Hi guys,

I'm not a web designer (far from it) but I am someone who is very interested in starting a web based business - in fact I have many web based business ideas but the tech side os the part that stops be going ahead.

From a cost perspective it seems far more logical for me to use a provider like GoDaddy, Wix etc.  I know this will probably be unpopular on this site and I should go with experts but the cost difference is significant and I just want to start small

What I am looking to create is a site where my customers (B2B) customers can input their information in to a template and then the consumer can search and view via various search criteria. Its much like many sites out there in the travel industry etc but with my own basic slant.

Questions for this forum:-

1) Is this something I could / should do via one of those provider sites? And if not why not?

2) If I was to go to a web design company / individual what format would I need to provide to give them an idea of content?

3) As this is commonplace in terms of websites is this something that should cost a huge amount?

4) One concern I have is ongoing management. What if my business was successful - could the web design company / individual who is independent of me see this and then hold me to ransom to continue managing my site?

In summary I really want to set up a business. I don't want to pay over the odds but I also don't want to pay too little and not get quality. I'm happy to pay the money to someone if its the best way to go but I'm just not sure how to go about things!

Any advice gratefully accepted!

Paul

Edited July 4, 20197 yr by Paulos99

1. It's very unlikely that godaddy, wix or any other site builder can do this.

2. You would need to right up a full spec so they can quote for the work. For example: all the details that would display following a search.

3. It depends on the exact spec. It could be £500, it could be £5000

4. If you choose the right developer this woun't be a problem.

What you are asking for is very simple if you use a content management system (CMS). All the data is held in a database so when someone does a search the results can be returned in an instant.

It's not exactly clear what the business is but if you install something like wordpress (free) and a theme (free) and you may be lucky and find a suitable plugin for your search function (also free). You may need a developer to do some customisation but this shouldn't be too expensive.

Thank you fisicx - really appreciate the advice.

One more question - any advice on where is the best place to find a developer / developing company? What I should look for?

There are thousands of developers. The best way to find one is via referral.

Or put the job up on a freelancer site.

Or ask here or on other forums.

I echo what fisix has said but here's my take:

Quote

1) Is this something I could / should do via one of those provider sites? And if not why not?

Site builders are generally not capable of such functionality, they're really intended for more basic sites.

Quote

2) If I was to go to a web design company / individual what format would I need to provide to give them an idea of content?

You'll need to provide an overview of what the site will do, in your case businesses would add a listing, then customers would be able to search businesses.

Write detailed lists for each function, for example when business adds their details:

- do they need to register first
- is there a cost for registering
- what information might each business be able to add
- what information will be searcahble
- will a business be able to modify their details in future
- will you need to moderate listings before they are made live

and for customers:

- will they need to register at any point to access information
- what criteria will they be able to search on
- how will customers contact businesses they are interested in

and for you as site owner:

- consider how much control you want over your listings
- do you need the ability to highlight certain businesses, e.g. so they are given prominence is search results
- do you need a complaint resolution process (in case a listed business is problematic)
...

The more detail you can add the better. Be aware there are numerous things you may not think about, such as a reset password function, but a good developer will point these sort of things out while scoping the project.

Quote

3) As this is commonplace in terms of websites is this something that should cost a huge amount?

As you describe it you're looking for a searchable business directory. That in itself is pretty straightforward to build so shouldn't cost the earth. However if you decide you wanted to offer, say, paid listings you'll need a complete ecommerce system adding which can cost a lot depending how complex it is.

Quote

4) One concern I have is ongoing management. What if my business was successful - could the web design company / individual who is independent of me see this and then hold me to ransom to continue managing my site?

The key here is in the contract. It's not unknown for dubious outfits to hold their customers to ransom so you need a clause that allows you to terminate the contract with the developers agreeing to hand over all site assets (or something to that effect). That way if they play funny they are in breach of contract and a simple letter from a lawyer might be all you need to resolve matters.

If you are genuinely worried a part of the contract should ensure you have full access to all your sites assets at all times, probably stored in your own repository which you could then grant access to any developer you wanted to work with. 

Of course most developers are fine, we're only trying to earn a living and keep our customers happy and it's not in our interests otherwise. We sometimes have customers leave us for whatever reason, that's part and parcel of doing business and we never cause a fuss!

Finally it's always worth going with a developer who lives in the same country, or even close by for face to face meetings.

 

.

Amazing Forum and discussion. I like to join the forum. Thanks all of you

On 7/4/2019 at 7:19 PM, Paulos99 said:

1) Is this something I could / should do via one of those provider sites? And if not why not?

I think to saving your capital if you want to build a website, you can compare more than one provider.

 

 

On 7/4/2019 at 10:07 PM, Paulos99 said:

Thank you fisicx - really appreciate the advice.

One more question - any advice on where is the best place to find a developer / developing company? What I should look for?

The first rule of finding good developers is: be where you the talent is.

There is no single place that is overflowing with good developers. Instead, ask yourself some simple questions:

Where do programmers spend their time?
Where do they work on open source projects?
Where do they share knowledge and help each other?

Hope you got my points.All the best.

Can you make a logo design for my new website?

33 minutes ago, James Burns said:

Make a document for your website for reference for what you want

The problem is most people don't know what they want. Or they want the wrong thing.

They never begin with a marketing plan - something necessary to determine what type of site they need.

Note that need =/= want. Something many people forget.

Hi Paulos99,

Welcome. you have started an interesting threat here. As a freelance web developer my advice is always the same. Never rush into this and breath. Ask yourself a few questions before starting out and looking for a web developer.

• what do I want to achieve with the website?
• Who is my main competition?
• What does success look like in a years time?
• Will I need a bespoke site or a build your own like Wix?
• What is my budget and what am I comfortably prepared to spend?

I suspect that you will need a fast loading and bespoke website that can be easily be scaled up as your business grows. Wix, SquareSpace and others are good for people wanting to start a very small business and not wanting to grow it.

Yes they do look awesome compared with others but you may find in time they can be restrictive and extending them to your needs may become a problem in the future as your business grows.

Finding a good freelancer with a reputation can be quite a minefield as the competition is so great amongst us. But getting one to work with you can be a godsend and finding one that will not abandon you after the site launch is what you want to go for.

• Do a search for freelancer web developers near me
• Read over their website/blog
• Check out their portfolio and contact the site owners for their experience
• Ask if you will get a bespoke site that's easily extended and not a over-bloated downloadable theme.
• Search for reviews on Trustpilot, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Clutch.co, Yell and others

There is a lot more you can do but I recommend that you first decide what it is you want to achieve. Find out your competition by searching google for the keywords and phases you want to rank for. Come up with an initial budget and marketing plan for the site that your happy with and be honest with the freelancer about it. After choosing the Freelancer, get in touch with the owners of the sites he/she has built and ask them questions about what they thought about said freelancer.

The list can go on and on but I hope that I have given you some food for thought here.

Best of luck.

Phillip Dews