Hiring out website design... questions....

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So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
Personally, I don't care for the look of this site.
This site is a custom WP theme...BIG BUCKS and done by a company we all know very well here.Probably Waaaaaaaay more than 5K!
Everything is pretty customized.
HMMMM one thing i notice is it doesn't seem to be responsive. Anyone else thing this? Not resizing when I change my browser size.
Although they may be the # 1 in TA, I sure don't like seeing that at the top of the page first thing.
.
I don't think they were doing responsive until relatively recently. This site is using WPtouch, converting the site to a mobile theme when a mobile device is detected.
 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
Personally, I don't care for the look of this site.
This site is a custom WP theme...BIG BUCKS and done by a company we all know very well here.Probably Waaaaaaaay more than 5K!
Everything is pretty customized.
HMMMM one thing i notice is it doesn't seem to be responsive. Anyone else thing this? Not resizing when I change my browser size.
Although they may be the # 1 in TA, I sure don't like seeing that at the top of the page first thing.
.
I agree with the TA banner... visually (at least blend the color) but I know why they went that route.
There are well over 100 B&B's in Newport alone, and Newport isn't a big town, and that doesn't include all the hotels...
Having taken number 1 when they are not the most expensive (or even in the top 10 or 20 price-wise) will get them a good look.
I'm likely still at the stage where I am seeing the pretty pictures rather than the underlying framework when it comes to websites - but I do like it...that and a lottery win, is apparently all I need!
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
JUST one person's opinion. This site has GREAT pictures. Otherwise, it was the kind of website we were trying to get away from. It did not seem responsive, so they may have a mobile version (this multiple website idea is starting lose favor)
We were able to put together a good website that received generally favorable reviews from this crowd, is responsive, easy to navigate, has a good collection of pictures, and has been working very well at converting reservations. We wrapped up the project at a great bottom line cost, can make changes ourselves(DO NOT underestimate how important this is), can get help if we can't figure it out, and switched over to a web host that is strongly familiar with WP CMS.
If you are just a little bit savvy, you should be.... hope I don't get in trouble...
working with Empty Nest and a top notch photographer. Just sayin' Blanche
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
.
I honestly hope that you are not being sarcastic :)
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
.
I honestly hope that you are not being sarcastic :)
.
May I ask....is a theme like "castello or victorian" fully customizable from the backend? Or does one need to have large knowledge of css and use lots of it to get the look you want.
$199 seems a bit steep for a theme when most good ones today are around $60-70
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
.
I honestly hope that you are not being sarcastic :)
.
May I ask....is a theme like "castello or victorian" fully customizable from the backend? Or does one need to have large knowledge of css and use lots of it to get the look you want.
$199 seems a bit steep for a theme when most good ones today are around $60-70
.
Our themes don't have 1000 options in the back-end, where you have to build everything by yourself. The themes come as you see them in the demo. Some basic colors can be changed from the back-end, but beyond that you will have to make CSS changes, which is the best and recommended way to go about it. Otherwise you would end up with a ton of inline CSS rules, which doesn't do any good to anyone.
Those that sell for $60 usually don't provide one-on-one live chat support and don't respond to emails in 10-20 minutes (most of the time).
P.S. This is pretty much off-topic :)
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
.
I honestly hope that you are not being sarcastic :)
.
May I ask....is a theme like "castello or victorian" fully customizable from the backend? Or does one need to have large knowledge of css and use lots of it to get the look you want.
$199 seems a bit steep for a theme when most good ones today are around $60-70
.
It doesn't seem too high to me, considering that it's more specialized a market, if it's well done and there is good support. While I paid $60 for mine, I also had to shell out for some extras like the slider which was extra at the time. And it really wasn't hotel specific. I had to "patch" some things together which was extra work. Mass market is cheaper, but there is something to be said for unique as well.
PS: And I like the fact that when you look up the customers, you can see their sites up with their themes.
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
.
I honestly hope that you are not being sarcastic :)
.
May I ask....is a theme like "castello or victorian" fully customizable from the backend? Or does one need to have large knowledge of css and use lots of it to get the look you want.
$199 seems a bit steep for a theme when most good ones today are around $60-70
.
Our themes don't have 1000 options in the back-end, where you have to build everything by yourself. The themes come as you see them in the demo. Some basic colors can be changed from the back-end, but beyond that you will have to make CSS changes, which is the best and recommended way to go about it. Otherwise you would end up with a ton of inline CSS rules, which doesn't do any good to anyone.
Those that sell for $60 usually don't provide one-on-one live chat support and don't respond to emails in 10-20 minutes (most of the time).
P.S. This is pretty much off-topic :)
.
I will disagree.
One of the themes I use called Striking Multiflex for $60 has total control in the back end. You can configure everything! I rarely need to use any custom css with sites using it.
I get all the live support I can possibly need. I Skype with them when I have questions, They respond almost immediately to any emails...so Don't put everyone in that category.
The support team from ENFOLD and AVADA are also great. They always answer me or email me as soon as possible.
So if someone is considering themes, this is a big consideration in purchasing one of these.
 
