|
Internet Articles
|
|
•
•
•
•
Home :: About Us :: Contact Us :: Article :: Reports :: Links :: Site Map
Related Links
Software Engineer Clive Roberts Software Engineer Web Design Manchester Graphic Design Manchester
|
So You Want To Have A Website
By Pamela Jacob
Design Agency Manchester The old website that was created by a Design Agency Manchester has served you proud for the past 2 years and when you first started up in business it was just what you needed to give you an immediate online presence. That was then and this is now, a few years down the line, and the time is right to enhance the current site to reflect your business growth. As the business has developed you are receiving more telephone calls from potential customers asking you to provide them with further details about the services and goods that you supply. This is one area where the website could work on your behalf as a few additional pages could be added with that contained useful information. Therefore you have been in touch with the Design Agency Manchester that helped to create your original site. They did a fabulous job first time around and ppeople always give you positive comments about your site. With this in mind you have asked the Design Agency Manchester to provide you with a larger package. They`ll be designing a new 6-10 page website that will provide your customers of old and new with far greater detail about your firm and the products and services that it provides. Web Link Alliance Partners - Top Search Engine Ranking Solution For Your Client Websites From Web Link Alliance Partner with Web Link Alliance to add Search Engine Optimization to your product offering. Top Search Engine Rankings with minimal changes to your client websites through a system of web services and a link exchange program where you can Purchase Links directly.
You are not alone The majority of my clients know they need a website but they feel overwhelmed and intimidated by internet technology and why not? Internet technology is continually evolving and changing. What is true this month may not be true next month. Where do I start? Domain Name The first thing you need to know is what a domain name is and how to register it. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular websites. For example: http://www.artistadesign.com The whole address you see above is the URL of my business but the domain name is ArtistaDesign.com. The only way to register and start using a domain name is to use the services of a domain name registrar. The registrar you choose will determine the cost for registering a domain name. You can expect to pay a yearly fee. The website I use is http://www.godaddy.com they have competitive prices and it is easy to transfer your domain name to any server ? web hosting service you choose to host your site. In picking your domain name make sure it is the name of your business or something related to your business. Once you have a domain name registered it is exclusively yours nobody else can have it unless you don?t renew it. Now What? Website Development Once you have registered your domain name it is time to seriously think about building your website. You have two choices: outsource it or do it yourself. Let me tell you my bias. For nearly all businesses and non-profits I recommend outsourcing the initial web design. Many small businesses attempt to design their own website or to hire someone merely on the basis of cost. Both of these options carry potential consequences. Having a poorly performing ineffective website is worse than not having one at all. A true professional knows what is needed to make a website a success. There are many types of websites and each business will have a different goal in mind. A professional website developer can help you understand what your needs are and put you on the path to success. My website is done so what is next? Hosting Web hosting is the service that makes a website available to others on the internet. Simply put, you are renting a place to hold your website. Once your website is built your domain name is transferred to your web hosting provider. Your web designer will upload all the files that are developed for your website to a server (host). The server gives you a specific amount of disc space and allows your website to be accessed by internet users. Web hosting is billed by the month or by the year. It is very important to find a reliable hosting company for your website you want to be up 24/7 with out any complications. The level of web hosting also depends on the complexity of your website. Your web designer will be able to point you in the right direction. There are many good hosting companies one of my favorites is http://www.canaca.com they are reliable and give you a good range of choices and options best of all they are reasonably priced. I think I am ready! Not yet, it is important to set up professional e-mail addresses. If you have picked a good internet hosting company you should be able to have your e-mails set up ? or set them up yourself. It is totally unprofessional for a business to use a free internet e-mail such as AOL or yahoo. You want your business to look legitimate and credibility is of utmost important especially when your business is internet based. Example:My email is pamela@artistdesign.com that is much more impressive than pamela@yahoo.com . When ever I get an email from a business that has a generic address I get the impression they are not very internet savvy. Ready Set Go! Marketing This is where the action takes place. If you just build your website and park it in cyberspace what do you think will happen? NOTHING? I can?t tell you how many times I have heard, ?I have a website but it hasn?t helped my business at all!? Well what would happen if you rented a store filled it with beautiful object for people to buy and just set there? NOTHING? The same is true for the internet. You must market your website. Traditional marketing is great ? add internet marketing and you have a recipe for great success. There is much more to marketing your site than putting the proper key words and sending your site to search engines. Make sure your URL is on every piece of marketing material you have IE: business cards, ads, banners, flyers, brochures etc. Have a free online newsletter filled with informative information. Send out press releases announcing your business. Have special offers on your website. There are many things you can do to market your internet business. This is just the tip of the ice berg. One website that will give you invaluable information on marketing your business is http://www.kathleengage.com and best of all it is free! Did you know? On-lines sales were up 45% in 2004 and research shows that eCommerce totals in 2005 are likely to surpass USD 133 billion. Businesses of today need an internet presence to show they are legitimate ? tomorrow businesses will need internet presence to survive. With a website the world is your oyster and the future is yours. 
|
