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I need a website but don't know where to start!
I can take care of the technical processes of setting up a website. You may have some logos, photos and text you'd like to appear on the site and I can include all this in the design. You may decide to start with one to three pages and then add to it as your business grows.
I'm very busy and don't have time to think about content and design:
Organising Your Project: this simple guide may help
- Brainstorm and make notes, jot down any questions you may have
- Sketch out all your ideas and requirements
- Organize physical folders to keep information and materials for your website: photos, brochures, company logo and written materials
- A directory folder on your computer with text for your website, digitized photos, images, logos, and other relevant information
- Look at websites that are related to yours in some way. This will help you analyse your competition. It will also help you with ideas for your own site.
- Make a note of the following:
- websites that you like and dislike and why
- any websites that have elements that you like, such as colors, navigation, graphics, page layout, the type of content and how it's presented
Things to Consider:
- Purpose of website
- Target audience
- Website content:
- text, and who will write or provide the text if not already available. Some very basic contents might be:
- who you are/biography
- what you do
- your contact details
- list of services or products
- photographs and images
- logo
- pricing page
- Updating of text and other content to keep site fresh and content current
- If you haven't already done so, write or gather content and other materials for your web site. Remember your website design is based on its content.
- Ideas to bring in new visitors and repeat visitors
I need a web and email address but my content isn't ready.
You can establish your web address and email in advance of the site going live and a temporary holding page can be set up to advertise that your site is under construction.
A domain name is the www. address eg: "www.anamehere.co.uk". Anyone can register a .com, .co.uk or.net name. The suffix of a web address usually tells you what kind of site it is, the following list is not exhaustive but are amongst the most common:
- .com a commercial organisation
- .co.uk a UK company
- .gov a government body
- .info unrestricted use
- .biz a business
- .org a non-profit making organisation
- .edu an educational institution
- .museum a museum
- .ac an academic institution
- .net a network/commerical organisation
The domain name you choose will be registered in your name and will be leased to you for an annual fee. Annual fees for a name are usually in the region of £10 to £15. If you choose to arrange domain name and hosting yourself, you should be aware that some hosting companies register the domain in their name making it difficult and expensive to transfer elsewhere should you wish to, so it is important to check the company's policy before you sign up.
Domain names and trademarks have completely separate registration systems. However, domain names can acquire trademark significance if they are used to identify the source of products or services. Owning a trademark does not give you a right to a domain name.
Hosting is the space you rent on the internet on which to store and display your pages. The company who hold that space are the hosts. Hosting packages offer various facilities and this is reflected in the price. You may pay more for complex programming or database facilities.
What about images and graphic design for my website?
You can use your own images or logos and any additional photography can be arranged.
What is the timescale for my website to go live?
Deadlines can usually be accommodated where necessary, but generally providing content is supplied in good time, the site could be live in two to three weeks or sooner.
How much content per page can I have?
It's difficult to quantify this because it will depend on the size of images etc, there is really no limit but for user-friendly pages around 400 words per page is about right. If there is a substantial amount of text this could be split into two or three pages and would not attract an additional charge. It's best to avoid creating pages that require a lot of scrolling.
Can I upgrade my website once its gone live?
Web pages can always be amended or upgraded after going live.
Can I amend/update my website myself?
You will be able to access an on-line control panel and update your website. Updates can be made anytime. I do offer an hour's tuition at £35 with easy step by step guide to help you use free software to make updates. See the tutoring page. This is useful for businesses with websites that need regular changes.
E-Commerce: How can I sell items from my website?
For starter sites, probably the most simple and cost effective solution is to use Google or PayPal.
