Tech luddite - how to create a single page website?

[RadioDorothy]

I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, but I've looked up all the usual website builder tools online and I'm really struggling to understand what to do.

All I need is a single page, or maybe 2 pages at a push, simple site to give DH's new business an online presence. I signed up to one (1and1?) but when I was trying to build the site it inexplicably crashed and sent me through to a German website.

I've looked at some others, but there's talk of widgets and gizmos and a selection of royalty free images which bear no bloody relation to the business. I can't find a single simple, easy to follow builder which doesn't have the name of the tool as the host, OR insist that you sign up to £20 a month before you even start designing.

Perhaps I'm just technologically illiterate, any suggestions or recommendations? I know I'll need to pay for hosting.

Could you set it up as a blog using one of the free blogging sites like WordPress? That would allow you to create a simple webpage you had total control over.

I second Wordpress. I have a Wordpress site and I bought a domain name separately. You pay for the domain and pay a fee to Wordpess to use your own domain instead of the free website address you initially set up with them. It doesn't cost much, think mine is about £20 a year all in. And I'm not very technical either, it was all really easy to set up.

Noah was just getting the poo out of the arc when I last did a website but you can use Microsoft Word even to create a web page.
You create a 'page' as you would a document and IIRC you can 'export' it as a HTML webpage.

Wix has some single page templates (under the "blank" section I think).

try googleSites or Weebly. both will let you set up a 1 page site for free and pretty easily.

but if you want your own domain name (e.g. RadioDorothy.co.uk) then you have to pay for that separately and it is a bit more complex to set up.

start by searching on AjaxWhoIs to find if the domain name you want is available, and if it is then you can buy it and make it point to your website (hosted on Weebly etc).

Oh brilliant, thanks for those replies - I'll give them a try! I had no idea about WordPress, I use that myself.

Now I have the added conundrum of the business title. He has one speciality, but that goes quiet for a while during the year when he will supplement his main specialism with more general property maintenance.

How do I work that into a business name?! Say the specialism was pool cleaning, "Mr Dorothy Pool Cleaning and property maintenance" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue does it. And "Mr Dorothy pool cleaning" will attract clients with swimming pools, but doesn't indicate that there is so much more work he can do beyond that.

He isn't a pool cleaner obvs...

OMG this is driving me BATSHIT.

I tried another single page site service - chose a domain, signed up for £1 per month (hosting? No idea) but I couldn't edit or upgrade the site itself - couldn't even edit a logo. So I cancelled it quickly, and now the domain name I chose is no longer AVAILABLE elsewhere because apparently I signed up for a MONTH.

So I tried Weebly, chose a different domain and signed up for £5 per month (think that is for connection to a domain name). It suggests that everything is editable, but whenever I try it prompts me to choose a domain name again, this time for £13 a month. Huh?

WTF is happening, I don't understand? I can't lift a finger without someone wanting my bloody PayPal details

Do NOT use Wix. I had to do something similar last year, no bells or whistles, just a simple page and was advised to use Wix. I found it hard to use, it's earl for CEO and the best bit was when the mobile site wasn't working and I emailed them, they responded saying that no ones mobile site had been working for weeks. No apology, and I was on the premium plan.

I would just use WordPress OP.

crap for CEO, not earl.

I just carefully dollowed a step by step guide for buying a domain name and signing up for for Bluehost, then installing word press as the editor. I thought I signed up for about 10 quid for the domain, and a couple of quid a month for hosting. They took $130 off my debit card!

What the hell??

I got it back but can't cancel the domain name registration - that's ok, I can use it still I assume?

*followed

I'm so frustrated and pissed off I could break something.