Web Design Discussion

Do people visit your web site to view your graphics or read your content?

People seek information when surfing the Web therefore content is the most important aspect of your web site. Without it your web site will not attract visitors or retain their interest. Graphics are used to enhance your content. Even if you have a very simple design but have great content you’ll attract lots of interested visitors.

For example an offline store allows visitors to see, touch, smell, taste and hear their products whereas online the content on your web site must persuade visitors to buy your products mostly with text and images but may also include video and audio.

Types of content

Text
The written word is the most commonly used type of content. Expert copywriters write copy that captures the thoughts and emotions of their readers. It prepares the mind of the visitor to subscribe to a newsletter or purchase a product. Keywords placed strategically within the content attract the search engine spiders thus boosting your web site traffic.

Audio and video
Some of your online audience prefer to listen and/or watch content rather than reading it. Most people are familiar with watching television, listening to music or playing video games. Using audio or video content will attract a wider audience.

Images
You’ve probably heard the phrase ” a picture is worth a 1000 words.” This is also true on the Net. Images are used to add value or illustrate content. Site owners use images to create slide show presentations, portfolios or photo galleries.

How to correctly display content on a web page

Design

• Use headlines, sub headlines and bullet points to organize your content
• Use the same font for the main content of all your web pages so it looks consistent throughout the web site.
• Only use commonly used font found on most computers ie arial, times roman, georgia, verdana
• Use large or bold font for headings and subheadings
• Arrange your content in short paragraphs of 5-10 lines
• Keep your lines short (15-20 words) it makes them easier to read
• Use plenty of white space between components on the page ie text and images
• Don’t allow visitors horizontal scrolling..it annoys them
• Don’t make your page too long so visitors have to scroll down several pages to read it.
• If your page is gets too long link the content to another page

Navigation

• Use text links instead of images, flash or javascript so the search engines can spider your content
• Place your navigation bar at the top or side of your web page
• Include navigation at the bottom of your web page if it’s a long one to visitors won’t have to scroll back up
• Navigation links should change when moused over so visitors know it’s a link
• Don’t make the link colors the same color as your content
• Use textual links within your content to navigate to other areas of your website

Search engine optimization

• Include your main keywords the meta tags, headlines, navigation, links and content
• Use h1, h2, h3 tags for headlines and sub headings
• Use anchor text to link to other sections of your web site
• Use the alt tag to optimize your image descriptions
• Reduce page loading times by reducing image size and amount of images on the page
• Validate your code to check for html, xhtml errors
• Repair broken links
• Use cascading style sheets (CSS ) to style your content

Tip
To attract a constant stream of visitors to your web site, add fresh, unique content on a regular basis in the form of articles, blog posts, comments, video and/or audio.

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Need a new design for your website?
Visit…Maryland Web Design

Herman Drost is a Master CIW Designer,
owner and author of:
http://www.isitebuild.com/portfolio.htm
http://www.drostdesigns.com

How do you choose a web designer when you know almost nothing about web design, what you need, how to build it and where to go to to find good one.

This article will help you make an informed decision instead of just selecting the first one you find.

Steps for choosing a good web designer:

1. Know the purpose of your website

Before searching for a web designer it’s a good idea to know what you want your website to do for your business. It will help the designer to know your needs. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Do you want to generate leads?
• Do you want to an online presence for your offline store?
• Do you wish to sell products and/or services?
• Do you want to interact with your customers?
• Do you want to build long term relationships?

2. Experienced professional

There are many amateur designers who want to become professional. The problem is they don’t have many years of experience. For example they may create a pretty design but don’t know how to build search engine friendly pages. Look for a designer that has several years of experience, the longer the better. Visit their website to see the portfolio of websites they have already designed.

3. Qualifications

By viewing their portfolio you have a good idea of the types of websites they have built, however some amateur designers will simply get a template, modify it a little then charge you for a complete design.

A professional web designer should at least have these skill requirements:

• html/xhtml
• cascading style sheets (CSS)
• javascript
• graphic design
• ecommerce design
• php script installation and customization
• search engine optimization
• email marketing
• FTP

Other design qualifications
CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional) is the world’s leading Web technology certification and curriculum program. The Master CIW Designer Certification shows the designer has taken the time and made the investment to become a Master Designer. You can’t go wrong if you find a designer that has been awarded this certification.

