September 21, 2007
How To Create A New Website
We just went live with our new corporate website and since we did it in an unusual way, I thought the bootstrapping entrepreneurs would be interested in how we went about it. In my previous tech start-up when the task of creating a new website surfaced, we usually started with a blank slate which meant lots of discussion and meetings around color schemes, second guessing, back and forth arguments, feature/requirement changes and lots of time and money.
I have a bad eye for colors. I have a very hard time envisioning how things will look when they show up on the page (or on the walls of our house). I’m lucky if my or my kids’ clothes match. So this time we started with a template. Yes, a template. One we found at Template Monster. It was a flash template, but we decided not to use the flash piece because after the first two times you see it and hear it, it’s no longer very cool.
Erin and I attempted to transfer our previous corporate site information to the new site and modify the design and realized it was going to take much more time and skill than we had. So while I was looking for someone to design a new blog theme, I happened upon Swank Web Style by clicking on a link on Mocha Momma’s blog. I filled out their contact form, and was put in touch with Karen who designed our new blog theme (post about that to come). She introduced me to her partner, Vicki, for the corporate site work.
Vicki did an amazing job pulling our new corporate site together in a couple of weeks. It wasn’t as easy as any of us thought because of cascading style sheet (css) issues, alignment issues, tables vs. layers issues, etc. I didn’t know this but apparently most people design their websites now using Wordpress so they can easily add/modify pages. Since we are used to the old-school way of designing web pages, neither Erin nor I were comfortable with using Wordpress for this particular site…maybe the next one. I can only take on so much risk at one time. 
Here’s the recipe:
- Find a template with the color scheme you like on a place like Template Monster
- Find a fabulous designer/coder/developer who will work until it’s done right (e.g., Vicki)
- Pick some of the most adorable pictures you can find on iStockphoto. iStockphoto is the greatest, most cost-effective site that I’ve come across for illustrations/pictures from anything from babies to lawnmowers. They now also do iStockvideo. The pictures are submitted by amateur and professional photographers and cost anywhere from $2 to $8 each. The pictures of babies and families were so cute/adorable that for about 2 seconds I thought about having another baby but then reality struck and I was reminded that all babies tend to look cute in pictures.
- Go back and forth a bit on layout and pictures.
- Experience a few late nights and Voila! You now have a great new website at a very reasonable cost in a reasonable amount of time!
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September 21st, 2007 at 2:33 pm, Vicki Says:
Thank you! It’s been a pleasure to work with you.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:37 pm, Mocha Says:
I feel honored that you even visited from there. Thanks! My own “how to” included screaming “Someone help me set this up!”
Sorta worked out well, too.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:38 pm, Mocha Says:
I meant to say that you visited their site and gave THEM business. Really. Not too much wine in me yet tonight.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:06 pm, Aruni Says:
Thanks Mocha. I’m on my 2nd glass of wine for the night (it is Friday afterall) so it all made sense to me.
September 25th, 2007 at 8:35 pm, entrepreMusings » What’s In A Name? A Blog Name That Is… Says:
[...] I mentioned in my How to Create a New Website post, I found Swank Web Style and Karen (who blogs at Vodkarella) from a link on Mocha Momma’s [...]