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NewbiesWebsites

Newbie Seeks Advice on Website for MSP Biz6080

WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
Hi All,

A Member emailed me this.

How would you reply?

Best,

Dan

----

Hi Dan ...

I am new to the Matterport business and I understand that I have to build a website for my business.

I had a look online on how to create a website, but the more I look the more confused I get.

There is so much information out there and everyone thinks theirs is right. I just want to build an effective website for the Matterport business, plus other services like photography and video.

I would appreciate some guidance on what works and what does not. Your input would be much appreciated.

Please bear in mind that I am not a techie.

[redacted]
Post 1 IP   flag post
Gibbsboro, NJ
Radie842 private msg quote post Address this user
Nail soup media
Post 2 IP   flag post
WGAN Standard
Member
Las Vegas
VTLV private msg quote post Address this user
Do a Facebook fan page for now and concentrate this year on learning more about tech so you can handle the photo and video editing software.
Post 3 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@VTLV

Great idea

I will also ask the Member ...

"How about reviewing the 100+ websites of Matterport Service Providers in the Guide to Matterport Service Provider Pricing (PM me for the password) - curated by We Get Around - and reaching out to the Pros (of the sites they like) to ask if they designed their website or the agency that did.

Best,

Dan
Post 4 IP   flag post
Frisco, Texas
Metroplex360 private msg quote post Address this user
There are so many sites out there as good examples. Matterport provides ample resources for MSPs to consider -- WGA provides tons of resources too.

A good part of being an MSP is knowing how to put yourself out there and command your company's message. I'd recommend starting with a free website builder such as Wix, Weebly, SquareSpace or even GoDaddy's builder. Start there. Build your pages. Build your content. If you are able to put forth a good marketing piece, you might then consider getting a Wordpress site built if you believe there are things that you cannot do with what you have (WP3D Models, or using my free Matterport or GSV plugins for instance).

Your website is a sales pitch. All you need is a place to show integrity by sharing your work.

And heck, if you, unlike me, are happy to write a blog post about each of the shoots you've done -- starting with some free shoots that you do just to build up your portfolio -- make a blog, cross post to Facebook.

The #1 thing is to clearly explain what you are offering your visitor. The #2 thing is to build trust.
Post 5 IP   flag post
sbl110 private msg quote post Address this user
I know this thread is a few days old, but thought I'd put my two cents in anyway.

When I first started searching for a website solution, I was shocked at the cost from a professional. They quoted me $2,500.00 for a basic 5-page WordPress site, plus $800.00/year for hosting and maintenance. Additionally, I would be responsible for all updates and changes moving forward. I thought there had to be a better (or at least more affordable) way.

I looked at spinning my own WordPress site by using a local ISP for hosting, but found that despite WordPress's impressive capabilities, it might be too much for a first timer like me. Squarespace was recommended to me by a friend, and since they have a try before you buy option, I figured why not give it a whirl. Fast forward two weeks. After playing with Squarespace, I felt confident enough to move forward with a live site. The cost, $218.00 for the first year of hosting including tech support and maintenance. This also included the registration of my domain name.

Don't get me wrong, setting up a website with Squarespace took some doing. I've never played in this arena and there was a learning curve, but, thanks to Google, Lynda.com and some late night experimentation, I believe I have a worthy site up and running for a fraction of the cost of a pro. I'd welcome any comments or suggestions (www.nw3dphoto.com).

If you run with Squarespace, I'd advise against using Google for your domain email. Squarespace recommends this and I'm guessing because they might get something from the big "G" for recommending it. Google will give you one email address free for a year, then it's $50.00/email per year after that. Instead I found Zoho.com (which is supported by Squarespace). They have a free plan that allows up to 25 users with 5Gb/user and a 20Mb attachment limit. The free plan is for a single domain only, but you can have 25 users in a single domain. This means you can have your name@domain.com, info@domain.com, sales@domain.com, inquiry@domain.com, etc. You can get your email through a web page, or use a mail client like Outlook, Thunderbird, etc. It's totally free.

I also recently found a website that will allow you to design a company logo -- for free. You don't have to register, just go to (www.designevo.com) and click on "Make a Free Logo." I wish I had known about this site when I was forming my company. It would have saved me a lot of time.

I hope this information is helpful to others who like me didn't know jack about websites, design, hosting, domains, email, etc. Now if there was a simple solution for acquiring clients! Just another hurdle to clear. Good luck.

Scott
Post 6 IP   flag post
3rd Party
Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
ArtisticConcepts private msg quote post Address this user
For what it’s worth...

I’ve been in web design/development on and off at different levels since the late 90’s. I would get comfortable with a method and the tech would change or a new coding language would emerge and I would focus more on graphic design until I HAD to build another site and then it was a whole new learning curve. that cycle repeated for a long time.

Technologies and platforms, I tried a ton of them... HTML, CSS, PHP, ASP, Frontpage, Joomla, Dreamweaver, Muse, squarespace, LeadPagws, and then I met WordPress and thought it would be the last thing I needed, but I was wrong. I finally met Weebly!

For my specific situation (and I get that every situation has very unique requirements), I’ve found that hosting my WP3D models on WordPress and my main site through Weebly has had the most impact. I have the root of my WordPress site redirected to my live site to keep organic traffic pointed to my live site, but it still allows me to publish links to the model pages from my live site.

I am about to add a blog to the mix soon, and I plan to keep canonical content on the WordPress site and cross post to Weebly.

Over the past few months, Traffic is steadily increasing on my main site and I LOVE that the sales interface from Weebly is SUPER SLICK (and incorporates Google and Apple Pay).

So, it took forever for me to arrive with this solution. I’m more of a designer than a coder, I’m no @metroplex360 but I know just enough code to be dangerous and Weebly let’s me use that to exploit it just enough to make it do what I want.

If history repeats it’s self... and it does... in 3 years, I’ll be telling you about how Weebly was passed up by an amazing new web platform (or 3), but then again, staying as fluid as possible keeps us ahead of the game! 😁👍🏽

God Bless,
Chris
Post 7 IP   flag post
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