Website for Business

[MangoKorat]

I intend starting a business in Thailand later this year and of course, will need to have a website. I have no idea how to go about that but I am aware that it is possible to build your own.

 

I approached a couple of UK companies a while back and they started getting all excited and launched into full on marketing mode which put me right off.

 

I don't want anything fancy but I do want something that looks professional.  At this stage I am not looking at how that website will be found as my probable marketing strategy will be employed elswhere and potential customers simply directed to the website. That could change though.

 

Some people have suggested that I should just have a Facebook page - I have no idea what to do. So, can someone please advise a complete novice on how to go about making my business details available on the internet?

[recom273]

I hate it when businesses link to a Facebook page - it's not hard to build a small website to increase your online presence.

 

If you are setting up a business later in the year then you should look into making your own one page site, its not difficult and quite interesting.

 

I had a few ideas a few years back, and I built a few sites using DIVI builder https://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/, using Wordpress - I bought some cheap domain names, used a host service that did 3x websites for $20 per year. DIVI is pretty easy to learn, its just drag and drop.

 

I had a little drop shipping enterprise, printing t-shirts in China for online teachers and I got a guy on fiverr to build me a e-commerce site, it was cheap enough, but the guy wanted a lot of money to maintain it, so its worth acquiring the know how to maintain your own site.

 

Fiverr was a good option, I don't know about now. If you don't want to get too involved, there are plenty of designers on the indian subcontinent available at budget prices, they are a bit lacking in imagination but once you have a basic framework in DIVI you can make a backup and play with the content.

 

If all this is a bit confusing, you can host a Wordpress site using their own templates for free - I made a little site at the weekend, using infinityfree hosting following this tutorial

 

[MangoKorat]

6 minutes ago, recom273 said:

If you don't want to get too involved,

Thanks, I don't want to get too involved but neither do I want to build up constant monthly payments.  I've spent the last few years getting rid of monthly payments in my personal life and would like to employ a similar ethos in my business. Monthly payments seem cheap but they build up and can get out of hand.

 

My customer numbers will be relatively small so most things like payments etc. can be taken care of manually -the website won't need a payment facility etc.

 

I wasn't aware that websites need maintenance - what kind of thing does that involve?

[tgw]

1 hour ago, MangoKorat said:

I intend starting a business in Thailand later this year and of course, will need to have a website. I have no idea how to go about that but I am aware that it is possible to build your own.

 

I approached a couple of UK companies a while back and they started getting all excited and launched into full on marketing mode which put me right off.

 

I don't want anything fancy but I do want something that looks professional.  At this stage I am not looking at how that website will be found as my probable marketing strategy will be employed elswhere and potential customers simply directed to the website. That could change though.

 

Some people have suggested that I should just have a Facebook page - I have no idea what to do. So, can someone please advise a complete novice on how to go about making my business details available on the internet?

 

I have started making websites 25 years ago, including e-commerce sites, hotel bookings, flight bookings, secure payment interfaces, etc.

My clients are in Germany, France and Switzerland, I work remote from Thailand.

 

Before choosing a solution, the best is to have a chat with a professional about your vision for your business and then it's possible to think about how a website would best support your business.

A website can support several processes, such as PR, marketing, e-commerce, payments, for the obvious ones, but also resource management, call center support, fleet management, asset management, property management, etc.

 

If you are around Pattaya, we can have that chat in person.

[tgw]

3 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

I wasn't aware that websites need maintenance - what kind of thing does that involve?

 

Static websites (consisting of html and javascript) typically don't require maintenance.

More complex websites that use content management systems, e-commerce platforms, etc. require regular updates of the software.

[recom273]

16 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

Thanks, I don't want to get too involved but neither do I want to build up constant monthly payments.  I've spent the last few years getting rid of monthly payments in my personal life and would like to employ a similar ethos in my business. Monthly payments seem cheap but they build up and can get out of hand.

 

My customer numbers will be relatively small so most things like payments etc. can be taken care of manually -the website won't need a payment facility etc.

 

I wasn't aware that websites need maintenance - what kind of thing does that involve?

 

Yes, I understand, you would need something like a one-page - a little like this https://www.wgorilla.com detailing, where you are, what you do, how to contact you, etc. This site was built with DIVI and you could do this kind (a little simpler) of thing quite easily.

