How do I design websites for others?

I understand the process of designing and optimizing. I've been designing for quite some time. In fact, most of what I know I've learned myself. Designing with Fireworks and Dreamweaver comes quite naturally to me and then I optimize.

My question falls more in line with the business end of things. As far as domain name purchasing, web hostimg services, etc., who's name does it all go in? Do I purchase all this and charge the customers a flat fee? Or should I walk the customers through chosing the domain, and the hosting providers?

Any insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

You can get started with a reseller account at HostGator for only $25 a month... and then upgrade for higher capacity if you need it.

Or alternately, if you want to go the route of having the client sign up for their own account, sign up for HostGator's affiliate program and earn an extra $50 for getting them the account (more if you have a higher monthly business volume.

Have the company purchase the domains. Give your advice on where to look and the best way to do it but it needs to be in their name that way when you leave they still have all the info.

I use 123-reg.co.uk for domain names- they work out to be quite cheap. With this you are basically renting the name for a period (for a .co.uk name you pay about 拢3 for two years). For that time, the name is yours.

Web Hosting- Depends on what you want. if you work with PHP, ASP, need a MYSQL db- more than one? How much space and bandwidth do you need? what about Email addresses- just autoforwarders or full on POP3- again, how many and do you want webmail... and the list goes on.

If you're looking to get into designing for others then you're going to want to use a hosting company that offers as much as possible- if you look for just what you need for your current project you could find yourself in a panic if someone asks you to build them a site where a huge database is required- you're better off getting yourself an account with one to begin with.

Reliable hosting companies I use are www.34SP.com and www.Ravensloft.co.uk Check them out.

Chosing names and so on, the most important thing you need to do is to communicate with your client on this- Do some searches (again, there's a feature on 123-reg.co.uk) for available names.
So you make a wesite for someone who is, for instance selling printed coffee mugs- they call their company "mugshotz" (again, for instance). www.mugshotz.com is taken, as is mug-shotz and several other variants. You might have to recommend a list of availible names.. "mugshotz-printing.com" etc. At the end of the day, the name ought to be your customer's choice.

When you charge your fee for the work and all, you ought to put in your bill for the website (going rate for me is 拢100 for the first page (plain HTML or PHP) and 拢45 per page thereafter- with a 拢75 fee for setting up any databases, CGI, perl or other scripts). After that, you also put in a second invoice for the ammount for the hosting and name (charge what it costs for the hosting only)- and put on an extra tenner or so for admin.

Don't forget!!
ALWAYS make sure you add in a maintenance contract for the site. No doubt when the thing's online and running, six months up the line they'll decide that they don't like the colour scheme or want some pages reworded and you end up doing a day's work... you ought to be paid for that work!

Good luck and have fun.

see, u can purchase for your customers everytime... or go for a reseller plan and charge a flat price to your customer.... I knw the cheapest reseller.... Kohli Hosting
5GB Webspace
Host Unlimited Domains
Unlimited Bandwidth (None gives this feature)
Unlimited Email Accounts
Unlimited FTP Accounts
Your Company DNS (none ever comes to knw you don't have your own servers)
Sub Reseller Allowed (U can resell it also)
Windows Server 2003 / Linux in one Account (None provides this)
Java, PHP, ASP.net 2.0, ASP, ColdFusion, everything supported under one plan.... wat more u can expect??

So wat r u waiting for??? It all for $280 only and if u wanna go another plan for 2GB Webspace and Host 50 Domains for $140 only....

Reseller is not updated in site... so contact by email at ba@kohlihosting.com or http://ww.kohlihosting.com

This will be the best idea and u can earn more b'coz u can charge watever u like as well as it will under your own name... your own webhosting company...