To those whom have websites

[DJP]

So I’m busy setting up a website for my small business but this is the first time I’m doing something of the sorts. I would like to know which SA web hosts is the best in terms of price and ease of using.

What would be the best way of going about starting my own website?

I don’t want anything big, just the essentials.

 

[Mouldz]

I could be wrong but I think web sites like Sealine are hosted out of s.a as our rates are too high

 

[Mike D]

DJP wrote:

So I’m busy setting up a website for my small business but this is the first time I’m doing something of the sorts. I would like to know which SA web hosts is the best in terms of price and ease of using.

What would be the best way of going about starting my own website?

I don’t want anything big, just the essentials.

Call Johan at - 082 325 3082 or (012) 807-3921

Johan will offer the best advice, you may tell him that Mike from Secusol in Cape Town has referred you.

 

[Otto]

I makes use of @lantic, they have national representation and their rates are competitive. The type of business you have will determine the layout and useability of the site. Remember the navigation must be user friendly. There are different types of websites, you get fixed sites that consist of a couple of pages, where the information you are presenting will not change for some time or you can have a content management system that allows you to make continuous changes to products or specials you are offering. Keywords are vitally important as they are the guiding tool on search engines. Keywords are words highlighting the discription of your business and related words. There are hosting companies that optimise your keywords allowing your website to be at the top of the displayed findings, their fees are high but your returns are as well. The other alternative is to have a sponsored link where you automatically occupy one of the top spots, the fees for such a link are also high. Before you venture into this I suggest you go to Exclusive Books, buy a coffee and read one of their books on websites to give you some insight into the basics. You will need to have some background knowledge before speaking to potential web co's. Go onto the internet and look at different websites and their functionality, make notes as you go along and then compile a draft layout of "your" website, you can present this as a basic guideline. Good luck with this venture, the internet is a wonderful tool and if used correctly can bring you great rewards.

 

[DJP]

Hey thanks for the replies and pm's thus far guys.

We are Environmental Consultants, so what I basically want to convey to the client is very basic information on what we do, can do and have done together with essential info such as our contact information, qualifications est.

Thus it's nothing big, I've designed a basic site on freeware I downloaded, NetObject is the programmes name.

 

[Koper]

Dirk,

If you have registered your domain & it's active, you can make use of a feature of Google called google apps.

http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=guide.cs&guide=22229&ctx=go#

http://lifehacker.com/#!330318/what-does-google-apps-for-your-domain-actually-do

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html

http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/topic.py?topic=29157

This might sound a bit technical at first & involved a bit of tweaking on the DNS settings on your domain host, but if you follow the step by step guide it can be done.

The main thing hosting it on Google is free for up to 50 users.  You can create 50 users & email addresses, share calenders, host your websites & share docs & contacts.  Every email address also have a 7Gig mailbox.

Also have a chat functionality.  You can also access your own email via mobile.  There also a wizard effect that help you to create your own website.

I think basically all you need for a start-up service.  I'm still playing around so also learning as I go.

Any IT guy should be able to assist you if you don't wanna try yourself.

Hoop dit help.

 

[Mombakkie]

My wife is a web/graphic designer, freelances from home. I'll send you a pm with her web address. You can view her portfolio there.

She uses Hetzner to host her clients websites.

 

[Fanie]

Register your domain at http://co.za/. It will cost you R 50 per year.

I used to have a website in SA with a well known service provider, was like 1Mb for around R1800 per year which is a ripoff.

So let me return the favour to MWEB who buggered me around for MONTHS before they released my domain to be transferred to Globat. Will never use them again and I advise all I can not to use them.

I took my business overseas to Globat.com, less than half the price and 10 terrabyte web space. I want to throw up if the local providers pretend they do you a favour by offering you pathetic little deals at ripoff prices.

Big hard drives are cheap, they don't have to rip you off with pathetically small web sites. Same goes for bandwidth. I often get a chuckle from the overseas guys if they hear we still have 'bandwidth'. The current packeges offered in SA is pathetic but we pay through our necks.

There is also another option. Crownhill in the UK offers unlimited web space forever if you bought their Proton Pic Basic Development suit. It's a once off of about R1600 and you have unlimited web space forever - as well as the option of doing a bit of pic micro stuff. This is my web site there. http://www.fanie.cambs.net/


To put up your own website is very easy. Once you have a domain registered at co.za, you can upload your web site.

To create the web site you can use Open Office (freeware) to create your web site in. They are Microsoft Office's freeware replacement and you can save a page in html format with links to other pages.

I also used the freeware version of Pagebreeze, then later bought the Pagebreeze plus version. Between those two programs you can set up a relative nice web site.

You can use your windows explorer to upload files to the web space, but I like Coreftp (freeware) more since it retains the last access details, even to various web sites.

So if you took notice you can see most of it has a 'free' in it - no ripoff between go-er. It will take you half an hour to get the hang of it, it's that simple.

My web site hosted by Globat.com is here www.faze.co.za

 

[Fanie]

I forgot to say. If someone else puts you web site up you are always dependant on them to maintain it - and at a fee.

If you do it yourself you can at any time chop and change it any way you please.

 

[Fanie]

Here's your deals from Globat.com

http://www.globat.com/globat/hosting.bml

I see since I last looked they changed it to unlimited web space and unlimited bandwidth at $4.44 per month which is R400 per year.