 

I mean involved, by getting sucked into building the website more than developing your business idea. My ideas were just as much about the website as much as the business idea, your focus may be in a different area.

 

Maintenance - I was using Wordpress, there are various plugins that get updated that break the site or layout from time to time - sometimes the site goes down, and you might want someone alerted and take care of it, you also need hosting - do you want to deal with a yearly bill for a server with space that you dont use (not expensive) or let someone else handle everything? The dropship idea had a shopping basket feature, PayPal payment, if I was producing new designs someone would need to update the catalogue, but really, it was matter of duplicating a segment and replacing the images and text, but in your case I presume you just need a one page with your info.

 

It's worth digging around yourself, asking yourself if you possess the skills to produce a website to - its not so much about coding, although it can be, its often about design - Youtube is always a good place to start with tutorials. If not, there are other options available as mentioned.

 

All the best with your project!

 

[MangoKorat]

3 hours ago, recom273 said:

It's worth digging around yourself, asking yourself if you possess the skills to produce a website to - its not so much about coding, although it can be, its often about design - Youtube is always a good place to start with tutorials. If not, there are other options available as mentioned.

I'm pretty sure it will be better to get someone to do it for me - I want to put my time into running and developing the business.  Building websites would be a totally new concept for me - I turn my hand to most things but tech takes a little longer and I think my time could be better spent.  Techie's speak a different language to us laymen - even when you ask them to put things simply.

 

My concern as someone who doesn't know a thing about the subject, is that someone will try to rip me off or lead me down a path I don't need to walk.  I did have a brief conversation about online marketing with a company a while back. When I told them I wasn't interested in pay per click, they lost interest. It will be a small business and will be staying that way.

 

I don't expect a lot of traffic - I think I'll get leads from my planned marketing and direct them to the website so they can get all the information.  The website will have lots of photos if that makes any difference and possibly videos - not sure how that's done, stand alone or linked to youtube?

 

Just starting out - lots to learn so I'm asking here first which will possibly give me some pointers.

 

Thanks for your help so far.

[recom273]

8 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

I'm pretty sure it will be better to get someone to do it for me - I want to put my time into running and developing the business.  Building websites would be a totally new concept for me - I turn my hand to most things but tech takes a little longer and I think my time could be better spent.  Techie's speak a different language to us laymen - even when you ask them to put things simply.

 

My concern as someone who doesn't know a thing about the subject, is that someone will try to rip me off or lead me down a path I don't need to walk.  I did have a brief conversation about online marketing with a company a while back. When I told them I wasn't interested in pay per click, they lost interest. It will be a small business and will be staying that way.

 

I don't expect a lot of traffic - I think I'll get leads from my planned marketing and direct them to the website so they can get all the information.  The website will have lots of photos if that makes any difference and possibly videos - not sure how that's done, stand alone or linked to youtube?

 

Just starting out - lots to learn so I'm asking here first which will possibly give me some pointers.

 

Thanks for your help so far.

You need professional assistance - this is digital marketing, not just pulling together a website as an alternative to fb. 

[BigStar]

Wix. https://www.wix.com/

 

Can provide help as well.

[MangoKorat]

8 hours ago, recom273 said:

You need professional assistance - this is digital marketing, not just pulling together a website as an alternative to fb. 

That is not my intention actually.  I will direct people towards my website from leads generated elsewhere.

[metisdead]

A reported post  revealing the details of the OP's planned business has been removed, please edit and repost accordingly. 

[patman30]

providing you are not taking payments etc (like stated above)
all you need today is an informative website describing your business and services offered
and contact details (these must include some chat apps)
today these are usually 1 page html websites, and there are many many free templates to use
1 page html sites use very little resources and are fast to load 
basically your costs are hosting which can be got for very cheap (or even free)
and the domain which is roughly standard price depending on the TLD of your choosing
you do not need any SEO or SEM services
if you were to pay someone to build such a page really you would be looking at $100 max plus hosting domain costs
providing you have descriptive text and media ready to go should take a day to setup, no more
even doing yourself it is really quick these days
basic web hosting can be got for about $30/year, domain you are looking at $2+/year depending on TLD but about $10-15 for most

[CharlieH]

On 3/5/2024 at 11:33 PM, MangoKorat said:

I'm pretty sure it will be better to get someone to do it for me - I want to put my time into running and developing the business.  Building websites would be a totally new concept for me - I turn my hand to most things but tech takes a little longer and I think my time could be better spent.  Techie's speak a different language to us laymen - even when you ask them to put things simply.

