Building a new website doesn’t have to be as complicated as you may think, and you don’t have to be a whizz at web design or HTML code to be able to come up with a professional, vibrant website for your business.

There are few tools and services which are virtually tailor-made for small businesses without the budget to spend on web design and development services. As technology has advanced there are now many tools that are priced reasonably but still have a quality platform to build you website on. Here is a list of 5 DIY web-building services that you should take a look at:

1. WordPress

This is by far the most popular option chosen by business owners wanting to set up websites. As a content management system, WordPress is easy to use and it is highly flexible and customisable. When you build a site with WordPress, you can add pages, themes and blog posts without any specialist knowledge whatsoever. WordPress is also free, although you will have to pay for web hosting.

2. Moonfruit

This is a free website host and editor, which allows you to design and edit a site capable of rendering in HTML, Flash or mobile HTML5. It takes a little practice to be able to master the complicated site editor, but Moonfruit has a handy 40-page guide available to help.

3. Qapacity

This website host and editor is specially geared towards businesses of all sizes, and it allows you to add your ‘service’ to Qapacity’s business network along with an associated website promoting your business. It’s easy to get started and Qapacity’s basic services are free.

4. Weebly

Although slightly easier to use than services like Moonfruit, you do lose a few of Moonfruit’s exciting design elements. Weebly has similar themes to WordPress, and the basic option is also free. However, Weebly also has the added benefit of optimising your site for mobile devices.

5. Jimdo

Jimdo is an easy to use website designer which optimises your site for mobile devices (including iPhone) and which also offers integrated e-commerce services. Jimdo does take a cut (around 10 per cent) of any sales you make through your new website. However, if you pay a little extra for business membership, you can avoid the service taking a percentage of your profits.

With so many tools out there, it can be hard to right the right one for you so my best advice is to also look at reviews and recommendations, as these will give you a good insight into the product

Christine is a content writer for Cartridge Monkey, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of discounted printer ink. Christine loves to write about technology, design and WordPress.

Would you like to build a wordpress blog but do not know how to install the software on to your web host or server? Or maybe you have just tried installing the script and come up with a blank screen or other type of error. This step by step video turtorial will show the best way to install the wordpress.zip file so that you can start your building your website today!

Have you ever considered starting your own online classifieds ads website? If so then this article will give you some great ideas on what program to use and finding the best script that suits what you are trying to achieve. The below list are the best classified themes I have used and are in no particular order as nearly every theme I have reviewed offer slightly different  options, so the best one to use is the one that closest matches your criteria.

All these themes have been selected because they meet the following criteria which I feel are essential to running and operating a successful classified business;

• Works out of the box
• Turn Key automated system
• Various merchant and payment gateways, preferably Paypal.
• Sleek, Modern Design and Layout
• Search Engine Optimisation features
• News or Blog section
• Easy to use front-end and control panel
• Flexibility and Upgradable

Classipress

This is a WordPress based classifieds theme created by Appthemes, this is by far the easiest script to install, set-up and run. Ideal for the budget conscious, your website could be up and running within 15 Minutues using this theme. It boasts a great looking design, customisable layout that would suit any general classifieds listing site. I really like the facebook login function with this system as it makes it very user freindly.  Take a look:  WordPress Classified Ads Theme

Listings

Created by the highly regarded crowd at Woothemes this WordPress simply called Listings has some nice features not regularly seen in most other scripts. This theme is definitely not for everyone as it is mainly based around the custom search function and the unique Google Maps listings which is perfect for those who want to view listings by location such as real estate. As with all Woothemes it is highly customisable with excellent SEO properties.

Flynax

By far the most powerful of any script I have seen and used, it is truly robust, customisable with great online support. The price tag is also is up there but well worth it! If you are serious about getting a solid and sophisticated stand alone system to suit any industry it’s worth checking out Flynax

WordPress Classifieds Theme

Offered by Premium Press this great turnkey solution offers another great value option with all the trimmings. This package comes with an array a feature rich options and styles which is sure to satisfy those who are after certain look.  Premium Press have designed an easy to use site  that is excellent without needing much modication.

You cannot go wrong with any of these classified themes, they all offer excellent features and can be customised to suit any industry or niche field. My advice for those willing to start this online business is to make sure you start  small, set-up your website and SEO campaign to target a certain niche or area. For example if your target audience is world wide or country make sure your website is specified niche or if you want to go more general such as Auto Sales make your captive audience your local state, county or town. If it is profitable then you can slowly expand your territory and brand.

If there are any other scripts we thick are worth a mention please tell us.

One of the best and easiest ways to get yourself started on the internet is to create a blog. Blogs have become increasingly popular over the past 10 years or so and now it seems that you are not an established business online unless you have a blog.  A blog is a live journal of posts usually based around a certain topic, industry or profession.

