Is your website out of date?

[egoodell]

Hello catlady, I have been developing websites for 10 years and i understand your "who are you statement " I spent some time over the past few months learning about B&B's so that we could come up with a web platform that would be superb in your industry. I just found this website and can appreciate all the knowledge here.
As far as taking my word, there are principals on the web and reguardless of the industry, same principals of achieving on the web apply. The folks at the Cape Charles house were fantastic to work with and taught me a lot as well about B&B's.
I am here to help.
Thanks,
Brady Behrman.

You'll find that alot of us here are web savvy and some of us even do free lance web design Thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum. So can I ask.... what would an average cost be for a B & B web site you do. I know there are alot of variables..but in general a round figure.
THe reason I ask is...there are already quite a few "BIG GUYS" doing B & B sites and they cost an arm and a leg. It is probably the reason so many small inns have such out of date and ugly looking sites...$$$$$. There is a need for someone in a lower-mid range that understands the industry and can build something that an innkeeper can then manage by themselves without having to continually paying for updates.
You need to join the BBAV...state association as a vendor member so that more in the state will know about you. Be a vendor at one of their conferences..show the B & B folks what you have is what they need.
.

THe reason I ask is...there are already quite a few "BIG GUYS" doing B & B sites and they cost an arm and a leg. It is probably the reason so many small inns have such out of date and ugly looking sites...$$$$$. There is a need for someone in a lower-mid range that understands the industry and can build something that an innkeeper can then manage by themselves without having to continually paying for updates.
You need to join the BBAV...state association as a vendor member so that more in the state will know about you. Be a vendor at one of their conferences..show the B & B folks what you have is what they need.

I am a perfect example. We have a small inn with only 2 rooms. This winter we hope to start on our second wing and will work up to our allowed 5 rooms. We have a wine tour business but again, only two vans that we drive so usually 4 per van per tour.
So considering the quarterly taxes that we pay, adding the wing, etc. we don't at this time have $5,000 for the website. I don't think that's a bad price PROVIDING I CAN DO CHANGES AND CHANGE OUT PHOTOS myself when I wish to. I don't know HOW others keep up when they are charged $50 per hour for every change. I'd go broke.
So right now I do it on my own through trial and error and advice from Catlady when I started. I don't see me paying a designer until after the wing is up and running which wiil mean in a year or two.
Advice for me will not work as I don't understand half of what is mentioned here when discussing fixing websites. I am total trial and error. If it were not for Dreamweaver I'd be running off a blog!!!
Riki

 

[vbwebsites]

Hello catlady, I have been developing websites for 10 years and i understand your "who are you statement " I spent some time over the past few months learning about B&B's so that we could come up with a web platform that would be superb in your industry. I just found this website and can appreciate all the knowledge here.
As far as taking my word, there are principals on the web and reguardless of the industry, same principals of achieving on the web apply. The folks at the Cape Charles house were fantastic to work with and taught me a lot as well about B&B's.
I am here to help.
Thanks,
Brady Behrman.

You'll find that alot of us here are web savvy and some of us even do free lance web design Thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum. So can I ask.... what would an average cost be for a B & B web site you do. I know there are alot of variables..but in general a round figure.
THe reason I ask is...there are already quite a few "BIG GUYS" doing B & B sites and they cost an arm and a leg. It is probably the reason so many small inns have such out of date and ugly looking sites...$$$$$. There is a need for someone in a lower-mid range that understands the industry and can build something that an innkeeper can then manage by themselves without having to continually paying for updates.
You need to join the BBAV...state association as a vendor member so that more in the state will know about you. Be a vendor at one of their conferences..show the B & B folks what you have is what they need.
.

THe reason I ask is...there are already quite a few "BIG GUYS" doing B & B sites and they cost an arm and a leg. It is probably the reason so many small inns have such out of date and ugly looking sites...$$$$$. There is a need for someone in a lower-mid range that understands the industry and can build something that an innkeeper can then manage by themselves without having to continually paying for updates.
You need to join the BBAV...state association as a vendor member so that more in the state will know about you. Be a vendor at one of their conferences..show the B & B folks what you have is what they need.

