Hi everyone

 

So I am completely brand new to the web design world (other than getting in a little crazy on my Bebo page as a 14 year old) and have come along with a pretty specific idea on what I want/need. I am 22 years old and am looking to set up my first business which processes fuel rebates for those who qualify for them.

 

Unlike some of my other business partners I would rather take the time to design my own site if possible rather than pay for someone else to do it for me. This partly due to personal interest and partly because (let's be honest here) I am pretty cheap.

 

In order for the company to be successful in any way we need to have a great looking site that invites people in and projects our professionalism as a business. Secondly and possibly more importantly it needs to guide users through a questionnaire which the user answers yes or no to various questions and inputs details such as name, address, age etc. This information needs to be processed and spat out the other end in an easy to use format whether it be excel or access etc.

 

So with the above in mind are there any tools/tutorials that anybody can recommend as a starting point for me and is this just way to huge a task for a novice to undertake? Any and all feedback would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks you in advance

 

Richard

Edited September 13, 201411 yr by Rikaard

A word of warning when it comes to building your own website

 

As you have stated you want to make a professional business, a 'do it yourself' would be a very bad idea, web design is not a case of 'let's put a picture up', there is strategic planning and research involved and without that backbone you don't stand much chance of making a successful website.

 

When it comes to the development, you can learn to code, lean SEO and marketing and everything else that goes with it, but it's going to take time, time to learn and time to practice.

I agree with the post above, to get to a standard of a professional looking website in todays world of responsive mobile friendly designs, and those that most importantly convert requires a skilled designer and developer, both with hundreds if not thousands of hours of experience. I'm not trying to be a killjoy here but when you were last coding websites is a long time ago -- I know because I was there myself and was then out of the game for 6-7 years and it's changed a hell of a lot. -- Things are far more complex now and your visitors demand a far better experience on a vast array of very different devices now.

 

When you weigh up the time it takes to learn how to code up this to the standard you desire it sounds like madness. There's a reason I pay a mechanic to fix a blown head gasket in my engine, a plummer to fit a new bathroom. I could learn how to do all this stuff but the amount of time that would take make it a very poor investment of time.

 

A competitor will come along who have invested in a properly well designed and coded solution and blow your business out of the water, it pays for an online business to invest in a quality system & interface otherwise their business will fail.

Edited September 13, 201411 yr by rbrtsmith

Gentlemen:

 

Thank you for your prompt and honest responses. I have taken your advice on board and please allow me to re-phase my original question.

 

Where is a good place to look for an honest, experienced designer who is accessible while on a relatively tight budget. While I would love to look up the best designer on the web and have the best site ever, I am on a mediocre wage and am limited more by finances than time. Hence my original desire to develop one myself.

 

Thanks again

 

Richard

Your best bet is freelancers, a business would more than likely have higher overeheads and therefore charge more, you can search for some (pick seven or eight) local to you, get a quote from them all, then post their websites and portfolios here for us to tell you which we think would be your best choice based on the money they are charging, what you are asking for and their experience, that way you would not be as easily conned by the dribble that some cowboys in this trade tend to use.

 

I will pre warn you though, if your budget is too tight and your expectations too high against your budget you would never get what you need, not anything that would do your business any good anyway.

Hey Fuzzy

 

Thanks for the advice it is much appreciated. I am based in New Zealand so pretty much half a world away but do you have any recommendations on channels to begin looking through?

Google, just search for something like

 

Web design (your town or county here)

 

For example

 

Web design Wellington

So I've had a look at some designers in my area. All in all things look pretty good and not too too expensive. Just had a quick thought however. Is there any relatively easy to use software that I could use to design the front end of the site and perhaps pay someone to do the back end for me?

You don't design a front-end, you code it. Any reputable front end developer will not use drag and drop type software -- assuming this is what you mean by easy to use. Unless you already have the ability to build a responsive site that looks great on all device sizes (scales appropriate) I would employ a front-end developer. These days a front-end can be every bit as complex as the back-end.

So I've had a look at some designers in my area. All in all things look pretty good and not too too expensive. Just had a quick thought however. Is there any relatively easy to use software that I could use to design the front end of the site and perhaps pay someone to do the back end for me?

That would take you back to our original advice.

And me too agreed with Fuzzy Logic, It seems very bad idea for creating a professional website for your own without having any knowledge or experience in web designing. Also it may cause very serious issue when you try to do it, simply it kills the business and also drive your business in negative ranking. So its better to hire some developer with required experience in developing to make your business website.