 

My concern as someone who doesn't know a thing about the subject, is that someone will try to rip me off or lead me down a path I don't need to walk.  I did have a brief conversation about online marketing with a company a while back. When I told them I wasn't interested in pay per click, they lost interest. It will be a small business and will be staying that way.

 

I don't expect a lot of traffic - I think I'll get leads from my planned marketing and direct them to the website so they can get all the information.  The website will have lots of photos if that makes any difference and possibly videos - not sure how that's done, stand alone or linked to youtube?

 

Just starting out - lots to learn so I'm asking here first which will possibly give me some pointers.

 

Thanks for your help so far.

Lets go at this from another angle, make it much more simple. What bufget do you want to put to this to get it up and running ? And please dont say "as alittle as possible" thats equivalent to how long is a piece of string.

 

Its clear what you want to achieve. What do you want to pay to achieve it ? that will tell you exactly your options.

 

If you'd rather not say in public. PM me.

 

 

[MangoKorat]

33 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Lets go at this from another angle, make it much more simple. What bufget do you want to put to this to get it up and running ? And please dont say "as alittle as possible" thats equivalent to how long is a piece of string.

I wouldn't say as little as possible - 5000 baht is expensive if its not effective whereas 50,000 baht may be cheap if that's what's needed to achieve what I'm looking for.

 

I've never had a website before so I really have no idea what they cost.  I've seen a few that look like they're DIY projects and it shows.  Sometimes you have one chance to gain a customer and I don't want to waste that chance. The only thing a customer has to go on with my 'product' is what the customer sees and how they react to that.

 

Initially I won't be relying on people finding my website in order to make sales - I will direct leads obtained in other ways to the site. 

 

As I have no idea of the cost, all I can do is give an example of what I'm looking for and get quotes.

[NativeBob]

I've been building dozens of sites, e-commerce, blogs, news feeds, forums and many others ever since. And what I understood is not how fancy your site but how simple it is and fast. 

Thais running million baht business on Facebook pages, Instagram is good too. 

Unless you know what exactly do you want from this web presence.

[CharlieH]

If you want get quotes for comparison purposes.

Go to Fiverr or Upwork, post your project and look at the offers made. Becareful, check reputations and ask for references.There are plenty of Indian sweat shops that Bang out template websites very fast and cheaply, you will still have to obtain a domain and hosting to go that route.

 

 

[68and]

It is possible to create a simple website and get the same result in many ways, but with different cost and technical commitment.

I'm sure you want to avoid having to learn code, then I would not consider a simple Html page which the also requires to manage the hosting.

WordPress is one of the best options in terms of cost and learning curve, also requiring a hosting which could be a couple of usd per month fir a basic website, but then you have to follow up with updated and some maintenance, possibly leading to issues requiring some technical fix.

 

Closed platforms such as Wix are a solution, but at the end more expensive than running your own website on your own server, and with those is like Facebook you don't own the website.

There are no code solutions, similar in a way to Wix or wordpress.com (not the self hosted wordpress.org) and I think is viable especially in terms of benefits, no maintenance and easy deployment. You may look in to https://www.softr.io

Softr has a free tier plan with your own domain, compared to a similar alternative where you get a free website with wix or wordpress.com but cannot add a domain name is much more professional for a business website.

You can contact me if you need more info about the options available for a small website

[scorecard]

On 3/6/2024 at 8:17 AM, recom273 said:

You need professional assistance - this is digital marketing, not just pulling together a website as an alternative to fb. 

You need to do a lot of thinking about how you prefer your company to operate into the future and ensure these points dominate your website.

[Freddy42OZ]

On 3/5/2024 at 11:33 PM, MangoKorat said:

I'm pretty sure it will be better to get someone to do it for me - I want to put my time into running and developing the business.  Building websites would be a totally new concept for me - I turn my hand to most things but tech takes a little longer and I think my time could be better spent.  Techie's speak a different language to us laymen - even when you ask them to put things simply.