I am a perfect example. We have a small inn with only 2 rooms. This winter we hope to start on our second wing and will work up to our allowed 5 rooms. We have a wine tour business but again, only two vans that we drive so usually 4 per van per tour.
So considering the quarterly taxes that we pay, adding the wing, etc. we don't at this time have $5,000 for the website. I don't think that's a bad price PROVIDING I CAN DO CHANGES AND CHANGE OUT PHOTOS myself when I wish to. I don't know HOW others keep up when they are charged $50 per hour for every change. I'd go broke.
So right now I do it on my own through trial and error and advice from Catlady when I started. I don't see me paying a designer until after the wing is up and running which wiil mean in a year or two.
Advice for me will not work as I don't understand half of what is mentioned here when discussing fixing websites. I am total trial and error. If it were not for Dreamweaver I'd be running off a blog!!!
Riki
.

I am a perfect example. We have a small inn with only 2 rooms. This winter we hope to start on our second wing and will work up to our allowed 5 rooms. We have a wine tour business but again, only two vans that we drive so usually 4 per van per tour.
So considering the quarterly taxes that we pay, adding the wing, etc. we don't at this time have $5,000 for the website. I don't think that's a bad price PROVIDING I CAN DO CHANGES AND CHANGE OUT PHOTOS myself when I wish to. I don't know HOW others keep up when they are charged $50 per hour for every change. I'd go broke.
So right now I do it on my own through trial and error and advice from Catlady when I started. I don't see me paying a designer until after the wing is up and running which wiil mean in a year or two.
Advice for me will not work as I don't understand half of what is mentioned here when discussing fixing websites. I am total trial and error. If it were not for Dreamweaver I'd be running off a blog!!!
Riki

Riki, atleast you are using dreamweaver and I understand. I looked at your website and it's good, nice work! I went to Fork Union right up there by you. Beautiful area!
With the two rooms, it likely would be to expensive for a platform like we have. Trial and error for you is the best practice, that's how most us webby's started. Running off a blog is not entirely bad btw.. Here's a secret I have uncovered "i think". When it comes to blogs, i believe in blogger.com. Blogger is owned by Google and i honestly believe google favors their own products. I have seen some amazing page ranks and SEO via blogger. Go google "how to come up in the Search Engines" . My blog is #1. shh.. don't tell anyone about blogger being favored by google ..

 

[JBloggs]

I agree with blogger being favored by google. I choice blogger for the same reason.

 

[EmptyNest]

I agree with blogger being favored by google. I choice blogger for the same reason..

And it is funny...several of the biggies...promote wordpress as the way to go. Different strokes for different folks.
I was a blogger at the start..but now that my hosting server offers and installs wordpress at no cost, I have gone with it.
So many options and ease of use and has the same url as the site...if that makes any real difference????? And the client can edit and add stuff very easily with it as well.

 

[vbwebsites]

I own my own server and let me tell you from on IT standpoint, they are nightmares with hackers. I no longer will host wp, joomla, etc.. Instead, I only host our platforms for our clients. The problem is the Open Source platforms are Open Source / an Open Book. Programmers will find holes and go exploit them. It's ismple for them to seek and find wp sites, they just search for wp files. but, the plus for Wp is its free and is often a good way to go to get started and get that initial base of content in place. We have merged many wp sites over.
The reason the biggies promote WP is its free and can be skinned relatively painlessly with quick turn around. It just seems weird that some companies charge an arm and a leg for wp sites that are open source.

 

[egoodell]

Hello catlady, I have been developing websites for 10 years and i understand your "who are you statement " I spent some time over the past few months learning about B&B's so that we could come up with a web platform that would be superb in your industry. I just found this website and can appreciate all the knowledge here.
As far as taking my word, there are principals on the web and reguardless of the industry, same principals of achieving on the web apply. The folks at the Cape Charles house were fantastic to work with and taught me a lot as well about B&B's.
I am here to help.
Thanks,
Brady Behrman.

