I know this might be a bit mad considering this is one of my businesses, and by telling people what to do I’m doing myself out of clients, but not everyone can afford it, and not everyone wants to pay someone else to do something. Also, this information is freely available online due to the system I use, so it’s really just me making life a little easier for those of you who wish to go the DIY route! I can advise you that you might not necessarily get all that you want from the site you do yourself, but perhaps you will. If you’re willing to learn and work, it will happen.
Also, I won’t get into the whole ‘good design, bad design’ aspect of things. It’s a WHOLE other area. Look at sites yourself, you’ll see what works and what doesn’t. The aim of the game is to make sure that your customers/site users can find their way around your site simply and without obstructions. You want to sell your product. Remember this is your shop-front, it has to be neat and tidy and pleasing to the eye, it reflects on you and more importantly on your business.
Ok, so firstly you need to have hosting and a domain name. Recommended suppliers are Letshost and Blacknight.
Secondly, I use WordPress as the content management system for all sites. It started off as a blogging tool, but has become one of the Internets most successful (and FREE) CMS. It allows users to do so much and gives the control back to the owner of the site. This is my whole ethos, you know your business better than anyone else, you need to have full control. It’s also empowering 
Also, as WordPress is opensource software (aka free), all you have to do is Google a question or issue and the answer will be there, so less waiting around for you for support time, etc.
Steps:
- Register domain name.
- Organise hosting – most providers lump these two steps into one, but I’m doing it checklist style.
- Install WordPress – Both the above providers have an auto-install option for WordPress (as do other providers).
- Find the theme (template) that you want to use. This is the fun bit. You can search within WordPress’ admin area to find a theme that suits your needs and branding. You can also find them by searching Google. There are hundreds of thousands of free WordPress themes out there, the only thing is others can use them too, so your site will not be 100% unique. The other option for DIYing it is to purchase a ready-made theme that suits you, again the vast majority aren’t unique to you unless you buy it outright, and then you’re normally talking big money, as opposed to €50 or so. You can install loads of themes and see which one works the best for you. Some will allow you to insert your logo nicely, others need a bit more tweaking around, but it’s doable.
- Install plugins to make your life easier. I will do another post with the list of plugins I install the minute I have a fresh WordPress set up. Plugins are basically (and usually free) pieces of software that provide you with specific functionality. Everything from spell-checker to shopping cart and chat fora are available as plug-ins. Again, Google is your friend, search for reviews, and you’ll find lots!
- Add your content.
- Announce to the world that your site is up and running.
Now, there will be things you will encounter that aren’t obvious or straightforward, but there are solutions. The thing is not to be afraid. I also know you will be reading this and say to yourself: ‘sure, it’s that easy, yeah right, give us a break Anna’, I won’t lie, there will be limits if you have no knowledge of coding websites, but this is supposed to be a learning exercise to save you money. Don’t be surprised if you find after spending some time at this that you decide to hire a web designer/developer to assist you, that’s ok, you’ll be more au fait with everything if nothing else!
If needs be, I could probably be convinced to do a training session some morning or afternoon if there’s enough interest, a suitable venue is found, and costs are covered
I’m always at the end of an email if you have questions! anna@amoshdesigns.ie
