Considering making a web site just for fun-suggestions ?

[Larry Lenhart]

I have googled "building a web site" and got a lot of suggestions and ads, but would like to know from fellow forumites, what they used to build a website. It would be just for fun to display my guitars, some soundtracks, videos, etc., not for a business purpose of selling anything. I would like to get some input and ideas from those of you have built similar websites.
Thanks in advance.

[Wiz Feinberg]

Most of the competitive web hosting companies offer a free web page / site builder program with your hosting account. If you haven't chosen a host yet, do some research first to see which ones do provide web page builders.

Here's a for instance. I am hosted on Bluehost (shared hosting) and they offer a free (or paid upgrade) page builder known as "Weebly," that allows you to build a website using themes that let you add content with a simple drag-and-drop interface. You can literally build your (5 pages for free) website directly inside the Bluehost cpanel interface using Weebly.

You will have a learning curve to get started. This will involve learning to upload files from your computer to your web server account. They provide an interface for doing just that!

If you outgrow the free version of Weebly and need do do more, look into the upgrade to the Pro version. It lets you edit themes and create your own if you so desire. It also allows for unlimited pages to be created.

If you outgrow the drag and drop tools, there are some really awesome commercial web design programs out there. I use CoffeeCup web software as well as writing code longhand using special code editors. Their current programs are all made to create responsive layouts that rearrange their components as the screen size varies. Most are built for mobile screens first and desktop monitors second.

Most web hosts will grant you one free domain name when you sign up, unless you already own a domain name and just want to assign it to that company's server. Most give you the first year of domain name registration for free, then charge an annual renewal fee. Others may offer extended free renewals (usually special deal offers).

Feel free to contact me if you have any technical questions, or want to know more about Bluehost, or other big name hosting companies.

[Larry Lenhart]

Wiz
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and share your experience....I have some home work to do obviously...I wouldnt mind paying the yearly fee to host a web site but need to find out how much that would be before I dive into this.
Thanks again !

[Richard Sinkler]

Bluehost has an introductory offer on now for $3.00/month for the first term, usually 1 year (normally billed annually at one time). After that, I have seen some hosts jump up to 3 to 4 times their introduction price. I don't use Bluehost, but I would if I wasn't paid up until 2020 with mine. I am having trouble with my host. Ftp won't work, even when I get support from them. Might be worth the switch if I can just transfer my domain name.

[Wiz Feinberg]

Wiz
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and share your experience....I have some home work to do obviously...I wouldnt mind paying the yearly fee to host a web site but need to find out how much that would be before I dive into this.
Thanks again !

In my long experience with websites, the initial term is always cheaper than renewing. This is opposite to how software licenses are renewed, where you pay less to stay in the game.

All of the big players are in competition for new customers. Thus, all offer a low monthly rate, prepaid for 1, 2, or 3 years. Some even have monthly rates for temporary clients. The shorter the term, the higher the monthly rate.

As for the numbers, you can often buy in for around $4 to $6 a month, give or take a buck, with a 2 or 3 year prepaid contract. Future renewals though may run $10.00 or more per month, depending on which way the wind is blowing at renewal time. I always buy in for 3 years to keep the initial impact at the lowest pain level.

Every web host I've dealt with offers a certain period to try out the service and get a full or partial refund if you are unhappy with it. Some allow 30 days, others up to 90.

Finally, while I don't use or recommend them, there are some free hosting companies out there. They make their money by placing their affiliate ads on your pages, but forbidding you from doing the same. I suppose it's a way of learning if this is something you care to pursue. Most people using and staying on those types of hosting are doing so to publish blogs (hobby sites), or advertise their restaurant or small business. They give you a choice of themes and you type in your text and upload some photos.

[Wiz Feinberg]

Bluehost has an introductory offer on now for $3.00/month for the first term, usually 1 year (normally billed annually at one time). After that, I have seen some hosts jump up to 3 to 4 times their introduction price. I don't use Bluehost, but I would if I wasn't paid up until 2020 with mine. I am having trouble with my host. Ftp won't work, even when I get support from them. Might be worth the switch if I can just transfer my domain name.

Most hosts will unlock your domain name if you ask them, after your first prepaid term is up. It wouldn't hurt to ask them if they will do this for you.

Some hosts who give you a free domain and renew it annually for free will not allow you to move that name to a different company. This is how they keep clients who are marginally unhappy but can live with the problems.

The best way to avoid losing your domain name is to register it with a separate company. I use Dotster for most of my domain registrations. It costs under 20 bucks a year per domain with Whois privacy added on. Then I assign the name servers to the hosting company I am using at any given time. You just have to keep your listed billing email address up to date so as to not miss a renewal notice!