You'll find that alot of us here are web savvy and some of us even do free lance web design Thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum. So can I ask.... what would an average cost be for a B & B web site you do. I know there are alot of variables..but in general a round figure.
THe reason I ask is...there are already quite a few "BIG GUYS" doing B & B sites and they cost an arm and a leg. It is probably the reason so many small inns have such out of date and ugly looking sites...$$$$$. There is a need for someone in a lower-mid range that understands the industry and can build something that an innkeeper can then manage by themselves without having to continually paying for updates.
You need to join the BBAV...state association as a vendor member so that more in the state will know about you. Be a vendor at one of their conferences..show the B & B folks what you have is what they need.
.

THe reason I ask is...there are already quite a few "BIG GUYS" doing B & B sites and they cost an arm and a leg. It is probably the reason so many small inns have such out of date and ugly looking sites...$$$$$. There is a need for someone in a lower-mid range that understands the industry and can build something that an innkeeper can then manage by themselves without having to continually paying for updates.
You need to join the BBAV...state association as a vendor member so that more in the state will know about you. Be a vendor at one of their conferences..show the B & B folks what you have is what they need.

I am a perfect example. We have a small inn with only 2 rooms. This winter we hope to start on our second wing and will work up to our allowed 5 rooms. We have a wine tour business but again, only two vans that we drive so usually 4 per van per tour.
So considering the quarterly taxes that we pay, adding the wing, etc. we don't at this time have $5,000 for the website. I don't think that's a bad price PROVIDING I CAN DO CHANGES AND CHANGE OUT PHOTOS myself when I wish to. I don't know HOW others keep up when they are charged $50 per hour for every change. I'd go broke.
So right now I do it on my own through trial and error and advice from Catlady when I started. I don't see me paying a designer until after the wing is up and running which wiil mean in a year or two.
Advice for me will not work as I don't understand half of what is mentioned here when discussing fixing websites. I am total trial and error. If it were not for Dreamweaver I'd be running off a blog!!!
Riki
.

I am a perfect example. We have a small inn with only 2 rooms. This winter we hope to start on our second wing and will work up to our allowed 5 rooms. We have a wine tour business but again, only two vans that we drive so usually 4 per van per tour.
So considering the quarterly taxes that we pay, adding the wing, etc. we don't at this time have $5,000 for the website. I don't think that's a bad price PROVIDING I CAN DO CHANGES AND CHANGE OUT PHOTOS myself when I wish to. I don't know HOW others keep up when they are charged $50 per hour for every change. I'd go broke.
So right now I do it on my own through trial and error and advice from Catlady when I started. I don't see me paying a designer until after the wing is up and running which wiil mean in a year or two.
Advice for me will not work as I don't understand half of what is mentioned here when discussing fixing websites. I am total trial and error. If it were not for Dreamweaver I'd be running off a blog!!!
Riki

Riki, atleast you are using dreamweaver and I understand. I looked at your website and it's good, nice work! I went to Fork Union right up there by you. Beautiful area!
With the two rooms, it likely would be to expensive for a platform like we have. Trial and error for you is the best practice, that's how most us webby's started. Running off a blog is not entirely bad btw.. Here's a secret I have uncovered "i think". When it comes to blogs, i believe in blogger.com. Blogger is owned by Google and i honestly believe google favors their own products. I have seen some amazing page ranks and SEO via blogger. Go google "how to come up in the Search Engines" . My blog is #1. shh.. don't tell anyone about blogger being favored by google ..
.

Thank you but don't look at my code...! When we are up to five rooms plus the tours than I will get a designer to polish my site. I just don't want to go as complicated as some others have as I think that gets confusing to the general public. They get lost in the website and can't find something they liked when they were there before.
RIki