set up a website

Setting Up Your Own Website

Yes, you can set up your own website
without paying a web designer!


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This website was created by librarian and web designer, Irene Herz, whose website can be found at www.auntreeneeswebsites.com

Do I really need to set up my own website?

There are lots of reasons for wanting a website:

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  • You want to communicate information or opinions to your customers, clients, organization members or friend.
  • You want more visibility for your business or organization.
  • You want to sell goods or services, or solicit donations.
  • You want to provide round-the-clock answers to questions about a product, a disease, a musical group, a passion, a hobby... You want to free up your service people for the hard questions.
  • You want to sign people up for a service or membership

There are reasons for NOT having a website

  • Do you really need a website to communicate with your audience?

    Just because everyone seems to have a website these days, that doesn't mean you need one too. If your business is purely local, you might better spend your time joining the Rotary Club or the Chamber of Commerce. You might better spend the money advertising in your local Pennysaver.

  • Do you have the time and energy to plan a website, set up the website and keep it updated?

    Creating a website takes time. You'll have to gather the pictures you want to use. You'll have to plan the site and you'll have to write the website page copy. Even if you were to hire a professional website designer, those are tasks you won't be able to delegate.

  • Are there better ways to get visibility online?

    There are ways to get online without setting up a website. One of them might even fit your needs better than setting up a website of your own. For some suggestions, see Lower hassle alternatives.

If you've decided you want to set up a website



You have several good choices. You can build a website yourself using one of several good services designed for the non-technical do-it-yourselfer. You can learn a little about creating websites, download or buy a web creation tool and build a site "from scratch", or you can hire someone.

In all three of those cases, you'll need to learn the basics of getting your website recognized in the major search engines, such as Google.

  • Read about how to market your website here.

  • Resources to help you set up a website

    Hosts with Site Building Tools
    Reliable web hosting from Yahoo! Web Hosting - 25% off for a limited time! . Offers a good sitebuilding tool. Fairly inexpensive, wide range of plans, including online store.
    web.com
    $11.95 a month includes free domain name, lots of phone support and a powerful site building tool.
    Webeden for setting up a website is a smaller resource, but their plans start at about $5 a month. They even offer a small site for free if you're willing to accept ads. Larger packages include a free domain name. 14 day free trial.
    Yola offers a free website, with a charge of $20 a year if you want your own domain name (eg www.mysite.com)
    123TurnKey.com is similar to Yola. Free site. Charges for domain name.
    Homestead, now owned by Intuit, publisher of Quicken, is one of the oldest do-it-yourself website companies. They offer a free trial. Starter sign-up page
    Other website hosts
    Super Green Hosting offers packages starting at $4.95 a month, that include a domain name, templates and a site building tool. They're also "carbon neutral", meaning they try to be "green".
    Website in Click $10.45 a month. Free test drive.
    Webhosting Search Advice and reviews of web hosts
    ProStores has hosting and designing tools to start selling online - shopping cart, domain hosting, merchandising, reporting, etc.
    Hosting
    Low Cost Web Hosting - affordable website hosting service with fast, friendly support & money back guarantee.
    Ready-bullt pages
    Marketing
    skaffe one of many free directories to list your site in.Here's a list of a few, and here are and many more