maybe we should all start making our own cutting tools -- it's easy, after all! (Ridiculous statement intended.)

Your IT experience does not qualify you to design/code a website.
That takes a special mix of communication and tech skills that you don't have.

A good site doesn't even have to be expensive. I've done them for as little as $200.

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will pass on making it myself. Would you know someone that would do it for them for a good price? What about yourself? Or maybe where I can get a hold of someone.

[edDV]

Do your friends (and yourself) a favor and tell them it's outside your experience

Similar if they suggest you do brain surgery on their friend or fiance an art project.

[coasthi]

Or maybe where I can get a hold of someone.

I think you made the smart choice. Building a Web site from scratch is not as simple as it looks. Best to try and find someone local or close to where you live. look in phone books or local paper adds.

[lordsmurf]

Best to try and find someone local or close to where you live. look in phone books or local paper adds.

Not really. Most of my clients come to me with horror stories about "the local guy" or "the local company". The best independent designers all operate purely online, and have no need to advertise in the phone book (how 20th century!) or pay exorbitant rates to set up shop in a crappy strip mall location. You only need to advertise if you can't get word-of-mouth references or have a terrible online presence for yourself (warning sign right there!)

Have laptop, will travel. (Mostly to Panera Bread, for the bottomless Pepsi refills, soups and muffins.)

What about yourself?

Although my intent is to help (give advice), and not to advertise, feel free to contact me via PM.

I think I will pass on making it myself.

Sometimes the best course of action is to just hire a pro, instead of trying the nightmarish DIY approach. Very commendable. There's a reason I don't change my own oil, replace circuit breakers, etc -- that's just not my area of expertise, and I hire pros for those tasks. Wise people seek those with knowledge and skills, and only a damned fool stubbornly tries to do everything himself.

I have some friends

Not doing business with friends also ensures they stay your friends.

[stiltman]

Not doing business with friends also ensures they stay your friends.

This should be a sticky by itself