5. Testimonials

Reading the recommendations from satisfied clients shows they trust in the designer’s services. Visit the designer’s website to read the testimonials. Ask for them if they are not displayed.

6. Pricing

This is going to be all over the map because it depends on the complexity of the work involved and who is doing it. An online store containing 100s of products is going to cost more than a 5 page html website. A corporate design firm with many employees is going to charge more than a freelance web designer because they have to pay salaries. Ask for a preliminary proposal from the designer before hiring him or her.

7. Ask for a contract

The contract should clearly state what’s involved in the design of the website, prices, maintenance and hosting fees. It should also include who owns the website and the timetable for completion.

If your web designer fulfills all these requirements, is friendly, helpful, polite and easy to work then hire hime/her. You’ll be glad you made the right choice.
***************************************************
Hire a professional web designer for building your website by visiting
Professional Web Designer

Herman Drost is a Master CIW Designer,
owner and author of:
http://www.isitebuild.com/portfolio.htm
http://www.drostdesigns.com

Is your website looking a little stale and not performing well for you?
Do you want it to look more professional?

If so, it’s time to redesign your website so it will clearly reflect your business image, attract more visitors and generate more sales.

Let’s look at the top 7 reasons to redesign your website

1. Out of date design

If your website was designed several years ago it probably has an old design that no longer appeals to your visitors (or yourself). Even if you get lots of visitors they are not purchasing your products or services. Your website should provide the best experience for first time visitors so they’ll want to do business with you.

2. Out of date content

If the content no longer grabs your visitor’s attention you need to rewrite it. Why not redesign your website while you rewrite the content so your design will harmonize or enhance it.

3. Ineffective navigation

If your visitors can’t quickly and easily access the information they’ll go to your competitor’s site. Your information should be within 3 clicks from the home page. Old navigation menus use images which search engines can’t index. Convert your pages over to a CSS (cascading style sheets) navigation system. It loads fast and is search engine friendly.

4. Slow loading web pages

Google has added loading speed as a rankling factor for the search engines. If your website doesn’t load fast you may not only lose rankings but lose impatient visitors. Some of the factors that affect load times include:

• flash objects: flash introductions or flash images
• large images or too many of them on the page
• code errors: javascript or html errors
• slow server: not enough space or bandwidth or too many sites on one server
• multi media: video and audio take up a lot of server resources

5. Not optimized for the search engines

Your web designer may not have designed your web pages to be search engine friendly so they won’t attract much traffic. Many web designers know how to design a website but are not familiar with promotion strategies. When redesigning your website be sure to select a web designer that knows about search engine marketing.

6. Converting static website to content management system (CMS)

If your static html website contains hundreds of pages that need updating you’ll have to edit them one at a time unless you use server side includes files. Many site owners are now using content management system because of these features:

• separate content creation from design
• easy to update/add/edit/delete pages from backend administration panel
• create unlimited pages
• no html knowledge needed

Two popular CMS editors are WordPress and Joomla. Both are open source and freely available

7. Creating an interactive website

Most static html websites are not built for interaction with your visitors. For example with a CMS such as a blog the visitor can leave comments, subscribe to RSS feeds, create multiple editors to add content, plus a blog automatically alerts the search engines of new content.

If your current website fits any these criteria consider a redesign. You’ll have the opportunity to create an up to date professional design that is search engine friendly, fast loading and attracts more visitors and sales.

***************************************************
Get a professional website design or redesign
for your online business by visiting:
Professional Website Design Company

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com

There are many websites on the Net that are highly ineffective in terms of attracting business because mistakes were made in the original design. You may have paid a lot of money for a beautiful design but it’s useless if it’s not profitable.

Top 12 mistakes in web design

1. Unclear purpose

You may have been pressured to build a website for your business but failed to clearly define its purpose. Here are some questions to ask yourself in order to clarify your website’s purpose:

Do I want to generate leads?
Do I want to display or sell products and services?
Do I want to interact with my visitors?
Do I want to build a relationship with my website customers?
Do I want to offer tips, articles, coupons, etc from your website?

2. No long term plan

You may have heard the saying “if you fail to plan your plan will fail.” The purpose of your website should integrate with your business plan. For example if you want to generate leads, determine how many new leads you want each month, how you will acquire and build a relationship with them. You’ll also need to create a marketing plan.

3. Unclear navigation

Visitors need to easily access all parts of your website from the home page. If not they will click away to your competitors. Avoid using images, flash or javascript if possible. Search engines can’t index these files. Use CSS navigation instead. It contains clean code, loads fast and can be spidered by the search engines.