Can You Make Money From A Blog?

Most blogs start out as a hobby, if you can gain some momentum, readership and authority in your particular niche it can also be quite rewarding both personally and financially. A number of my freinds who have been blogging for 3+ years earn over 100K per year from Advertising, Afilliate Commisions and Guest Blogging.

Never start a blog to make money, always start a blog because you believe you have something worth while to say or deliver professional advice on a certain topic. If your desire is to soley make a fortune from writing a couple of articles each week though possible, I suggest finding a new online business idea.

How To Find A Free Blog Site?

This list of the best free blog sites was judeged by usability, free to set-up an use, versatitaly and performance.

Url: WordPress.com
Usability: 8
Versatilaty: 10
Performance: 9
Longevity: 9
Overall: 9

Url: Blogger.com
Usability: 10
Versatilaty: 6
Performance: 7
Longevity: 7
Overall: 7.5

Url: Joomla.org
Usability: 6
Versatilaty: 9
Performance: 7
Longevity: 7
Overall: 7

Url: Livejournal.com
Usability: 8
Versatilaty: 6
Performance: 7
Longevity: 7
Overall: 7

Url: Xanga.com
Usability: 7
Versatilaty: 6
Performance: 7
Longevity: 7
Overall: 6.8

Where Do I Start?

OK! You have know picked out a blog that suits your needs and experience, but you are still unsure how or where to start? A really good guide that will kick start your professional blogging career is the Income Blogging Guide  this step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of creating, building and maintaining are professional and profitable blog. Some-things you will learn are Finding Topics, Layout, Land Advertising, Engage Readers and Followship to name a few.

If there is any other free blogging software we may have missed please let us know.

So you want to start a website or blog ? Well don’t get over awed by the thousands of options out there,  In this article I will tell you the best headache free way to start you own professional  money making website or blog for little or no money at all.

When I started out building websites some 10 years ago, I definitely did it the hard way.  I had little time and money so my only option was to teach myself, first I spent over $200 purchasing books on creating websites, html, marketing, SEO etc. Since that time I have established over 50 sites of my own and have tried and tested many of the platform of which you can establish a online business, blog or website.

Thankfully today; you do not need any experience or knowledge at all to create a professional website and make money from the internet.   What you do need however; is a little determination, a couple of hours a week and the will to learn.

OK! firstly if you consider yourself as a beginner I cannot stress enough the importance of a good base on which to grow your site. The best platform on which to launch you site undoubtedly is WordPress. This free website builder is 100% free and the learning curve is easy, once you get comfortable working with wordpress it can become addictive.

One massive benefit in using WordPress is the online help and support you can get, There a literally hundreds of forums, blogs and self-help websites out there that can assist you along you way. I have never had a problem that I have not been able to sort out, as there are usually many others out there who have solved this problem in the past. No need to hire an expert IT or web designer to get you out of sticky situations.

Another impressive function of  Wordpress is the ability to grow your blog or website with online internet trends by adding what is called Plugins. These plugins are life savers, they serve nearly every purpose possible, most plugins are again free! For instance if you wanted to have a Facebook Like section on your site where visitors can view your friends on Facebook, simply download the plugin, activate it and its done! literally in seconds like magic.

WordPress is commonly used for blogs but it’s application works just as impressive for any site such as E-commerce, Social Networking, Classifieds, Dating – anything!  If you are serious about making money from your blog or site but do not have much experience with HTML then do not worry. The smartest and most effective way to build your site is to download a theme, WordPress themes are built ready to go! with everything done including layout, colours, payment gateways etc. Just add products or content. I  highly recommend Woothemes , they have many out of the box themes to suit most applications, I use Woothemes alot and have found there themes perform a lot better than others I have tried.

One thing you will realise quite early on when using WordPress is the ease of use, After a few days; you will be finding your way around the admin area and be writing content for you site in no time at all! If you do not have any prior experience in launching a website, It would be a good idea to get yourself up to speed on establishing your site online with a little training, many people fail because they do not lay a proper foundation from the start. These training manuals will give you the best possible introduction to make your site work from day one and beyond, WP Starter Guide is perfect for those who class themselves as beginners, If you feel you learn better buy watching WordPress Video Tutorials then this video course is fantastic also.

If you feel WordPress is not for you, there are other alternatives such as Blogger, Joomla, Tumblr these are all worth a look and may suit your needs better, they still seem to fall short in the abundance and power that WordPress has to offer. If you really want to build a website the  effective and free WordPress platform is my clear number one choice and has been for sometime, It has helped me build, establish and monetise many websites that receive high ranking traffic of which is very rewarding both personally and financially, I am confident you can do it too if you follow my steps above, than you can take it where ever you want from there – It’s really up to you!