Hi there. I don't have a website yet but would love to post services offered. Do you think it's absolutely necessary to have one in order to get work?
Any suggestions on how to get started with one at very low cost? Thanks for any assistance!

I'm in the same boat! I've just transitioned from in-office employment to working from home as a virtual assistant.
I did take two clients "with" me when I left the office job, not out of malice, but b/c they asked me what I would do after I left - they are still clients of my previous company where I was in accounting but hired me to help out with small projects like research, data entry, etc.
The thing is, with the transition and the work coming so soon I haven't had time to figure out how to put up a quick professional website listing my services, fees, contact. I'd love to be able to do this over a weekend but don't know the first thing about getting started. Help!!!

It can be intimidating getting a website started, for sure - but it doesn't have to be and it's ultimately really fun as well as one of the most important things you will to to get your business up and running.

There are a few ways to go about initiating the process, one of which is to decide if you have the budget to hire someone to design your website for you. A quick, three page professional website can cost as little as $300. All you need to do is write up your content, list your services, contact information, rates, skills, and any other information you'd like potential clients to have and the designer/programmer will do the rest.

If you would rather create the site yourself but don't have the skills to design and code it you can search for 'free professional website' or similar keywords in Google.MSN, or Yahoo! and come up with many variations on both free website building kits *and* hosting - bear in mind though that most free programs and hosting services require advertising, which means they will place ads of their choosing on your site. Personally, I feel a truly professional website should be free from ads such as these as they detract from the message you're trying to portray (ie - independent, professional service provider) but it can be a good option for experimentation and just getting yourself off the ground initially.

Of course, no matter which direction you go you'll need to select a website name that reflects your industry and lets people know what you're all about. You will need to register that name (URL) with a site registrar like GoDaddy, Ace Net, or the like. Many registrars offer extremely low rates to do this if you pay for three or five years in advance. Otherwise, you can just pay for the first year and renew each year thereafter.

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I guess the first thing I need to do is figure out what I want to call myself on the web!
I was thinking of running a blog also, related to my VA practice and giving general advice, tips, links to helpful places on the web. The kind of thing a small business client would benefit from.
I noticed in your post on free products and services (resources) for upgrading a VA office for free you mention a program for blogging.
I took a look at it and set up an account and it looks great but I don't know how to add it to my (soon to be) website. Is there support for this kind of thing? Also, if I start the blog now, just to get some content in there can I add it to my website when that's ready?

Yes, let us know if you need any help brainstorming a name.
Try to use something that will already be favored in search engines for relative searches, with the words, virtual, assistant, administration, office, service, secretary, etc.
It will make a world of difference in your site being returned higher in search results for someone looking for a VA.

Regarding the blog program - it is a fabulous one! My husband actually built that for me so that I could have a blog program for myself that would be totally customizable - because I'm always changing around my own website designs - and of course we realized it would be a great tool to install for web design clients.
There is a great support forum for the blog program, if you just go to the front page of the site here and click the link for support forum in the main menu - you can post any and all questions you have about how to set it up and get a quick reply. And yes, you can move the blog from the PHP Blog Manager host to your own website at any time, so you can get that part of your website 'set up' right away

Having a blog on your site is a fabulous way to add content (brings the search results up that much more), great idea! As well as keeping clients abreast of what you're up to, and providing 'free' information to potential clients.

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I realized I didn't fully answer your first question, so here goes:
I don't think it's absolutely necessary to have one to get work as a VA, but I do know from experience that it will help you immensely in marketing yourself and giving prospective clients a place to look for price info, services, etc.
I didn't have a website for the first six months I worked as a VA and I really did just fine, but I wonder now how many new contacts and projects I'd have been offered had I gotten one up sooner.

Now, I've given up that website in favor of this forum, since I only work on referral now...but I think if you're just getting started it can't hurt!

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I used Microsoft Office Live for my website. Believe it or not, the "Office Live Basics" package is free. There is a small Office Live logo that displays on the bottom of my webpages. But it doesn't bother me because it's discreet and looks professional. Other than that, no ads. I didn't have any experience with web design when I started, so this was a perfect option for me. Also I couldn't beat the price. The downside is that you are somewhat limited with design options. But it's also extremely easy to use, so you can build the site yourself. Just one more option if you don't want to invest too much at this point and don't need a lot of features. You can always move your domain name to a different web hosting service later down the road.

Thanks for the great suggestion! Do you feel like sharing the URL of your site so us curious folks can take a look at what you created?

I just thought I'd add the link to Microsoft Office Live for anyone who wants to check it out.

Thanks again

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Sure, I'd be happy to. Here's the link to my website:

www.assistantsaclickaway.com

I just decided to jump into the thread. I hired a designer to do my site from a freelance website. I don't like to say negative things about people but they did such a bad job I ended up scrapping the whole project after I'd already paid and then lost my $500 deposit. I'm now working with another designer, but wish I'd known about this option.
Your site is very clean looking and well organized. (My original designers had all kinds of whirling stuff and blinky things going on. Terrible )
I do like being able to direct my designer to create my vision though, and I'm not sure the Microsoft free option would allow me to do that.
How much flexibility did you have? You mention some restrictions as far as design, just wondering.