Need help with DW V20 to https secure

[cprowell]

We have a web site launched in 1996 that needs someone familiar with DW v20.   Making it https secure.

The site is about 700 pages.  I realize this is not a job-posting platform, but we'd love to have someone available for this project, and a host of other issues that need ongoing attention. 

Charles Prowell

[Link and email removed by moderator, per forum policy.]

[Nancy OShea]

Secure HTTPS is a server issue that has nothing to do with your code editor.  Contact your web host and ask about adding SSL/TLS certificates to your plan.  These days, most web hosts include basic SSL certificates as part of their hosting package.

Regarding your 1996 FrontPage-built website.  Yes, it's very outdated.  You need a new web site.  The first page alone contains 78 code errors.  See results below.

http://validator.w3.org/check?verbose=1&uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prowellwoodworks.com%2F

Hire an experienced web developer to build you a new site. Consider switching to WordPress or some other online site building platform with built-in e-commerce and a content management system (CMS). 

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[cprowell]

Thank you for your reply, Nancy.

Our long-time server--Sonic-- does not offer SSL certificates. We're looking for someone to manage this transition to HTTPS.  We're also looking for a reliable and trustworthy web builder to bring the current Dreamweaver web site up to date with coding errors, etc.  We do not want a Wordpress website.   How does one locate an experienced web builder famililiar with dreamweaver? 

Charles

[Nancy OShea]

" We do not want a Wordpress website. "

700 static pages is a 10,000 lb gorilla.  If not WP, then some other solution with CMS and e-commerce.  Which one depends on your budget and hosting plan.

"How does one locate an experienced web builder...?"

Search online for web developers/agencies in your region.  Also post your job on Behance/Adobe Talent (free for a limited time only).

https://www.behance.net/adobetalent

Example: https://www.behance.net/joblist?field=web%20design&country=US&state=CA

[Ben M]

I'll second what Nancy said.  If you have a 700 page site that you don't want to build into some sort of CMS that would be a heavy lift.  Also if the site has not been updated in that long of time, you are probably talking about a new build instead of updating what is out there because what you have is likely not SEO-optimized, nor mobile optimized and is probably being penalized for mobile accessibility in addition to not having an SSL certificate, even a free one like Let's Encrypt.

I was able to find a link to your site based on that host and what I was able to find I would say is very disturbing because it's a very old version of Apache, as well as a very old and out of date version of PHP.  I would prioritze finding a new host even before a developer to get your site onto a better host with free SSL.

[cprowell]

Thanks for your input, Ben. Somewhere along the line--2004 or so--I decided to focus on the product and ignore the ever-changing technology. Early on, the site search results always gave us 1st page top results.  In 2000, when google replace yahoo as the leading search engine, we reconfigured everything and maintained out top results.  This has never wavered. 'custom wood garden gates' has contnued throughout the decades to perform, regardless of the rampant  coding errors. But . . . it's time to get it under control. As I mejtioned to Nancy aboce, we're moving to a new host and will begin looking for a web builder to move over to a new platform and hopefully maintian the integrity of the content of the site as much as possible. The site, obviously, is a labor of love--maintained on a daily basis for 25 years, growing from the original 5 html pages in 1996 to the current size of 700+/_ pages.  It's hard for anyone to imagine website business environment back then. Modems were 9.6 and too slow to efficienctly download images; payment options didn't exist; webmasters didn't exist;  Macs has 2 mg hard drives and 500 K memories; and the internet was still considered a platform of brotherly love--a free exchange of ideas. So we took a lot of heat at the time--as a business entity.  Ha. Sounds like I'm describing Cold War Czechoslovakia.

[Nancy OShea]

I'm not a GoDaddy fan. Get managed WordPress hosting now so you won't need to change hosts again later.

https://www.wpbeginner.com/wordpress-hosting/

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-web-hosting-services

https://www.dreamhost.com/promo/pcmcj495/?

[cprowell]

Thanks nancy,

We've done a 180 and realized it's time to shift away from Dreamweaver. We're moving the web site from the longtime host at Sonic over to GoDaddy, which will make the HTTPS Secure transition much simpler.  And thank you for the links re locating a web builder who can climb on board with transitioning the site over to a more appropriate platform, such as Wordpress.  No small undertaking. The cost, I'm sure, will be staggering, but it is what it is. Thank you so much for your help. 

Charles Prowell