Overview
This material attempts to provide you an overview of the web creation process from a novice perspective at the beginning of the process. Prior experience with a graphical user interface such as Macintosh or Windows is required. We supply the question of how to use low cost or no cost options to create web sites when launching your service.
This chapter will address the following topics:
· Choosing a Good Domain Name
· Key Aspects for Identifying a Web Host
· How Do you Know I’m Here? – Getting Discovered by Search Engines
· Pages All Web Sites Should Include
· How Well Did I Do? - Scoring You Web Site’s Effectiveness
Choosing a Good Domain Name
Your Domain Name Should Be Your Website Name
Naming your site after your domain is critical, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name. If your name is also your Uniform Resource Locator (URL), your customer will automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of blacksgonegeek.org, they don't have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the site is also the URL (e.g. http://blacksgonegeek.org )
Don't make the mistake of attempting to retrofit your domain name to your business or website.
Long or Short Domain Names or Is It Available?
Domain names can be up to 67 characters. You do not have to settle for an obscure domain name like xyz.com when what you mean is LastThreeLetters.com.
Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes. For example, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typos than "connecttomywebsite.com". Keep your customer base in mind when choosing domain names.
If you can't get the domain name you want, the domain name registrar (see definition below) will suggest alternate forms of the name you typed. For example, if you wanted website.com, and it was taken the registrar will suggest alternative, such as:
• thewebsite.com
• mywebsite.com
• websites.com
Registration Overview
A Domain Registrar is a company, accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) or by a national ccTLD authority, to register Internet domain names. These "retail" companies are often distinct from the "wholesale" domain name registry operator. Examples of gTLDs include .com, .net, .org and .mobi. ICANN does not have authority over ccTLDs, or Country Code Top-Level Domains, although it is quite common for domain name registrars to offer ccTLD registration services as well. Most registrars provide DNS hosting service, but this is not required, and is often considered a separate service. (source: Wikipedia)
Getting a domain name involves registering the name you want with an organization called InterNIC through a domain name registrar. For example, if you choose a name like "blacksgonegeek.org", you will usually have to go to a registrar and pay a registration fee for that name. That will give you the right to the name for a year, and you will have to renew it annually. Some web hosts will register and pay for the name as part of a packaged service to its clients. Others will do it for you but you'll have to foot the InterNIC fees.
Your registrar and web host DO NOT have to be the same provider. But it makes life a lot easier.
Step By Step Instructions
If you want to register a domain name, here's what you need to do
1. Think of a few good domain names that you'd like to use. It won't do to think of only one - it might already be taken!
2. Obtain from your web host the Domain Naming Service (DNS) Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and names of their primary and secondary nameservers. (Please refer to the index for clarification on these terms.)
3. You will need either a credit card or a PayPal account to pay for the domain. This is a requirement of most, if not all, registrars. This process allows you to claim ownership of the domain name immediately upon application. This is not optional!
4. If you already have a web host, you can contact a registrar listed online and apply for the domain name. Be sure you have the information mentioned in step three.
5. If you do not have a web host, you can always use one of the registrars and be allowed to park your domain name at a temporary website set up for you. This way you can quickly secure your domain name before it's too late and still take your time to set up the other aspects of your site. Most registrars also provide you with at least one free email address and a small amount of storage at your own domain name, like sales@yourdomain.com. For an additional cost, more space is available for high-volume email activity.
Key Aspects for Identifying a Web Host
Hosting Provider/Service. There are two kinds of web site builders. On-line proprietary tools provided by web hosting companies cater to people who wish to build and publish their websites without learning the technical aspects of web page production. Professional web design software runs on a computer, creating pages off-line, then publishing these pages to any host’s servers. Web hosts organize and manage the server to which a website is connected.
Advertising. Most free web hosting organizations compel advertising while most commercial hosts do not. This is strictly a question of preference: some people hate pop-up windows and dislike preformatted advertising frames (which may cause problems when submitting your website to search engines). We will tackle search engine effectiveness in a later chapter. Whichever method is used, check that you're comfortable with the method.
Disk Space. How much space do I need? Plan for future expansion. Web hosts are competitive in the area of minimal space provided and most have packaged offers. Everyone’s needs are different –some may require simple text content and others have a high variety of animation, audio/video (A/V), etc. The A/V content will demand three times the space needs of text.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a method used to transfer a file from one computer to another across the Internet. FTP is the process to transfer web pages from a local computer to the Internet (web server). The transfer of files is usually accomplished by a program called an FTP client. Some free hosting providers only allow you to design your page with their online builder. In these cases, FTP is not needed. I feel it is essential to have FTP access.
Can you meet my type and size requirements? There may be a maximum size restriction placed on each of the files you upload by some hosts. Some sites restrict the file types you can upload to HTML and GIF/JPG files. If your needs are more wide ranged, keep looking.
Are You Reliable? Nothing is more important! If your site is frequently offline –you lose credibility resulting in lost revenue. A slow transfer rate will prompt the customer to search another site. How do you know if a host is reliable or fast? What is their ranking in the market place, do they guarantee reliable, fast uptime? No hosting service allows “unlimited” bandwidth/traffic. Some of the most prominent sites “crash” due to excessive hits. Visit your site periodically from different computers. You can also attach various counters on the website to record hits. More information on these types of tools is available on line (where?).
