Pros and Cons - running your own website

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Hi

I have purchased a domain name for my first website and am keen to start using it BUT I want to do it myself. I am wondering if anyone else does this and what the pros and cons are opposed to paying someone else to do it for you.

Honest answers please.....

[sarah707]

I suppose mine isn't as whizzy as if I paid someone to do it for me - but I don't mind that, parents can find what they want and lots of links mean I get a good Google rating.

I have learned as I have gone on and sometimes still get things wrong but it's trial and error.

I don't have to pay every time I make a change which is important to me.

Hth

[Bluebell]

I use wix which is free and i linked my own domain name to it by getting someone else techy to do it for me. I paid them £12 to link my domain name and pay for the domain name for 2 years and they also linked the e-mail to my hotmail account.
The wix is a template so you just choose the look you want and add your own photos and write what you want - when I was setting it up I went live after about a week but still spent quite a few weeks updating and correcting so could go on every day. I still go on and check everything is up to date and add stuff about what we've been up to. You don't have to use a template if you want to upload your own graphics but I found it really easy and you can add enough stuff to make it your own.
The drawbacks are:
-if you want to update to your own name through them you pay a lot more.
-the web name you get with them (the free one) is very long and starts wix.com/your name/your account.
-there is advertising for them - i think its unobtrusive and most of my friends didn't notice but 1 person found it off putting
- mine is flash and as someone pointed out on here a lot of mobiles can't view pages that use flash.
My website is

www.bluelionchildcare.co.uk

I can't actually remember the full proper name of my website so its just as well I purchased my own name!!!

Best wishes to you - and go for it - the majority of my business has come through my website - even people that know me and are my friends on my facebook page have still come to me through my website enquiries page.

[Penny1959]

I use gbbo (getting British business online) Mainly because everything was free including the domain name - and when I was setting up that was very important. There are no running costs involved .

You do have to learn as you go on - and I still have not mastered everything
There are some templates to get you started.

I am not worried about 'extras' I justed wanted a means to pass on information to potential and current

It is time consusuming and at the moment mine desperately needs up datng - but I don't have time.


Penny

[aly]

i have my own...but im going through gmail now looking at their tenmplates...my website and emails are through gmail also so can all link together...worth a look.

[Playmate]

Pauline built our website and is the best web master ever

She is so mega efficient, if we want to change anything (usually about twice a year) we send her an email with what needs changing and she has done it before we can blink!

Well worth the small cost she charges

Thank you Pauline

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Thank you everyone.

I will look at everyone's and see what they look like

All thoughts greatly appreciated

[loocyloo]

Pauline built our website and is the best web master ever

She is so mega efficient, if we want to change anything (usually about twice a year) we send her an email with what needs changing and she has done it before we can blink!

Well worth the small cost she charges

Thank you Pauline

i second Pauline! i get lots of positive comments about my website and how clear and uncluttered it is THANK YOU

i am useless on the computer .. i can email and have worked out how to use the forum and only in the last year or so, learnt how to scan and download photos i can create simple word documents and that is about it! anything else and i have to ask DH ( or increasingly DS! ) to do it for me. so doing my own website is beyond me in ability and also the amount of time it would take me!

[Cariad]

I was just looking at the gbbo site - I've never heard of it before so may give it a go once I've had time to look at it properly. Do you know how much the domain name is after the first year?

I have had websites in the past that I have been totally in control of and those built and maintained for me by someone else. I find it so much better to be able to make the changes you want, when you want although having someone else design it for you does take away most of the hassle!

[Jiorjiina]

I use webs.com to build and maintain mine.

You can do a website for free, but it will have adverts on it and you have no control over them. However, it's only about £6 a month to go ad free, and you can link your domain name to your website, so it becomes your main web address.

[Pauline]

Thank you Playmate and Loocyloo

[tialil]

Hi mine is free with Weebly, Im pleased with mine - can update/change whenever I wish. It is free, Ijust used their templates and even have a contact box for parents to email - can link it to any email address.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I was just looking at the gbbo site - I've never heard of it before so may give it a go once I've had time to look at it properly. Do you know how much the domain name is after the first year?

I have had websites in the past that I have been totally in control of and those built and maintained for me by someone else. I find it so much better to be able to make the changes you want, when you want although having someone else design it for you does take away most of the hassle!

I was recommended easy space and got my domain from there - I googled easy space vouchers and got 2 years for £7 but not sure how much after that

[sharonmanc]

I jusy use blogger as it is easy for me, as I can add pages etc, and link it to my facbook page etc, I may change, but not sure yet, as it is still under construction as I am not registered yet.

[Caterpillar]

My husband made mine from scratch and keeps it updated all the time and is always 1st in the google search.

Pro: i earn about £15 a month from people clicking the ads on my site!

www.littlecaterpillar.co.uk

Back link to forum is also on there

[Annelize]

Hi mine is free with Weebly, Im pleased with mine - can update/change whenever I wish. It is free, Ijust used their templates and even have a contact box for parents to email - can link it to any email address.

I second weebly.com, mine is with them too.
http://bubbleandsqueakchildminding.weebly.com/