Hi. I'm Rick Hubka
I've been Designing and building Web Sites for a long time. Almost 20
years. Today I specialize in creating Web Sites using 3 primary Tools
to build clients Web Sites that they can manage themselves.
- mojoPortal CMS
- Artisteer Skins
- Hosting on ARVIXE Hosting
Using these 3 Tools the Web Sites I create are affordable, functional, beautiful and reliable Web Sites.
First I use the
mojoPortal CMS which is Free and Open Source. No knowledge of HTML required.
Next for the Web Site Theme/skin I use
Artisteer for creating fantastic looking, unique website templates and blog themes.
Finally I recommend
ARVIXE Web Site Hosting as an affordable and reliable web hosting solution.
Aside from designing and creating a Web Site, there are other upfront costs many people are not aware of such as.
- Find and Purchase a Domain Name. (eg. www.hubka.com costs me about $10.00 per year)
- Purchasing Web Hosting. A place for all your Web Site files and pictures can be accessed by the Internet ( $5.00 to $50.00 per month)
- If you need a Web Store, you may need an SSL certificate. These cost $150.00 to $300 per year. Not required for PayPal only selling.
Once you have at least the first 2 above, design of the Web Site can begin. During this phase, one of the most difficult tasks in building a Web Site is putting acquiring the content (text and pictures) from the client. Most clients are not aware they must spend 20+ hours writing text and acquiring pictures. Tell that to a busy person and it could take weeks for this to happen.
Finally your Web Site has been created and published to the Internet. But wait, much more very important work must be done.
SEO - (Search Engine Optimization). Putting a new Web Site on the Internet is like putting a billboard in a forest. It could look just wonderful, but nobody will see. it.. In order for your Web Site to be found, you must create keywords, descriptions, links, reword your content to match your keywords, submit your web site to some search engines. Get a Google account. AND more...
Then... Wait... It can take a few months before Google and the other search engines visit your Web Site and list it. Will it show up on page 1 or on page 40? Being listed near the top in Google does not take too long if you are targeting a specific geographical area or if you are selling a unique product or service. However, if you are targeting the world or selling a very common/popular item then
much much more work needs to be done and it also may cost you $$$ to place ads on Google. In some Web projects, SEO work will far exceed the work of building the Web Site itself. I have several books on SEO that are over 400 pages in length. Remember... "Putting a new Web Site on the Internet is like putting a billboard in a forest. Nobody can find it". That is until you and your Web Designer do proper SEO work to your Web Site.
I once had a request from a company in Calgary Alberta that had a gambling Web Site. They wanted to be at the top of page 1 on Google for gambling. They offered me thousands of dollars if I could do this. I refused the work. It would be more than a full time job, 60 hours a week to achieve and maintain their goal. This is because there are well over 1,000 gambling Web Sites in the world and they all want to be #1 on page 1 in Google.
This information is extremely short/abbreviated in order for the reader to get a high level overview in a few minutes.