My dear fellow Kossacks, I am mining for some some free advice. I know, you get exactly what you pay for!
I need a very basic, couple-of-pages small business website for my new service business (mobile equine veterinarian). Just a page or two where I can introduce me, area I cover, fees and services. At this point, nothing fancy at all.
I thought I could do this myself. "Can" people create their own websites readily? Is that just a disastrous amateur pipe dream that never works out?
This is a business start-up for me, so I don't have the funds to hire a "real" web designer now.
Nor do I want a complicated, interactive site at this time (with payments accepted, a Facebook presence, etc). No sales of product off the web site.
Just a page or two so they can find me in a google search.
Frankly, I've had four friends hire four different web designers in the past two years for their own small businesses, and all four were miserable and unhappy with their choices in the end - paid big fees, didn't get what they wanted, were "ripped off" for "web advertising presence", etc.
Sigh - so interviewing and hiring a "professional" is fraught with distrust for me right now, as the budget is limited so the "real big professional" guys are out of my league.
I know anybody can call themselves a "web designer", and apparently many do!
I wouldn't be adverse to hiring someone - especially a Kossack that wanted to make a few dollars - if it was quick, easy and inexpensive. I thought we had an "exchange" here, where Kossacks who had available goods or services could post, so we could hire each other? (point me in the right direction, I"ll post there!)
I don't want to take advantage of anybody's professional expertise, but if anyone with experience starting their own small website cares to comment and give their advice, I would much appreciate it.
I would love a free site type of thing where I can just "fill in the blank" and create a couple web pages quickly.
No, I haven't bought the domain name yet, but it will be my own name FirstLastDVMEquine.com I suppose.
I would like to get this up like ... yesterday, so I can put a website address on some promotional/marketing materials I am getting printed up soon to start promoting the business.
Hence I thought, if someone who has used something free on the web for their own small business, happily, could point me in that direction? It would be MUCH appreciated!
Warnings and bad experiences welcomed, too.
Thanks for anyone who cares to comment.
And, to make this KOS-related ... ALWAYS, ONLY, VOTE PROGRESSIVE!
Update: Hey, an hour, and already you guys have come through with good advice (and the link to the Kos store I was searching for!) Thanks everyone!
Wed Jan 09, 2013 at 3:17 PM PT: Thanks again to the Kossack Community, I got exactly the info I needed: some referrals to reliable do-it-yourself sites, AND the link to Kossack web designers on this site that advertise for work that I was looking for.
At this point, I'm busy literally starting the first week of business, so I may try and hire out the website in a couple of weeks. Thanks again, guys - this info is great for me, hopefully someday can help other small businesses here, too