 

[Mike D]

@ Fanie & Koper - Shooo, you guys in the "plattelande" are literate! I'll be calling on you guys too for advice outside of fishing!

 

[Fanie]

Shooo, you guys in the "plattelande" are literate!

Plattelande ? Ek bly 2km van die hell-higway af, ons het seker die hoogste crime rate in SA hier tussen 'n spul plakkersdorpe... en in die middel tussen Pretoria en Johannesburg :-(

Meeste van die 'litterate' word gebore uit desperasie...

 

[Mike D]

Fanie wrote:

Shooo, you guys in the "plattelande" are literate!

Plattelande ? Ek bly 2km van die hell-higway af, ons het seker die hoogste crime rate in SA hier tussen 'n spul plakkersdorpe... en in die middel tussen Pretoria en Johannesburg :-(

Meeste van die 'litterate' word gebore uit desperasie...

Ek ken Centurion baie goed Fanie, sterkte!

 

[Fanie]

Ja nee dis 'n lekker plek die. My buurman het getrek nadat hulle twee maal in die huis gewapen geroof was. Die nuwe buurman was net 'n week hier toe carjack hulle sy vrou reg voor die hek. Beste van alles is mense kom hier, kyk op en af in die straat en dink ons praat nonsens, dis dan so lekker stil hier. Ok, hulle skiet nou wel saans met tye so bietjie hier in die omgewing rond maar anders as dit is dit nogal stil.

 

[Angus]

www.hetzner.co.za

 

[Fanie]

Angus, here's the problem.

I have a small web site, really not much on it, and it's size is 89Mb in used space. 1G sounds like a lot, but it is very limited. It's good for making a few pages with pictures of you home hobby, but not much else, and that's a business package at R99pm. In a short while they are going to tell you you now have to accept the R149pm for 2Gb and so on.

Why is everyone else already on unlimited web space, unlimited bandwidt, unlimited everything etc - but here everything is limited. There's that stupid f add on tv where they asked people what a Meg is. I haven't seen anything as offensive in a long time, like as if people are that stupid.

Have a look at what sizes the softwares is nowadays. Some of the programs I upgrade consumes all my bandwidt in a day, then I'm screwed the rest of the month if I don't buy more. It makes it expensive and frustrating, not the kind of service I want to support.

 

[DJP]

Jis dankie vir die hulp, ek het nou 'n redelike bietjie werk om te doen.

Fanie ek stem 100% saam met jou dat SA se internet dienste pateties is met die res van die ontwikkelde wereld. Toe ek in Washington DC gebly het kon mens enige tyd/plek verniet Wi-fi opvang. Internet in ons flat was so goedkoop dat ons huurders dit verniet verskaf en nie te praat van die spoed nie.

 

[Fanie]

Nie net internet dienste nie :-(

Die ou wat ek betaal om op my tuin toerusting te staan en rus het nie opgedaag nie. Ek hoor nou taxi's mag nie meer ry nie, net die groter staats bussies mag nou ry, die res word blykbaar afgetrek. Elke dag het nuwe uitdagings om te oorkom.

Registreer jou domain by co.za as jy 'n .co.za web site wil he, anders kan jy ander deur jou diensverskaffer registreer, bv .com .net of wat ook al. Al voordeel van om 'n .co.za te he is die kyker kan sien jy is van SA af, kan nie juis se dis altyd 'n voordeel nie. SA het nou nie juis 'n wat wonderse beeld in die buiteland nie.

 

[landshark]

Hi DJP,

Aangesien ek in die IT industrie is gaan ek vir jou vir jou n bietjie ander raad probeer gee.

Enige iemand kan n website bou maar nie enige iemand kan n goeie website bou nie.

Ek is seker daarvan as ek my agterplaas welding en sement meng vernuf gebruik sal ek n brug kan bou, maar dit gaan nie n baie goeie brug wees nie en ek dink nie baie mense gaan dit gebruik nie. Net so het ek al gesien dat ingenieurs websites bou maar die websites werk en lyk nie baie goed nie.

Behalwe vir die grafiese kant is daar is n klomp goed om in ag te neem as n mens n site bou: Goed soos (verskoon die Brits) site usability, content tailoring, search engine optimisation ens ens ens...

As n mens nie die goed in ag neem nie gaan jou site net in die res van die internet wegraak en jou kliënte gaan, of nie jou site kry nie of, hom nie en behoorlik gebruik nie die en dit weerspieël dan weer sleg op jou besigheid.

Ok, genoeg sales pitch...

Alhoewel dit goedkoper is, is die probleem om n site oorsee te host dat jy dan jou kliënte forseer om n bietjie langer te wag vir bladsye om te laai. Ook search engines, soos bv google, sal nie die content in n Suid Afrikaanse konteks rank nie wat moontlik n verskil gaan maak as al jou kliënte in SA gebaseer is.

Angus is reg, Hetzner is n baie goeie diens verskaffer. Hulle waarde vir geld en diens is puik. Daar is n klomp ander soos Internet Solutions, VOX/Datapro, Afihost ens ens... maar ek dink in terme van jou eie domain registreer en n kleinerige site opsit sal Hetzner baie goed werk want hulle verskaf n verbruiker vriendelike site wat vir jou toelaat om alles in een plek te administreer.

Sterkte

 

[landshark]

O, en nog n ding... laat weet maar as ek met iets kan hand gee. Ek sal graag help.