Im a complete beginner in all of this so I dont know any better and probably will sound very stupid so bear with me.
To preface, I am a student on a leave (for a year) and wish to learn web development and to know how to properly code things; however, a friend offered me to work with him on setting up a business and proposed that I get involved on the website side of things to gain experience firsthand. It sounded like a good opportunity at the time so i agreed (i also know that i can help with a lot of other things so i took it).
Problem is I have to do while learning and I wonder if I should opt for WordPress since I dont know shit yet. It will be a pretty simple website for a small consultancy, and he himself said I should do it on WordPress. Now it also feels like he might be rushing a little (not giving me much time to step back and learn). So I want to ask
1. In your opinion, which route would be better in the long-term for this kind of business?
2. Would it be possible for me to make a good enough website for a consultancy start-up?
3. Any advice on what languages i should learn to make my own modifications on WP if needed?
4. What factors should i consider if i am building from scratch? Would it be disadvantageous in any way?
5. Are domains and hosting the only other additional things we’d have to consider and pay for? Or are there things i am missing?
6. How big of a budget should we have for a website? Does the country/region matter much?
If you want to be in the web design / development business the bare minimum you should know is HTML and CSS (JavaScript is also super useful but I’d put that above “bare minimum”).
1. Depends on what kind of website agency you’re looking to run.
1. For fully custom websites then look into JS frameworks like Vue, React, Nuxt, Next and then you can add CMS capabilities through headless CMS like Sanity, Headless WP, Prismic, Ghost etc… Keep in mind these are all far more complicated than setting up a WP site and finding clients for it may not be as easy as finding WP clients as they’ll need to have a developer on board to manage the custom site.
2. If you’re looking to build websites for SMEs then WP may be the way forward. They’re quick and easy to set up, clients can add and edit their own things. You can buy a theme, slap it on a WP site, modify it a bit and call it a day. But on the other hand, WP sites can also be very custom and advanced. This is because WP is no longer just a blogging platform, it’s become a website creation platform.
2. Yes, spend a day or two watching YouTube tutorials on how WordPress works. Look at how to install and modify themes. Download Local by Flywheel to setup a local installation of WP and you can start playing around with WordPress without having to deal with hosting yet.
3. HTML and CSS is always a must for anything website related. If you’ve decided to go with WordPress for the long term then you might want to learn PHP, but this is not necessary for now. Just find a good looking theme that can be easily edited and start there.
4. A lot of factors. You’re going to have to learn far too much to even come close to making a site that looks and functions as nicely as a premade theme. And by the time you think you’re “ready” (quotations because no one is ever ready) your friend probably already hired someone on Fiverr to slap on a theme.
5. Domains and hosting yes. Additional premium plugin subscriptions you might have on your WordPress installation as well to consider.
6. Budget for what? Domains, hosting and themes you can look around and get a general feel of the prices. But generally it shouldn’t cost you that much.
> In your opinion, which route would be better in the long-term for this kind of business?
You haven’t said what kind of business it is.
> Would it be possible for me to make a good enough website for a consultancy start-up?
Yes and no.
> Any advice on what languages i should learn to make my own modifications on WP if needed?
I say this from the heart; it doesn’t matter, you’re not ready.
> What factors should i consider if i am building from scratch? Would it be disadvantageous in any way?
It would be *disastrous* in every possible way. Learn how to use wordpress as an editor and an admin first.
> Are domains and hosting the only other additional things we’d have to consider and pay for? Or are there things i am missing?
Oh, brother…you should get someone who has developer experience to at least consult you on your way. You are missing, well, everything.
> How big of a budget should we have for a website?
Based on what you’ve shared, somewhere in the range of $0 to $150k.
> Does the country/region matter much?
Yes and no.
Your questions are vague. Your goal is unclear. I’m happy to help when you have some clarity in what you are looking to accomplish, both for yourself and your friend’s business; they are two separate things.