12 Responses

1. not what you want but…
   Jennifer

   I’m not an IT trainer but I got one of these for Christmas two years ago

   I was so impressed I have bought two more and renewed the original.

   Have a look at mine at http://www.coach-and-courses.com or my wife’s at http://www.forheavenscake.co.uk

   It really is easy to build, update and amend

   PS no, I’m not on commission…..(unless you mention my name if you buy one) when I will earn the shocking sum of £1
   !!!!
   Rus

2. Website
   Go for it. http://www.paulabbottassociates.com courtesy of mrsite! And I had a glass of sherry in hand as it was a Xmas present. Good luck.

3. Even cheaper
   Jennifer

   I would also check out the price at amazon.co.uk, as Mr Site was half the price, when I last looked.

   Gareth Roberts

4. Mr Site – too good to be true ?
   I’m a suspicious old b*gg*r – are there any catches ?!

5. instant websites
   While from a visual point of view these packages are ok the problem occurs when you want people to find you.

   Subtle things like metatags, variable names etc all add to your visability by search engines.
   This is what the real money is about. what they call SEO (search engine optimisation) and unfortunatly these ‘instant’ sites often cannot be optimised.

   There is also a risk that the server that your site is hosted on has 100’s of other sites and if you are unlucky you will find a site on the same server as you that has been blacklisted – that means your sites will be too.

   Just to put the cost into context a domain will cost £1.95 per year and you can get hosting from £20 per year. Many providers offer website creation software free.

   Key thinks to think about are:
   How quick does your site load? – check with Alexa
   who has the copyright to the site – when you visit sites built with these packages -in explorer click on “view scource” and read the text – this is what the search engines see – does it contain adverts for sites other than the one shown to users? – at the site shown you will see a lot of the pages called “page2” “page3” etc – this is not good for SEO

   These ‘site in a box’ are ok for people who just want a basic presence – but many people out grow them in weeks. If you want to add shopping cart or forms and newsletters etc it is often difficult – although MRSITE does have most of these features at a basic level.

   If you have nothing at the moment then it is better than nothing – just plan your site carefully – do not let it grow organically or it will end up in a mess!

   Mike
   http://www.rapidbi.com/bir
   ps – NEVER have your email address in text on your website – YOU WILL GET SPAMMED or worse your email address hijacked for sending spam. If you want to be contacted use a contact form or have your email in a graphic – not text!

6. Thanks…
   … Mr Morrison – you’re a mine of information as ever !

   Mr Site charges £2.49 a month after the 1st year, so not such a good deal.

7. upgrade
   There has recently been an addition to mrsite, you can upgrade to mrsite pro and that gives you SEO. Don’t know how good it is though

   Rich

8. SEO and…
   Hi Rich – yes you can change the metadata which can be used for SEO but that is the limit. As I mentioned if the sever that your site is on has its IP address blocked because of spam or search blocks of one reason or another then that is the issue

   SEO work is only as good as the knowledge of the person doing the work, the choice of words used, the content you put on the page and the quality of the links to and from your site.

   Mike
   http://www.rapidbi.com/bir

9. notwithstanding Mike’s hangup…
   I appreciate Mike’s comments about SEO and I’m sure it is valid. As someone who isn’t a website programmer but wanted a presence to whichI could direct people (rather than wanting to be search engine optimised) the benefits to me are:
   -I was able to pick my own domain name easily
   -I built my own website in a half a day with no special skills
   -I can update my webiste in a matter of minutes, 24/7 without relying on anyone else
   -I can add all sorts of stuff like password protected pages for clients to download workbooks
   -I can offer downloads to all and sundry, free and easy
   -I can post news items at will
   -I do all this for less that a pound a week

   OK, we can point out it’s flaws but for me it remains Bl***y good value for money…I don’t want a Farrari, I want a Ford Prefect!

   Rus

10. Cooo !
    Someone else around in the days of Ford Prefects! That’s almost as long as MBTI. My copy is in the post from Amazon – watch this space Jennifer.

11. You pay your money…
    Rus – do I really have a hang-up??

    As you say for want you get is good value. reg-123 also have a similar package for £2.95 per month – there are lots of these around.

    My goal in sharing the information I have is that you do pay your money and take your choice. Having a brochure site is great for most people – BUT some people will be very disappointed if they buy this and then wonder why they are on page 20 of google!

    Mike
    http://www.rapidbi.com/creatrix

12. Website in a box

     I have a second career as a Genealogist and have just published my new website http://www.findmybritishroots.com using the Mr Site beginners kit, I’m pleased with the results, really good value for money.

    Angela