4. Cluttered pages

Web pages filled with images, videos, flash objects and text makes it difficult for visitors to read the page or understand what is most important. Web pages should contain plenty of white space between all the objects and be clear what you’re offering. The images should enhance the value of the content. Separate your content into short paragraphs. Use numbers or bullets to clearly define your ideas.

5. Inconsistent appearance

All web pages should have a consistent appearance so the visitor is not distracted from the purpose of the website or thinks he or she is on a different one. All the website components (ie images, text, navigation) should be in harmony with each other.

6. Poorly written web copy

Visitors arrive at your website to read what you have to offer. For example your home page should clearly state the purpose of your website. If you sell products, write good descriptions about them. If you sell a service try to pre-sell the visitor by talking about the benefits of your services.

7. Not optimized for the search engines

Most site owners want to generate traffic to their websites. One of the main strategies for achieving this is to optimize the web pages before the site is active. People find your website by entering keywords in the search engines. These keywords should be included in the content, meta tags, links, heading and subheadings of your web pages. Do your keyword research first so you can incorporate them into the design before the site goes live.

8. Slow loading

Typical visitors will only wait 3 seconds for your website to load. Many site owners want to fill their pages with lots of images, videos, flash objects and javascript. This may dramatically slow web page loading times and cause you to lose visitors. Reduce the amount of content on your web pages if your site has slow loading times.

9. Too much scrolling

Avoid horizontal or long vertical scrolling. Horizontal scrolling shows the site was not created professionally and will annoy visitors. Most visitors do not want to scroll down 10 pages to view information. Instead use links to direct them to another page. This helps break up the content and makes it easier to read.

10. Code errors and broken links

Errors in html, xhtml, php, javascript can influence the appearance, usability, loading and indexing of your website by the search engines. Make sure the code correctly validates before uploading it to the server.

11. Broken links

Broken links prevent visitors from correctly navigating your website. Search engines will not be able to find your content. A large site contains lots of images and links. It will be easy to miss some of them. Run the website through a link checker and repair them before it goes public.

12. Doesn’t render well across major browsers

Your website may look good in the browser on your own computer (ie Internet Explorer) but look terrible in browsers (ie FireFox, Safari, Google Chrome) your visitors are using. Check if your website renders well in all the major browsers before uploading it to the Web.

If you want to build a successful long term business online you need to get a professional website designed that doesn’t contain top 12 design mistakes. Use this list when hiring a web designer to help you make an informed decision before spending your hard earned money.

***************************************************
Get a professional website design or redesign
for your online business by visiting:
Professional Web Site Company

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com

How do you decide what option to choose for website design

• Free Template
• Do-It-Yourself
• Web Designer

If you don’t know the pros and cons of each option you could make a big mistake that will affect your long term business success. Often the easiest and cheapest method is not the best one. It may work well in the short term but you’ll run into problems later.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of these three design options:

Free template

If you search Google you’ll find hundreds of free templates available to you but how do you know if these are any good?

Pros

• Easy to build a website
• Inexpensive
• Easy to customize
• Freely accessible

Cons

• Contains proprietary or bloated code
• Code errors ie html/xhtml code doesn’t validate
• Must not remove links to template owner’s website
• Doesn’t present unique image for your business
• Template may look the same as 100s of others sites

Do it yourself

The do-it-yourself kind of person likes to learn, get their hands dirty and makes time to do the work themselves.

Pros

• Build a customized website
• Learn how to code html/xhtml, css, javascript or learn how to use html software ie Dreamweaver
• Easily update, modify and/or maintain the website yourself
• Save money
• Attain skills that can be used for future projects

Cons

• You’re not a professional web designer who has many years of experience
• Learning curve: it can take weeks or months to learn how to code or master html software
• Create an unprofessional looking website
• Create a website that is not search engine friendly

Professional web designer

Although a professional web designer costs you money you have the satisfaction that you’re getting a design from a person or company that designs websites for a living. They live a breath website design (and probably website marketing) every day.

Pros

• Experienced professional
• Has extensive knowledge of current design technologies and how to use them effectively
• Knows how to design a website that is search engine friendly
• Knows how to design a website that is profitable
• Obtain a unique custom design that reflects your online business
• Receive ongoing technical support
• Design flexibility: easy to make design changes in the future
• Takes care of website maintenance so client can focus on attending customers and building the business.