Maintenance costs: this is a few years old, I do my site myself with nudging from empty nest.
$25 to add a photo, change a photo, + cost of time to edit photos to fit.
$25 per edit - add info, make changes to text
$100/month to make sure website was working, links were active and, back in the day, to resubmit website to search engines every month.
There was another charge to create new pages. At one point my site had almost 100 pages. It still has close to 50 now.
Luckily, I cut my teeth on website building back when doing it yourself was ok. There is some stuff I do not understand at all. It would be nice to call someone and say "fix that" instead of having to learn a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in any longer!
As JB said, if you have a website already, or you hire someone down the road, we'll be happy to go over it for you and point out what doesn't work from the guest standpoint.
Make sure whoever you hire doesn't copy from other places in your location. That is a huge no no. Some folks have had that happen. Brand new site goes up in their location with all of their info stolen from other sites. Or the designer models the new site on a high producing site with similar layout, photos, text. To the point the guest thinks it's all the same property..
So, I've talked to a guy, and he talks a good game... but is he any good? Major inducement - he is willing to barter
... they say you get what you "pay" for and in this case it is about $5,000 with photo's but how do I know if he can produce..?
His own website does not show up on the first two search pages (SEO is something he is supposed to be really good at.) Some of the websites in his portfolio are good, some are kinda lame... matter or taste I suppose. The one other b&b he did - well, they aren't using his stuff on their actual site. Last week caught some code exposed on his website -- gone now.
Bottom line this is a big decision... and I don't have the budget for it without the barter. I don't know if I could do it myself or not... I think I'll be taking your advice and sending you to check it all out, whatever I end up doing....
Thanks for all the input!
.
for $5000 he had better be damned good! I would love to see his site and portfolio and then I will give you my real opinion. Care to share a URL? I hope it is not the company who did the current site. I would never use them again.
You MUST MUST have a responsive website.
.
Can I post the url here - not taboo? Or should I pm it? I would love some opinions on what's what here. Because even with the barter - that's a lot of energy and rooms wasted if the site isn't popping at the end of it!
Meantime, I have a folder ready to grab a word press theme and give it a whirl myself. But the only website I've built in the past was for another business and it was drop and drag... no ecommerce, booking, or merchant accts. to weave in. Go that route and I could get stuck from what I'm reading here.
The current website is well...old! It was built by a guy from the Ukraine who speaks only Russian... this is not a joke. He is a friend of my SIL's. It just sounds like a joke!!
.
No not taboo....I don't think we "trash" lots of posted urls here......LOL
devil_smile.gif
But only in the name of trying to help out. :)
.
Alrighty then: http://jarthur-co.com/
.
Sorry, but this is just horrible.
Won't go any further though...
.
I will be an advert here for another innmate. There are resources here on this forum. We aren't supposed to blatantly post stuff and spam people. But I wanted to say...there are a couple resources here on the forum that are worthwhile.
thumbs_up.gif

