LESSON 4: SETTING UP YOUR WEBSITE
Once you have your marketing concept, your graphics and your content you are ready to start setting up your website. There will be many decisions to be made. Here are a few to get you started.
CONTENT MANAGEMENT
You will need to decide if you will manage the content of your website or if your web manager will do it. If you will not have many updates then it will be less expensive to have your web manager add content for you. If you have a lot of updates per month, a lot of time on your hands and like to have control then it may be worth the monthly fee to subcribe to a content management service. Keep in mind that this may limit your design options and every time you change your web content it WILL effect your Google rankings.
CONTENT SUBMISSION
When submitting content to your web designer copy and paste it directly into an email (not in an attachment) with no formatting. The formatting will need to be put in when the web page is coded. You may also send a separate email with a formatted copy for visual reference. Reference the name of the page that the content goes in. The web designer will then cut & paste this text into your web code.
For photos and graphics you will need the original graphics or photo files with a certificate stating the artists permission to use them. Most pictures found on the internet need to be purchased to legally use them on your website.
UPDATING
When submitting content for updating a page that you have already submitted content for you will need to send the entire page content with the corrections intact. Keep a copy of your page content in a plain text file so that you can just edit the content and then cut & paste the entire content to an email. You may also send directions like: "change this word to", "ad this to the third line of paragraph one" but you will be charged for the extra time it will take the webmaster to hunt & peck through your directions.
CHOOSE & REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME
Your domain name will effect the marketing of your website and your Google ranking. Your domain name is not always the same as your business name. Your website marketing pro can help you select an appropriate domain name and explain the pros & cons of each potential name. To register your domain name you will need to set up an account with a domain registrar. The most popular registrars are not always the best choices. Discount registration companies are not usually the cheapest when you consider the overall cost. My registrar of choice is:
HOSTING
There are many types of hosting. The less expensive the hosting the fewer the features. If you are not sure what type of hosting you need then you can get a recommendation from your website manager. Most website managers have their own hosting that they will put your website on. Most free hosting is not free when you average the cost and the features. you may also consider using a green hosting company. Some website management companies include website maintenance and hosting in their service package. Choose a website manager before signing up for hosting. You don't want to pay for features you don't need or sign up for something that won't have what you need.
TIME LINE /DECISIONS
There will be many decisions that need to be made while your designer is building your website. You will be sent a link to a test page for your review. You will need to make decisions on design, text size, changes in layout, graphics, photos etc. The time it takes for you to respond and make decisions on these elements will directly effect how long it takes to complete your website. If you take 5 days to review a page and respond to an email then add that to the timeline of the website completion. Many design contracts will include a timeline in the contract with time goals for you to complete these decisions.
WORK IN PROGRESS
A website is a work in progress and takes time to develop. At some point you will need to decide that it is finished- for now. A website is a work in progress and will always need to be updated and revised. The more attention you give your website, the better your results will be.
MARKETING
You will need to market your website on a consistant basis for your business to be successful. The most time you put into marketing, the quicker your sales will rise. If you are using a website marketing firm then you should get more sales dollars back than what you spend on marketing.
WEBSITE ELEMENTS
Now you are ready to decide what elements to include in your webite design. Here are a few of the basic elements to consider including:
Header, Footer, Left Side Bar, Right Side Bar, Top Navigation, Side Navigation, Width of Website, email sign-up, newsletter sign-up, RSS feed, community member sign-up, blog, data base, appointment scheduler, event schedule, testimonials, questionaire, video, articles, PDF links, links to kindred sites, photos of your products, photos of your staff, photos of your business location, and lots more!
Coming soon! A visual guide to building your website.
DESIGN YOUR WEBSITE
GO ON TO LESSON 5:
TRACKING YOUR WEBSITE MARKETING