 

My concern as someone who doesn't know a thing about the subject, is that someone will try to rip me off or lead me down a path I don't need to walk.  I did have a brief conversation about online marketing with a company a while back. When I told them I wasn't interested in pay per click, they lost interest. It will be a small business and will be staying that way.

 

I don't expect a lot of traffic - I think I'll get leads from my planned marketing and direct them to the website so they can get all the information.  The website will have lots of photos if that makes any difference and possibly videos - not sure how that's done, stand alone or linked to youtube?

 

Just starting out - lots to learn so I'm asking here first which will possibly give me some pointers.

 

Thanks for your help so far.

 

 

You've been given some good advice.

To give further advice, we would really need to know a bit more about the business, specifically are you planning to sell a product or service online, or is the website merely an online brochure to tell people what you offer and then the actual sales etc are handled via email. 

If the latter then you'd only need what we call a Static Site, and that would not need updates etc quite so often (if at all). 

If I were you I would take up TGW's offer to meet in person and have a discussion about your actual requirements.

[rskdev21]

I use this one.>

 

https://www.website.com/

[john donson]

hahaha, soon you will get a lot of PM of the aseannow millionaires making websites with no work permit...

 

if ur bizz is small scale, stick to facething

[khunPer]

On 3/5/2024 at 10:43 AM, MangoKorat said:

I intend starting a business in Thailand later this year and of course, will need to have a website. I have no idea how to go about that but I am aware that it is possible to build your own.

 

[ ... ]

 

Some people have suggested that I should just have a Facebook page - I have no idea what to do. So, can someone please advise a complete novice on how to go about making my business details available on the internet?

Simple advice without too many details...

 

First of all, you'll need your own domain name, which would be best at your business' brand name or something short for that; i.e., MYNAME.COM.

 

You can search and buy a domain name several places, I use Homepage Universe in US. You can pay by credit card. They also offers you hosting (web hotel) of a homepage from a few US$ per month, but you can shop around and check prices and facilities other places.

 

To build your own homepage, many people – including professionals – use WordPress, which is probably the most easy way to create a professional looking website. There are other also easy to use software, which hosting providers offers for free, including WordPress, which can be upgraded to a professional version.

 

Today you also need a safety certificate (SSL), as otherwise browsers will often not connect to your homepage and show a "not secure"-warning. The hosting providers can often install a certificate for you. If you are not doing a trade on your homepage (shop and payment), you can choose a simple cheap SSL from around $30 per year. You might find little cheaper certificates when shopping around, but then you need to install it yourself. It might be best for a novice to get all service under one roof; i.e., buy domain, hosting and certificate from the same provider.

 

A Facebook profile for your business is good – you homepage can link to the Facebook-profile vice versa – as you can get potential clients to follow you. You can share links to pages on your homepage and direct business/visits to that from your Facebook-profile. Furthermore you can use Facebook for advertising your business and create further interest and more followers. However, don't replace your own homepage with only a Facebook-profile, it's not the same and you don't have menu options in a Facebook profile.

 

A little, but important hint is: Use the so-called mega-tags in your homepage-builder software to name "keywords" and a short "description" for each page, not to forget a describing "title", to optimize Google's and other search engine's robots to include your homepage in their search results. Search engine optimization is special expert subject, but just a few things like using the meta-tags can make a huge difference.

[maxerten11]

On 3/5/2024 at 11:43 AM, MangoKorat said:

I intend starting a business later this year and of course, will need to have a website. I have no idea how to go about that but I am aware that it is possible to build your own.

 

I approached a couple of UK companies a while back and they started getting all excited and launched into full on marketing mode which put me right off.

 

I don't want anything fancy but I do want something that looks professional.  At this stage I am not looking at how that website will be found as my probable marketing strategy will be employed elswhere and potential customers simply directed to the website. That could change though.

 

Some people have suggested that I should just have a Facebook page - I have no idea what to do. So, can someone please advise a complete novice on how to go about making my business details available on the internet?

I was also recommended to contact the Cogniteq company, who could not only make a website, but also create their own personal mobile application for my business. They say they are professionals in their field.

If you're looking for a simple, professional-looking website without the bells and whistles, you might want to look into DIY website builders like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.com. These platforms offer user-friendly interfaces and templates that allow you to create websites without the need for programming knowledge. You can customize the design and layout to suit your business needs and preferences.