Here is one I really like: http://www.hermesthemes.com/
WordPress Themes for Hotels and B&Bs
Professional and affordable website templates for hotels, B&Bs, inns, villas & holiday rentals.
Unlimited license, FREE installation, FREE updates and helpful video tutorials.
.
I honestly hope that you are not being sarcastic :)
.
May I ask....is a theme like "castello or victorian" fully customizable from the backend? Or does one need to have large knowledge of css and use lots of it to get the look you want.
$199 seems a bit steep for a theme when most good ones today are around $60-70
.
Our themes don't have 1000 options in the back-end, where you have to build everything by yourself. The themes come as you see them in the demo. Some basic colors can be changed from the back-end, but beyond that you will have to make CSS changes, which is the best and recommended way to go about it. Otherwise you would end up with a ton of inline CSS rules, which doesn't do any good to anyone.
Those that sell for $60 usually don't provide one-on-one live chat support and don't respond to emails in 10-20 minutes (most of the time).
P.S. This is pretty much off-topic :)
.
I will disagree.
One of the themes I use called Striking Multiflex for $60 has total control in the back end. You can configure everything! I rarely need to use any custom css with sites using it.
I get all the live support I can possibly need. I Skype with them when I have questions, They respond almost immediately to any emails...so Don't put everyone in that category.
The support team from ENFOLD and AVADA are also great. They always answer me or email me as soon as possible.
So if someone is considering themes, this is a big consideration in purchasing one of these.
.
Striking has been sold over 18.000 times on ThemeForest and has generated over 1 million dollars. That's a good incentive to provide quick support.
Enfold has been sold 48.353 times and Avada 108.838 times.
If you are looking to stand out in a crowd, using such popular themes probably isn't the way to go, but that's just me.
As for putting "everyone in that category", I didn't do it, you did it for some reason. I merely pointed out that support (someone's time) is usually the culprit for increased prices.
And because ThemeForest users have been spoiled with $40-$50 price tags, seeing anything above that is outrageous to them. Thankfully, as seen from our Showcase page, ThemeForest is not the center of the universe :)
 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
That website was designed by White Stone Marketing as you can see in the footer if you scroll to the bottom of the page. They design custom Wordpress sites, so it did not start from any theme you could buy.
edit.. Looks like someone else beat me to it by a few seconds :)
.
The widget used to display the rooms - is that custom too do you think?
.
Yes it is custom. It is not difficult for a web developer to make something like that though.
Personally I use slider plugins for WordPress and then customize them to accomplish this layout or whatever I am looking for at the time. This still requires knowledge of HTML & CSS to do though.
A slider in its simplest form is a slideshow of pictures. However, there are many slider plugins with advanced functionality that allow different types of navigation (in this case the tabs on the left) and for text as well as HTML elements to be included on each slide.
 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
That website was designed by White Stone Marketing as you can see in the footer if you scroll to the bottom of the page. They design custom Wordpress sites, so it did not start from any theme you could buy.
edit.. Looks like someone else beat me to it by a few seconds :)
.
The widget used to display the rooms - is that custom too do you think?
.
Yes it is custom. It is not difficult for a web developer to make something like that though.
Personally I use slider plugins for WordPress and then customize them to accomplish this layout or whatever I am looking for at the time. This still requires knowledge of HTML & CSS to do though.
A slider in its simplest form is a slideshow of pictures. However, there are many slider plugins with advanced functionality that allow different types of navigation (in this case the tabs on the left) and for text as well as HTML elements to be included on each slide.
.
Here's some thoughts on logos i found very interesting.
 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
That website was designed by White Stone Marketing as you can see in the footer if you scroll to the bottom of the page. They design custom Wordpress sites, so it did not start from any theme you could buy.
edit.. Looks like someone else beat me to it by a few seconds :)
.
The widget used to display the rooms - is that custom too do you think?
.
Yes it is custom. It is not difficult for a web developer to make something like that though.
Personally I use slider plugins for WordPress and then customize them to accomplish this layout or whatever I am looking for at the time. This still requires knowledge of HTML & CSS to do though.
A slider in its simplest form is a slideshow of pictures. However, there are many slider plugins with advanced functionality that allow different types of navigation (in this case the tabs on the left) and for text as well as HTML elements to be included on each slide.
.
Here's some thoughts on logos i found very interesting.
.
Thanks EmptyNest. Taking some time to dig out from under all this white, and to peruse WP themes mentioned and this latest that you've sent!
I'll be back... likely a tad confused... But less overwhelmed than when I started! ( I'm hoping!)
 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
That website was designed by White Stone Marketing as you can see in the footer if you scroll to the bottom of the page. They design custom Wordpress sites, so it did not start from any theme you could buy.
edit.. Looks like someone else beat me to it by a few seconds :)
.
The widget used to display the rooms - is that custom too do you think?
.
Yes it is custom. It is not difficult for a web developer to make something like that though.
Personally I use slider plugins for WordPress and then customize them to accomplish this layout or whatever I am looking for at the time. This still requires knowledge of HTML & CSS to do though.
A slider in its simplest form is a slideshow of pictures. However, there are many slider plugins with advanced functionality that allow different types of navigation (in this case the tabs on the left) and for text as well as HTML elements to be included on each slide.
.
Here's some thoughts on logos i found very interesting.
.
Thanks EmptyNest. Taking some time to dig out from under all this white, and to peruse WP themes mentioned and this latest that you've sent!
I'll be back... likely a tad confused... But less overwhelmed than when I started! ( I'm hoping!)
.
A developer I know has this on her website. It applies to designer asking questions of client, but you can reverse the process and be prepared to answer these questions yourself.
all-the-questions-a-web-designer-should-ask-a-potential-client-eileenlonergan.com_.png

