free webpage?

[Tiggeroo]

I would like to create a free web page for my cleaning business. I'd like to do something simple and be able to add a spot to make paypal payments. I am very comfortable making blog pages and am familiar with several very good free programs for this. Is there anything similar to wordpress for web pages? If not I might be forced to create a blog instead which might not be too bad but not really what I was going for.

 

[mrsv98]

I don't really know any free pages, but you can get a domain name and WebSite Tonight from GoDaddy really cheaply. There are tons of templates and the code for adding a PayPal button is already written, you just drop it in.

 

[Imzadi]

Hey Tiggeroo!

The short answer is you can buy a domain name (website address name) for your cleaning business very cheaply from Godaddy.com for like $6 a year. Then check & see if your current Internet provider gives free webpages to it's members. (MSN & Verizon does.)

Also Google gives free website pages by opening a Gmail email account with them.

Then you link your website address onto your webpage, so they don't see the loooong URL address your Internet provider or Google gives you.

I think PayPal has codes where you can simply add a payment button onto a page.



Below is the long winded explanation I usually post. If you have problems with the directions, simply post or PM me & I'll help you through. I have 4 domain names & 2 websites (one through Google & one though Verizon.)


Your own Internet provider may offer free webspace to members for hosting your own site. HOSTING is where people end up paying the big bucks each month.

If your own Internet service provides free web space to create & "host" your site, they usually have easy, pre-made templates of pages to use to get you up & started so your page will have an instant look. Google also has free hosting for a website with blogs & templates. (It's what I use for one website.)

You might add a a free blog, anyway to give cleaning tips, vacationing down at O.C. and such. People subscribe to blogs and tell others and that's what gets word of mouth out to others.

Depending on your needs, if you want a super large website, you can open two accounts at Google under different email addresses and can knit many pages together to give you one larger seamless website via links to the different pages. Alternately, you can do the same if you & a friend have 2 different Internet providers or different screenname accounts.


Then, you can simply buy your domain name (public web address,) cheap for the name of your site. Think of it as: the domain name is like your phone number. Hosting is the monthly service provided by the phone company. You can have a phone number, but no service. You need both.

Buy the domain name you want from a reputable company or the bills can add up. I got mine from http://www.godaddy.com. I bought 4 domain names for my businesses a few years ago, so no one can even come close to using a web address similar to mine. GoDaddy.com has coupon codes for NEW domain registration for $1.99. Renewals are usually about $6.99 - $7.50 with a coupon code.

Check out this thread for the latest codes:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/725207?


Also check the fine print on buying your domain name. I have another one from Yahoo. I haven't had any trouble with them. However, some domain companies do not allow people to transfer out the domain name to a different company later, if you want to change companies. With GoDaddy, I own my domain name. Something to think about if this is a domain name/company name you want to keep for personal or professional reasons. You might not be able to shop around to transfer to a new service later.

So, if you use your Internet provider or Google, you would already have free monthly "hosting" for your website, you won't have to buy that, just the domain name. Then you'd have your domain address(es) "point" to your real website address where it's hosted. (Pointing is the actual technical term.) It's like call forwarding. So instead of clicking on a long-winded, unprofessional name like: http:// members.aol.com/your site/index.html, (which is where your actual site is hosted,) you'd simply tell people to go to the domain address "www. yoursite .com" which would automatically forward or "point" people to your site without even knowing about the other address.


To save on all the MB space on my free site, (again, they give you a limited amount,) I use http://photobucket.com/ to separately host my pictures free. Then like here at DIS, I simply insert the photos & have them seamlessly appear on my webpage.

There are other places online where you can add more fancy templates to use, (like shopping carts, but they often require that you know some HTML coding, and it would be better to go to a professional and set up a professional looking website. Then, you would simply need to maintain it. If you do happen to get someone who is a HTML code professional who is willing to create a whole webpage for you that is fairly simple, you can upload the whole file to Google to host it for you for free. Professional website for only the initial set up cost, then only the cost of the domain name each year!

If you (or anyone else,) is planning on selling items online, using the auctions/shopping carts at eBay and or etsy.com (for handmade stuff,) along with your blog, this is how you would set up your site:

Free hosted webpage with general text info & pics --> LINK to Blog --> LINK to eBay and/or --> LINK to Etsy

Since you are LINKING to the other resources, the MB space used on your hosting site would be minimal. Which is how you'd get away with using the free web space from your Internet provider.