Creating your own personal website
Don’t expect to finish anything till you have actually started on it…..I know it’s a cliché but couldn’t resist using it. Had been thinking of starting my own web site but even after doing a lot of reading on the net was never able to get myself a clear idea of how to go about it. There was lack of clarity as to whether I should start a blog or have my own site and this issue just kept prolonging.
It was in May 2012 that I searched for web designers in New Delhi through Google and spoke to some of them to get a better understanding. I guess since this is something that they do day in day out most of the people I contacted were unwilling to spend their time on educating me on the processes. The fee for booking the domain name, creating the website, and maintenance ranged from Rs 5k to Rs 50k depending on the designer and the extent of customization that they offered. There are quite a few sites with a DIY (do it yourself) kit wherein they offer templates for you to build your own sites….it seems to be a good and cheaper alternate to getting your site designed by someone else but unfortunately I am not a tech savy guy and feel more comfortable when I have someone who understands the topic better than what I do.
The idea behind my site was simple and I did not feel the need to really to very high end site…..at least not for now. As and when the site would attract visitors I could always improvise on the same. I finally zeroed in on a designer called Sagar and explained him the concept. As with the other designers he not only seemed to be quite a pro at this but also was quite willing to answer my questions (I can ask some pretty stupid questions at times) with clarity and patience. The discussions went on for a few days and I must appreciate the manner in which Sagar would explain the process even though some concerns were repetitive and he had already addressed them.
A soon as the fee was agreed upon and the content was clear he started the work even though I had to yet transfer the advance amount to him. The first draft was presented to me in just about a week’s time and over the next 2 weeks we kept tinkering with the site making small changes here and there. I posted my first experience on 02nd July 2012 and there it was…..I had created my own web site.
Working on word press (used for putting updates on my site) was alien to me but small efforts on a daily basis helped grow my confidence. Now I was able to upload photographs also. The site has had about 270 hits in the first month and whilst I am not sure how good that number would be in terms of site traffic but then I’m happy with it.
My communications with Sagar have been restricted to calls or mails and have not personally met him. However he is good to talk to and in case you’re contemplating to create a web site try talking to him also…..final choice of the designer will be dependent on your own individual perception and understanding. Sagar can be contacted at +91 9871570091.