I need a Website but don't know where to start!
I can guide you through the process of setting up a website and will be able to explain the technical jargon as we go. 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, make notes, including questions you may have
- Sketch out all your ideas and requirements
- Organize physical folders to keep information and materials for your web site: photos, brochures, company logo and written materials, including sample pages of sites you like and dislike
- A directory folder on your computer with text for your web site, digitized photos, images, logos, and other relevant information
- Look at web sites that are related to yours in some way. This will help you analyse your competition and give an overview of web sites generally. It will also help you with ideas for your own site.
- Make a note of the following:
- Web sites that you like and dislike and why
- Any Web sites that have elements that you like, such as colors, navigation, overall layout, the type of content and how it's presented
Things to Consider:
- Purpose of Web site
- Target audience
- Web site 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 web site 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. Eg highstreetdental.co.uk
A domain name is the www. address eg: "www.anamehere.co.uk". It's like registering your business at Companies House. Names are being registered rapidly (approx 100 million names will be registered in the next two years alone). 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 £12 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 refers to rented space on the web on which to store 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 site?
You can use your own images or logos and any additional photography can be arranged.
What is the timescale for my site 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 site once its gone live?
Web pages can always be amended or upgraded after going live.
Can I amend/update my site myself?
You will be able to access an on-line control panel which has an easy to use drag and drop feature so that you can update your pages and then drag them into the on-line upload screen. You can update anytime.
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.