Technical support? Is the technical support area available 24/7 - all year around? Having reliable support on weekends and holidays is critical - particularly if you provide a seasonal service. Confirm what 24/7 means to ensure both you and the hostare on the same page. What are the methods of correspondence? What is the guaranteed reply timeframe? If your site is mission critical, you need to have a very clear understanding of technical support. You lose money every moment you are off line.
Correspondence options. Are Email, Auto reply, and mail access available? It makes good business sense to have email addresses at your own domain, like sales@yourdomain.com. Again, you want everything cohesive. Is rerouting, automatic replies, (lets your customer know you are aware of their inquiry) or forwarding offered? Do you have mobile access to your mail (online or device)? These are business critical functions and most host packages offer these options; but verify.
SSL (Secure Sever). This feature is mandatory when conducting business through your website. If this is not a direct feature, you can search online for an array of service providers offering subscriptions for a fee. You will definitely need SSL if you want to collect credit card payments on your site.
Price. “YOU DON’T GET WHAT YOU DON’T PAY FOR!” The most expensive host may not be the best one for you. So do your research using all of the tips provided above. NEVER ASSUME!!!
Payment Plans. There are as many payment plans as there are host providers. The annual payment plan affords a cheaper rate than if you were to pay monthly. I suggest you start out with a monthly recurring charge. This will allows time to effectively appraise the host’s services. If they don’t meet your needs, you can easily move on with no cancellation fee.
How Do you Know I’m Here? – Getting Discovered by Search Engines
Promoting your website is a constant process. It ensures your site has an increased number of hits. Like any other resource, search engines work best when you know how to use them. Unfortunately, no two are exactly alike and some are better than others, depending on what you're searching for. Generally, there are three types of engines:
1. computer-generated indexes
2. directories
3. meta search engines
Promotion means more than submitting your site to search engines. But this is a key vehicle for letting them who you are and what you have to offer. Search engines are more commonly referred to as crawlers or spiders in the IT industry. Computer-generated indexes like WebCrawler scan the web looking for words relevant to your search. Directories like Yahoo are lists of sites edited by humans and organized by topic. Most are a combination of the two.
The third category includes meta search engines, which search other engines for you. The most popular Google is a meta engine. Ask Jeeves is a meta engine that allows users to enter queries in the form of a question. Ask Jeeves For Kids gives 7-14 year olds access to a screened metasearch.
There is a wealth of information on search engine optimization. Two key questions to take in to account are:
1) How To Create a Search Engine Friendly Site? There are a few basic principles to keep in mind while designing your site to be search engine friendly.
Make your text readable. Busy backgrounds that obscure the text are not only hard to read but can make your site look unprofessional. Make your text readable: standard size (Web standard is 12), no silly fonts that have to be painstakingly interpreted, and make sure whatever font color you pick is readable as well (black is the preferred text color). Bells and Whistles are not all ways a good thing.
Make your navigation clear. How many sites have you been to that give you the dreaded "page not found" error? This can be avoided by making your site hierarchy clear and consistent. Make sure that your navigation tools are obvious, and don't cloud them up with catchy titles. A site map or index page for clarity on a website with more than ten pages is a good idea.
Images. Every image on your site should be there for a good reason. Make images accessible for those searchers who might have their images turned off due to slow download times by giving every image an "alt" label and a corresponding text link. Minimize the graphics –unless this is the service that you are delivering.
Overall Effect. While Flash is a great tool, it increases download time. Make sure that whatever technologies you are using to spiff up your pages don't drag you down. In addition, be consistent with your site design. Make sure that every page in your site has some element that ties it in with the rest of the site; otherwise visitors can be confused by the conflicting design. In other words, “user friendly” sites are well received.
2) Tips on Google (world’s largest) search engine results placement? When you are anxious to get your site noticed, and have a budget for your site's promotion, one instant way to get to the first page of Google's results page is to buy advertisements (Google adwords). It permits you to place the advertisements on precisely the keywords you want for your site in the search engine results. Unlike the normal search engine indexing procedure, you control the exact keyword which will trigger your site's advertisement and its prominence. Of course, it comes with a price! But if you're doing a business, this is an investment vehicle that cannot be matched.
Pages All Web Sites Should Include
Here are seven pages every business Web site must have (source: MS Office Live Article):
1. Contact Us
2. Testimonials
3. Privacy Policy
4. FAQ
5. A “gimme” page
6. About Us
7. Confirmation
Click this link for the full article: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX102279611033.aspx
How Well Did You Do? - Scoring You Web Site’s Effectiveness
Here’s a link to an objective scoring system to see how your website rates
For those of you unfamiliar with the tool, http://WebsiteGrader.com is HubSpot's free website analysis tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It looks at things like traffic, social popularity, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) page structure and a bunch of other things.
Vera Holman, V_LAN Technologies
http://www.vlantec.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/b/9ab/53
http://twitter.com/VEHLAN
http://blacksgonegeek.org/BasicWebsite.aspx