Getting your own website

[Dirk Brand]

Hi! I want to start my own website but I am clueless as where I should begin. I looked on the net but there are so many options to choose from and I think there are a couple of really dodgy ones among the ones I found. Can anyone please help me, I appreciate any help, advice and suggestions.

Regards

Dirk

[Brendon Cremer]

afternoon dirk

try www.clikpic.com they really good, inexpensive and easy to use, take a look at mine www.bushfanatix.com im very happy with it

[Dirk Brand]

afternoon dirk

try www.clikpic.com they really good, inexpensive and easy to use, take a look at mine www.bushfanatix.com im very happy with it

Look's great, thank you!

[EduardM]

try these guys www.kwikwap.co.za and www.cellsurveys.co.za , that's us!

[lionelpcn]

Hid_dendragon

I am certainly no expert on galleries though I do make set up quite a few sites a year for our company.

Clickpic seems nice enough and simple. Unless you would like to attempt building your own by making use of gallery management systems.

You can get a site hosted for about R30 per month at www.serv.co.za which will provide you with a control panel as well as email. Everything can be managed by yourself.

The control panel allow you to install several different content management systems including coppermine gallery etc.

That's if you are somewhat clued up with IT and websites. Note that none of these systems require coding and support is provided to those who need it.

[Dirk Brand]

Hi Lionel, thank you! Do you know where I can see examples of websites from this company?

[lionelpcn]

Hi

Here's a demo site for coppermin gallery http://coppermine-gallery.net/demo/cpg14x/

Unfortunately, I don't think that Serve-Hosting will set up your site for you but doing it yourself may be simple enough.

As far as my memory goes, I think that Coppermine also integrates with Simple Machines Forum (SMF). Pretty much like what we see on ODP's site.

[Brynmor Campos]

Check out these guys: http://www.coza-web.co.za/

When designing a website for photography purposes they make sure that the site is geared towards Web 2.0 Technology. Their "gallery" design is quick and clean.

[Fredvl]

Hi Dirk,

Try www.Yola.com. Its a web based WYSIWYG site builder. It's a complete free website builder and website hosting service, with an additional Premium option.

*note the free version will have a sub name of yola.com. eg www.DirkBrand.yola.com

I personally think this is probably the fastest and easiest way to get a web presence.

Cheers

[EduardM]

You must ask yourself what the purpose is of your website ... are you going to distribute many business cards and brochures in order to drive traffic to your site or are you planning to get visitors to your site via search engines? The latter is a very tricky thing and hardly something you can try on your own (unless you are Einstein).

In my opinion, if a website is not on the first 2 pages of search results (for generic search terms) it is a total waste of time and money.

[codevader]

In my opinion, if a website is not on the first 2 pages of search results (for generic search terms) it is a total waste of time and money.

I don't think that's true anymore. If you're running a business these days and don't have a website, you look pretty unprofessional. And as a photographer a website is probably one of the more important marketing tools, since you can have examples of your work there.

[Dirk Brand]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I appreciate it! Because I am in Taiwan most of my clients are foreigners. That means that most people hear of me through word of mouth. I already have business cards that I will distribtute but that alone is not enough imo, hence my need for a website. I need a place where I can display my work so that people who are interested to have themselves/others photographed can see my previous work. For me being number 1 or 2 on a google search is not that important. I take small steps if you get my drift....

[nimbus]

The question about what you expect from the website is very valid ... it also determines what you're prepared to put into the website ( time and money ).

Probably the most popular photography hosting site for pro photogs is Photoshelter. This place has a number of advantages;

It's geared to maximise your search engine listing.
It has various options for setting up your site that suit web novices to pros.
It's entirely focussed on presenting images professionally.
You have access to 35Gigs of storage.
It has e-commerce allowing you to sell off the site ( unfortunately (for us SA's) only via PayPal )

It will cost you $30 a month.

If that's within your budget I highly recommend it.

[Fredvl]

of course the other way is to pay for your hosting option and get way more. take a look at these guys - www.Host4Africa.com. I'm currently hosting my website with them. They have a 99.9% and is very well priced. I've never had a problem with them.