UKC

Looking to help my psychologist wife set up a web page for her planned private practice. Something basic etc. 

Anyone able to recommend something? Preferably a package I can use myself, though I have on experience in setting up sites, aside from a couple of now defunct photo blogs accounts.

Most web hosts will have inbuilt 'build-a-website' software, from the most basic through to more customisable set ups like Wordpress, Joomla etc. Personally I used Wordpress as it does all the hard work for you. 

Have a look at wix.com or 1and1.co.uk and check out basic hosting packages.  Both offer solutions that include simple solutions for the novice. 

I think the easiest way to get a genuinely professional looking website without too much technical knowledge is probably Squarespace. There are lots of other options too, some already mentioned here, but in my admittedly very limited experience Squarespace has them beat on the balance between ease of use and a modern-looking result. It would be cheaper to do more of it yourself but it's not prohibitively expensive.

Edit: WordPress is very powerful and flexible but you've got to be cautious with it because it can potentially have big security holes.

Agreed - another vote for squarespace - incredibly easy to use for a first-timer and their basic plans (with no e-commerce) aren't expensive at all when compared with similar packages on wix etc...

1and 1 is cheaper though, for asimple web site £6.99 / month

Fair enough, but is it as good, or better?  One can always buy something a little bit worse for a little bit less money, after all.

Good point, and I don't know. They only recently put their prices up (1 and 1) I've been with then since 2003, the price rise was 58% for no discernible difference. But the rise brings then into line with most others.

They've been pretty good, but I don't do a lot with the site to be fair.

I used Wix in the end, after faffing around with Wordpress for a bit and not really liking what I achieved in terms of look and layout. You can see the results in my profile if you're interested, the home page and "about me" stuff is probably most relevant to a simple page. If you just want a few static pages, it wouldn't take long (I've got galleries and a blog too, and took me a couple of weeks to set up!). There are some quite modern and flashy templates you can use, though I preferred to keep it simple, and I dislike the current trend for endless vertical scrolling with text and images coming and going, sometimes static, sometimes scrolling, often white text on dark which does my eyes in.

There are various levels of paid packages above the basic. I ended up going for Premium. More than I intended originally, but its worth it for me, and there are some things included that I still haven't got round to including. Sounds like others are cheaper and may be more appropriate.

If you do it yourself, be warned, its hard to be completely happy and the temptation is to keep faffing and never quite finish it. Eventually I bit the bullet and published it, but I still have loads to add if I ever find the time.

Before I built the site, I had no experience of doing anything other than a PowerPoint presentation, and I found it very simple and intuitive once I'd played around a little.

Thanks and I have had a look. Your site looks great though I would not require so much functionality.

...already put off by Wix: I seemingly need to create an account from the outset before I can even browse the prices! Doesn't bode well...

Doe your wife offer high quality treatment that is expensive and specialist?

Or does she offer "budget" (think Ryanair) consultations?

word of warning with squarespace if you need any kind of events diary function it's a bit meh; no ability for reoccurring events or even to copy one event so you don't have to make a new one every time... 

In the long tradition of UKC I'm not going to answer the question but my response is meant to be helpful!

It might be worth finding out how much it would cost to have a professional do it, and whether doing it yourself would be a false economy when you consider the fees a psychologist can earn.

Amateur sites can be a real turn-off to potential customers if they aren't done very well. Have a look at some existing sites for psychologists and you should see what I mean. There's also the question of search engine optimisation, so that the site attracts plenty of visitors. It's not rocket science but it is an important consideration.

Creating a website for friends or family can sometimes be surprisingly fraught, especially over questions of look and feel. When changes are needed to the site a long time after you created it, it can be time-consuming to figure it all out again.

If you do decide to do it yourself, I'd agree with the suggestions to be wary of WordPress.

I'm using Wordpress just fine for my website, using a theme called 'Oxygen', and am having no security issues. Occasional spam gets sent via my feedback form, but this never gets seen on the website and is easily binned in the control panel. 

Weebly is half the price of squarespace and just as good.