 
So I have found a site I think is beautiful (doesn't hurt that the house is spectacular...lol)
Wondering if anyone recognizes the basic theme? In particular on the rooms page I love the way the rooms scroll through as you roll over the widget displayed in the teal bar...(part way down on the left)?.
What is the site uRL? Then I can tell you if they are using a WP theme or something else
.
embaressed_smile.gif
oops! Sorry! More caffeine needed!
http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
.
That website was designed by White Stone Marketing as you can see in the footer if you scroll to the bottom of the page. They design custom Wordpress sites, so it did not start from any theme you could buy.
edit.. Looks like someone else beat me to it by a few seconds :)
.
The widget used to display the rooms - is that custom too do you think?
.
Yes it is custom. It is not difficult for a web developer to make something like that though.
Personally I use slider plugins for WordPress and then customize them to accomplish this layout or whatever I am looking for at the time. This still requires knowledge of HTML & CSS to do though.
A slider in its simplest form is a slideshow of pictures. However, there are many slider plugins with advanced functionality that allow different types of navigation (in this case the tabs on the left) and for text as well as HTML elements to be included on each slide.
.
Here's some thoughts on logos i found very interesting.
.
Thanks EmptyNest. Taking some time to dig out from under all this white, and to peruse WP themes mentioned and this latest that you've sent!
I'll be back... likely a tad confused... But less overwhelmed than when I started! ( I'm hoping!)
.
A developer I know has this on her website. It applies to designer asking questions of client, but you can reverse the process and be prepared to answer these questions yourself.
all-the-questions-a-web-designer-should-ask-a-potential-client-eileenlonergan.com_.png

.
Good thing I don't need a website. I still have trouble with these answers.
 
FREELANCER
Pexeto Themeforest
and....... only chose a freelancer that has many, longterm reviews and 5 star. I use Elmalak and have for 5 yrs cheap as chips!
thumbs_up.gif
 
Hey! Former innkeeper, current web design guy here.
There are two things that you should be concerned with choosing some to do your web design and SEO: getting people to your website and compelling them to make a reservation.
Before dropping a huge amount of money, I would make doubly sure that your designer has helped his previous clients be more successful.
 
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