Cons

• Initial design costs can be expensive
• Takes time to build a professional website the client is happy with
• Ongoing maintenance costs if you don’t maintain it yourself
• If the designer disappears or closes down you’ll need to find alternative solutions

My recommendation

• If you don’t need a unique design or simply want a blog to add content to…get a free template or use WordPress dot com to get a free blog.
• If you can afford the time and money to learn the skills needed to build a professional website select the do-it-yourself option.
• If you’re looking for a unique design that you’ll be happy with and want a person who knows all the intricacies of designing and marketing websites, hire a professional web designer. You’ll be glad you did.

***************************************************
Get a professional website designed for your online business by visiting:
Professional Web Site Company

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com

If you’ve driven around your local city area you’ve probably noticed some businesses have closed down because they couldn’t afford to keep them open. One of the main problems for local businesses is to generate enough leads to stay in business. If there are no new leads business soon dries up.

Local business owners traditionally rely on yellow page or newspaper ads. These can cost 1000s of dollars a month and have become ineffective because customers are now using the Net to find local products and services.

Benefits of online marketing strategies for local businesses:

• Inexpensive
• Ability to track amount of visitors
• Build customer trust and loyalty
• Attract business from multiple geographical locations
• Create an online brochure (website)
• Display ads or coupons that can be easily updated or changed
• Create an online newsletter to notify customers about sales

• Online strategies to generate local business leads

1. Create a website

A website can serve as an online brochure to display your contact information, photos, offer tips and coupons plus add content that will pre-sell your customers. Once your website is online you can easily refer customers to it when you contact them. They can also access the website from their homes or cell phones.

2. Write a newsletter

If you place a subscription form on your website it enables you to capture leads then send them new information on a regular basis. This helps win their trust and builds long term relationships. Whenever you have a new promotion or sale you can send it to them with one click of your mouse.

2. Article marketing

Offering content that shows the benefits of your products and services, how to use them, frequently asked questions, troubling shooting tips, etc will help your customers make more informed decisions. If you send these articles to online publications in your niche they’ll generate new leads.

3. Press release

Sending out a press release to publications in your area can generate a ton of leads. For example if one local newspaper writes about your business it will potentially reach 1000s of new customers.

4. Geo-targeted pay per click advertising

This method generates immediate traffic. Google AdWords are ads that are displayed down the right side of the search engine results pages. Simply create a Google AdWords account then write an ad that targets keywords related to your business (ie cities, counties, towns). When a person clicks on your ad they get directed to your website. The costs will depend on how much you pay per click. The more clicks your ad receives the more you pay.

5. Interactivity using social media applications

Nowadays many people use Blogs, Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube to stay in touch with their friends or show off their latest creations. Some of the large stores (e.g. Sears, Macy’s, BestBuy) are now using social media applications to interact with their customers. Through this interaction they develop relationships which enables them to promote and sell their products.

6. Video marketing

Online video marketing is effective because most people grew up watching television or playing video games. Some of the ways to use videos to generate leads include creating:

• video sales page
• videos that show how to use your products
• video testimonials

Videos can easily be added to your website so people can view them anytime.

7. Search engine optimization

If people find your website by entering a keyword in the search engines you’ll receive free ongoing traffic. By optimizing your website for the search engines you can achieve top rankings in the search engines for keywords related to your business and receive ongoing traffic to your website.

Start an online marketing campaign for your local business before your competitors learn how to do it or your business dries up. You’ll capture business that may normally go to your competitors because you have extended your wider audience.

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Get a professional website designed for your local business by visiting:
Professional Web Site Company

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com

With many free templates readily available on the Net why spend money on a customized website? It will take more time to build it plus cost you money.

Top 10 reasons to get a custom designed website

1. Brand your business

If you’ve watched the Coca Cola commercials on television you’ll notice they constantly push their brand with unique advertisements. A unique website that is tailored to your business will help brand it in the minds of your customers.

2. Clean html

Code that validates correctly helps search engines to easily index your web pages. Free templates are often full of html errors and/or contain proprietary code inserted by the company that designed the template. The average site owner has no idea what’s contained in the code.

3. Fast load times

Visitors want web pages to load within a few seconds otherwise they’ll leave and go to competitors’ sites.

4. Search engine friendly

If your business can’t be found in the search engines it may not receive any traffic. No traffic means no sales. When hiring a web designer make sure they know how to optimize your site for the search engines.

