Getting Started
What is web site? Basically, a web site is a set of documents called 'web pages' that you can view via the Internet through a web browser.
The basic approach to web page design is to attract customers, provide information about your company and to entice them to browse your site. Here are the steps:
Clarify your goals
A vital step in deciding what type of web site is right for your business or organization is to clarify what you want to accomplish. This decision will affect, among other things, the content and organization of your home page and how it is maintained.
Some of the goals may include:
- To provide general information about your business or organization to perspective customers/members.
- To disseminate information among current customers/members (e.g., online newsletter, organizational directory, etc.)
- To provide a means of communitcation between you and your customers/members.
Define your audience
Hand in hand with clarifying your goals is defining your audience. Who is the intended audience for your web site? Who do you want to reach?
Businesses, for example, may want to provide information to their existing customer base as well as reach out to attract new customers.
Defining these needs will help us create the content of your site.
Design your site
A lot of web site designers, it seems, want to use the most sophisticated technology: animated graphics, frames, Java, etc.
However, you do not have to use cutting-edge technology in order to create a web site that is attractive and offers useful information. In fact, the simpler you keep it, the better you can be assured that your page is accessible to users with different types of browsers and hardware.
Spend the most time and effort designing the home page!
Since the home page is most likely the first page that your audience will see when they visit your web site, this is the page that needs to be most effective. If you have defined your audiences, then ask yourself if the home page makes it easy for each audience to find the information you think they will be looking for.
Site Features
While a website is defined a set of linked documents, many web sites do more than just present information; they contain interactive features.
Generally speaking, interactive features all involve some sort of computer program that runs on the computer where the web site is located.
Some of these features include:
- Feedback or information request forms - Visitors to your web site can fill out these forms to give their feedback or to request more information.
- Message boards - Web site visitors can read or participate in online discussions.
- Chat rooms - Visitors can send text messages back and forth in real time.
Deciding which features you need in your web site is part of the planning process.
Getting a domain name
A domain name is a unique identifier for a web address.
We will help you identify an available domain name and register it for you. If you already own a domain name and which to use our web hosting services, we can transfer the domain name for you.
Hosting your site
A web host is the computer on which the documents of your web site reside. There are many different options available for hosting a web site, ranging in cost from free to hundreds of dollars a month.
The free hosting option that is provided with some Internet access accounts is generally intended for personal use. Another commonly known free web hosting solution is on a free web hosting service like GeoCities or AngelFire. We do not recommend either of these options for hosting a business web site.
Our low-cost hosting services can be viewed by using the Services button in the menu on the left.
Maintain your site
Once your web site is complete you will need to consider maintaining your site. Some things to think about: Does your site have information that will need to be updated on a regular basis? Another consideration: Who will respond to requests for information generated by your site?
These are some of the issues we will cover in detail during your free consultation.
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