r/Design•
AppleJuiceKing

I'm starting my own website and am looking for tips from the pros. Can anyone help me out?

If you don't want to read what I do/Don't have, just scroll down to the "Questions"

First of all I want to thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate any help you might be able to provide. Below I've listed what I have, what I don't have, and things I don't know. Hopefully this will all help you in helping me, but if it's lacking details then please free to ask any questions.

What I've Got

So, I've recently written out a detailed structural design (just a pretty name for a word document) for a website that I am going to be making in the near future.

It's got all the essential parts of a good website. Or so I think. It has a theoretically functional UI, possibility for a strong community base, and many reasons for users to return to the site or become integrated members of it. These reasons range from being pretty classic - such as entertaining content for a range of ages - to being frontier ideas that could effectively streamline and correct common issues within a niche - yet immensely large and interactive - crowd. I've also got plausible methods of importing new files to the site as well to keep things fresh.

Beyond that I also have 265 days remaining for website hosting. I'm not a coder but to my understanding my host has all the required features for building a good site, though not optimal storage space.

I'm also a bit of a graphical designer, but I'm far from being a professional. I've got little experience in designing websites. Regardless, this website would be well within my ability to create, though I worry it might not be the best if I do it on my own.

I've got a lot of free to time to run and administrate a website as well as many loyal colleagues who would willingly assist in maintaining it.

What I don't have

So, that's everything I have or have access to. The list of things I don't have access to is much smaller, though the items are significantly vital.

The first is possibly the largest; Money. I've currently got an extremely limited budget for this project - $200.

The second is a coder for this website.

And finally, If this hasn't already been brutally obvious, I don't have experience in this field yet. Hence all my questions.

Questions

Now that you know all of that, It's time for my barrage of questions for you Professionals (Or anyone who knows, really). I've numbered them for ease.

  1. Can I make this work with my budget? If yes, how? Where would I find a qualified coder? If no, why not? How much does it generally cost for a website?

  2. Should I trust my slightly-above-average artistic ability in designing this website? Or attempt to hire a professional?

  3. If anyone is hired, especially considering my budget, do I offer partnership in the site or try to find other means to repay them? (not sexual favors).

  4. Is a loan a feasible option for a website?

  5. Is outsourcing to a cheaper country feasible? If so, how would I do it?

  6. How do you make money from a website? I've of course heard of adsense, but otherwise, what are the sources of revenue? Is it strictly Ads?

  7. Finally, and most importantly, How do I attract attention to my website? I've only got a few small scale ideas for gathering my audience, but other than those, the only cheap resort I have in mind is word of mouth. Is there another way?

Alright, thanks again for your time and for any possible answers you may provide.

Posted Dec 26, 2009, 10:39 AM UTC

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