5. Clean navigation

Many websites use javascript or images for navigation. Even though it may look pretty the links can’t be indexed by the search engines because they only read text. Website navigation should enable visitors to easily navigate all areas of your website.

6. Website structure

How the structure of your website is developed will greatly affect how the search engines will spider your web pages. Visitors should be able to access any part of your website within 3 clicks from the home page.

7. Customized look and feel

A good web designer will customize the website to reflect your business by coordinating the colors, page backgrounds, images, navigation and content.

8. Design flexibility

A custom design allows the customer to add his or her own personal preferences into the design. Even when the website is completed the customer can simply contact the designer to make any changes.

9. Ability to add special features

Many scripts are available to enhance your website. For example you may wish to add a forum, business directory, pop-up subscription form, google analytics, etc. A good web designer can quickly and easily install, configure and customize any of these scripts to improve the functionality of your site.

10. Technical support

What if your site gets hacked and becomes unavailable to your visitors? You will lose many sales and experience great frustration finding a person to fix your website…and it will probably be very expensive. Ongoing technical support from your designer is crucial if you need to make changes, add scripts or consult for advice.

Don’t take the easy way and get a free template for your online business. It may save you a few cents at the beginning but you’ll regret it later on. A custom design sets you apart from your competitors by providing a professional online appearance. It’s the first view your visitors will have of your business that helps them decide if they’ll do business with you.

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Get a custom web design by visiting:
Maryland Web Design

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com

Registering a domain name for your online business or organization shows you are a professional willing to spend money to build and host a website. Many people try to start their business online with a free domain (e.g. http://mybusiness.wordpress.com) and free hosting. This is a mistake as they have no control over their domain. If the company goes bust you lose all your content and your reputation.

Reasons to register a domain name

• Professional presence
  People are more likely to do business with you if you have a real domain name rather than some obscure website address.
• Professional email address
  Sending email from an email address that contains your domain name gives your business greater credibility than using gmail, aol, or hot mail address that often are used by spammers.
• Permanent home for your website
  Even if you change hosting companies your domain name will remain the same. You can take it with you wherever you go.
• Branding
  Your permanent website address will constantly associated with your business, therefore it will steadily build your brand on the Net.

How to register a domain name

1. Brainstorming

Create a list of possible domain names you wish to use as many of them may already be taken. Try stringing several words together, use numbers or hyphens between the words. Read my article “How to choose a good domain name.”

2. Check availability

Visit Godaddy.com (or your favorite domain name registrar) and enter your suggested name in the “start your domain search here” box. It will immediately tell you if it’s already taken and suggest some alternatives.

3. Purchase your domain name

Depending on the suffix of the domain name you will pay approximately $10.00. Other registrars may charge up to $25.00. If registering with Godaddy they will try to add additional services during the registration process such as privacy, email, hosting, web design, etc). I suggest opting out of these extra services. You can always add them later when you can make an informed decision.

4. Change the name servers

You need to point your domain name to the server that’s hosting your website. Ask your web host for the name servers to use. The name servers for my hosting service look like this:

ns1.isitebuild.com
ns2.isitebuild.com

To change them in Godaddy log in to your account. Go to the domain manager to view all your domains. Check the box next to your domain, then click on name servers (top navigation bar). Delete the current name servers then enter the new name servers and click OK. It will take 24-72 hours for the changes to take affect.

5. Domain name parking

While you are waiting for your website to be built Godaddy will give you a temporary web page for your domain name (only if you are using their name servers). If you are using another web host ask your designer to upload a temporary web page to the server that tells visitors your web site will be coming soon or is under construction.

5. Web design and hosting

Some domain registrars (such as Godaddy) offer web hosting and/or web design services as well. I recommend only registering your domain name with them as I’ve received many complaints from clients about these extra services. Find a reputable web design and hosting company so you’ll be a happy online business owner.

Tip
Don’t delay registering a domain name. It may get registered by someone else if you wait too long.

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Need an informational or e-commerce website designed? Please visit:
Maryland Web Design

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)
owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com

Many website owners regret the domain name they registered for their online business because they didn’t put much thought into it. It is going to remembered every time someone types it into the address bar.

Benefits of choosing a good domain name

Branding
If you think of Nike or Google you immediately understand how using your business name in your domain helps brand your business. Your domain name can even be your business name if you’re lucky enough to still find a .com business name.

