Hi, I need to build a site(and dont have any design skills) and would like to get it up within 3 weeks...... Not much time to learn web design.  I see ads for 1&1, SBI(Sitesell) and Homestead all over. With the help of Perry Marshall I will initially use Google Adwords.  I really would like to do it myself because I want to SEO and upgrade it myself on an ongoing basis. My business is security window gates(I live in NYC!) so there are no predone templates for my trade.
   I would appreciate all suggestions..... Thanks everyone

Hey SQ,

welcome aboard! Sounds like a great project and i know we can help. I would shoot some specific questions with details on what you need help with and we can get the ball rolling

I think my main question is: should I use one of the website hosting companies(1&1, SBI(Sitesell) , Homestead,Go Daddy )that advertise in the business magazines to build my first website?(finances are tight) If so, which one would anyone recommend?  I am open to all suggestions. I am learning basic HTML...... There are currently no sites for my specific business nitch(Security window gates)
                                                                                                                                     Thanks Everyone!!

G'day SQ. Welcome.

Go with one of those on builder sites if you wish. I'd advise against against it.

They will allow you to build a site in an evening, but you'll have little control and little SEO. It will never be much of a job. Most real webmasters will hide from you so you won't get much help except on the propriety forum.

If you're learning basic html you won't need an online builder. You can build your site your very own self. However, if you're going to eat, sleep and go to work, you won't have a rip snorting site built in three weeks. Give it six months and you might have something up that you can continue to work on.

There's more to it than meets the eye. You might consider paying an expert a few hundred bucks and it'll be done good in a few days.

See what others reckon, Mate.

Regards,
Laurie.

I am not a fan of

Cheap
Fast
No Control

It simply won't get you far against those with $$, taking their time and have complete control over their site

Tho, if you have NO competitors.. why worry? The world is your oyster oui?

I reckon you can build a basic html site in three weeks, check out my gwema site in the sig, it look scary at first but was up quickly, slowly i have been adding to it and my confidence in website building and will eventually give it the overhaul as i move to php. But the point being you can create something with html fairly easily - its not a complex language. Market it with our advice and improve it as you learn.

Or take Laurie' advice and pay someone to build you a good website  fairly quickly. Essentially the seo potential is up to you, you cant market something really well if you don't understand it kinda well.  Although, as Gypsy said, if you have no competition, why worry? think of the race between the tortoise and the rabbit, quick n easy is fun for a night but mite give you herpes in the morning.... damn, im making analogies again

Well I don’t know if saintquinn is coming back but this would be a good opportunity to catch saintquinn before saintquinn  commits to something that they may regret later.

But you really can’t help much more, since saintquinn doesn’t really indicate the true purpose of the site. The poster said they were going with Adwords? Hmmm.

But I agree that there’s not much competition. So with a little KW / phrase research it should be cakewalk. I know you don’t like them... but he could cut his teeth on a WYSIWYG editor and some simple site hosting which would keep the cost affordable, yet give him some control over SEO and compete.

Dropping a link to your hosting service and making promises without knowing a prospective clients business needs is a wishy washy way of doing business.

yes I would suggest using a WYSIWYG editor to start, then progress into hand coding in time.
There are some reasonable free ones out there I should think.

Agreed.... DIY first, pay later

Hiya SQ,
     Listen, if your trying to build a website with no HTML exp , if it were me, I'd try HyperVRE.com. Take a look and see what they're offering. It's a really good way to build websites easy. And you can get it free! They have a paid version that's a lot better but for now I think the free version would do you well. Try it and see.....Good luck.
Kawpykat

As for hosintg, try http://www.mediatemple.net They are a tier 4 hosting company, very reliable, competitively priced and comes with Urchin, an excellent website statistic tool. They have been great and helped our company a great deal. The Grid Server plan should be fine for what you are trying to accomplish. Good Luck.

Well, Thank You everyone who was helpful (and not the "flamboyant" guy who was sarcastic).
  I am always open to further suggestions....