The DIY website... looks tasty

December 21, 2005 11:26 PM

I need to create an online portfolio for my small business. What are my do-it-myself options?

The backstory: I have a small business designing and making custom wedding cakes. I need a website to showcase my work. The website must be as professional as possible - the wedding cake market is competitve, and of course, this website will serve as a client's first impression...

Yes, I realize there are professionals out there who I can pay to do this for me. I'm thinking that because I have fairly solid computer skills (and not a lot of money), I can wing it. Am I wrong here? Also I'm fiercely independent and have a stubbon sense of pride which will no doubt be rewarded when I prove I can do this thing myself...

I am looking for a resource, either for OS X or online, which I can use to create a unique website. Specifically I will need to display photos of my cakes in some sort of portfolio setup. (I do not want a standard issue menu-bar down the left hand side, banner image above, etc. kind of thing.) Any cheap, easy drag-and-drop solutions? Should I just invest in Dreamweaver or something like that?

Also, I will need to buy a domain registration/web hosting package. Many vendors provide sitebuilding software with hosting packages. Are any of these any good?

Or am I in way over my head?

posted by peppermint22 to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

I do all of my own stuff, website-wise, and I'm pretty happy with it all. I think you could do it, and upgrade it as you go. You can check out some javascript sites for portfolio scripts (i'll look for the one I think will work for ya).

Dreamweaver.... I have it. And it makes things a lot easier. But I didn't get it until maybe a year ago - before that, I was strictly Notepad Girl. In my opinion, you should be FINE, promise.

Domain registration - I always use Godaddy. Seriously. I just bought a domain tonight for $8.95, got privacy guard to hide my name for $1.00. I think that if you went that route, you can get the $3.95 hosting for right now, if you don't find something you like better. You won't be using a lot of space (at least at first), so this'll work fine for you.

(disclaimer - i HATE godaddy's hosting. but i found that when i first started out with websites, it was the cheapest and the fastest to setup. currently, I use liquid hosting through a friend.)
posted by damnjezebel at 11:43 PM on December 21, 2005

I'd spend the money on a real photographer (it will make all the difference in the world), then use a gallery script to display the images. There are hundreds of them out there. Just resize and upload the images, and the script will build the HTML for you.
posted by Leon at 12:25 AM on December 22, 2005

If you can, just find a friend with some experience to do it for you. I know I would be delighted to spend a day or so on a website in exchange for a free cake.

By the way, I use strictly notepad with tables and iframes, sometimes PHP if it's absolutely necessary. I also use Fireworks for imaging. If you're going to do it, make the design as simple as possible. Minimalism usually pays off and takes less time to code and debug when something goes wrong.

Check out webmonkey for somegreat tutorials. Look under the authoring how-to's.
posted by mr.dan at 12:40 AM on December 22, 2005

I second leon's call. You can find a lot of really good photographers that know their stuff and are inexpensive enough for you to use. Maybe you can find one that will barter with you. Check craigslist.
posted by damnjezebel at 12:48 AM on December 22, 2005

one word:
Bananalbum
I'm in no way associated with Bananalbum, I've just used it
posted by hatsix at 2:37 AM on December 22, 2005

I've got solid programming & web dev skills, but I usually hire a designer to come up with some decent design in Photoshop, and I'd take over from there. Design work, and making it look good, takes up too much time.
posted by arrowhead at 2:52 AM on December 22, 2005

For the web piece, I recommend ShutterBug. Easy and Fun, AMAZING developer support, as in feature requests being implemented within a week.
posted by Scoo at 7:19 AM on December 22, 2005

You know those people that say "I can make my own wedding cake?" Do you want your site to look as amateur as their cakes?

Hire an experienced designer/developer with a great portfolio. It's a worthy investment into your business that will make you look good for years to come.

I don't know what it is about the wedding industry, but I've never seen so many bad websites. I suppose it's because it's mostly home-based businesses. The few that actually hired professionals really stand out from the crowd.
posted by letitrain at 7:57 AM on December 22, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for all the tips. I should have mentioned I already have a professional photographer who shoots my work. I also had a graphic designer who has done most of the work - (logo, business cards, etc.) - they turned out great but I'm reluctant to hire him for the website because he's kind of a pain in the ass. So basically I need to take my professionally created elements (photos and graphics) and compile them for a website.

Letitrain, you're right. There are some websites out there that are frightening. I actually have a degree in Marketing, and I had never seen marketing materials quite so appalling until I started working in the wedding industry.
posted by peppermint22 at 11:35 AM on December 22, 2005

If the graphic designer was a pain in the ass for the print stuff, you definitely don't want to hire him for the website. There's typically a lot more interaction between client and designer on web work compared to print.
posted by letitrain at 1:18 PM on December 22, 2005