Professional web site address
Sometimes business owners try to save money by using a free service for their online business such as getting a free blog at WordPress. For example if I got a free blog for my web design business my website address would be something like http://isitebuild.wordpress.com instead of my registered domain name iSiteBuiild.com. Registering a real domain name shows visitors you are running a professional online business.

Professional email addresses
Using a gmail, aol, or yahoo email address for your online business doesn’t project a professional image. Many of these addresses are automatically blocked or not accepted by online professionals because they are often used for sending spam emails that can’t be tracked.

If you register a real domain name you can include it in your email address. This makes it easy for your visitors to identify where it is coming from and which business it belongs to.

How to choose a good domain name

A good domain name is one that clearly reflects your business, is easy to spell and remember.

1. Business name

My web design business in called iSiteBuild.com so I registered that domain name to brand my business. Try to do the same for your own online business. If the name is not available try keywords associated with your business.

2. Keywords related to your business

Search for a domain name that identifies your business keywords. For example if you’re selling red widgets, look for redwidgets.com. If the obvious keywords are already taken research other keywords related to your business and use them instead.

3. Domain extensions

Most .com names may already be taken so you’ll have to get creative e.g. use dashes between the words (red-widgets), numbers (1redwidget), add extra words (theredwidget) or try different suffixes (.net, .org, .info, .us, .biz)

4. Easy to remember

Has someone ever given you a domain name that was impossible to remember? It may have been too long or had several dashes or numbers in it. You want a domain name you can easily pass on to others that will stick in their minds without having to write it down on paper in case they forget.

5. Keep it short

The shorter the name easier it is to spell and remember. It will also be easier to fit on business cards and other offline stationary.

6. Hyphenated domain names

If you can’t find a domain name that matches your business, register one that has a hyphen e.g. I registered ihost-websites.com because ihostwebsites.com was already taken. It will contribute to your search engine rankings because every time someone links to your website your main keywords will be included in your domain name.

7. Purchase a currently registered domain name

There are people whose business is buying a selling domain names. For example the person who first registered business.com could now sell it now for thousands of dollars. If you are willing to pay for a domain name you’ve set your heart on first check if it’s for sale and how much it costs. Sometimes they are not very expensive. Read this article for more information about buying and selling domain names:

8. Expired domain names

Sometimes people purchase domain names but never do anything with them because they haven’t had time to develop them or lost interest. First check if it’s available, then check who it’s registered to at whois.com. Contact the owner and ask if they are willing to sell it..you may get lucky.

Related articles
How to Plan a Website – 7 Frequently Asked Questions
What Do I Need to Design a Website?
Types of WebSites: How Do You Decide?

Offline businesses are realizing they need to be online to reach a larger audience and expand their profits however they have little or no idea what it involves. They often ask the question “What do I need to design a web site?” After receiving a few answers from their relatives or a friend they ask one of their kids (who is proud of their computer skills) to design the site instead of hiring a professional web designer.

Before contacting a web designer answer these frequently asked questions about the requirements for designing a website

• Have you registered a domain name?
• How many pages do you need?
• Will you maintain the website yourself?
• Will you update the website yourself?
• Do you need a contact form?
• Do you have the content and images to go on the site?
• What are the names of the links for each page?
• Do you need a web hosting plan?
• Here is a basic list for setting up a website

Here’s what you need to design a website

1. Register a domain name

If you’re establishing a business online select a .com domain name. The one you want is probably not available so you’ll need to get creative. Consider .org, .net, .us, .info or try dashes between the words e.g. ihost-websites.com. It only costs approximately $10.00 to register a domain name. Enter “domain name registration” in Google to find a domain name registrar.

2. Select a reliable web hosting service

Choose a web hosting service that has a 99% uptime (allows 1% downtime for server upgrades) and has enough disc space and bandwidth to host your site. Check the customer service response rate whether it’s by phone or email so you can quickly resolve any hosting problems.

Beware of companies that offer unlimited space and bandwidth because you will be sharing the same server with many other websites. If one or more of these websites receive a surge of traffic the server may overload and shut down. This means your website will not be available and you’ll lose sales.

For more information read: How to Choose a Web Hosting Company

3. Web building software

Free Templates
If you don’t have the design skills and don’t need a custom built site that uniquely identifies your online business, you could use free templates. For example WordPress.com or Blogspot.com enable you to start a blog using free templates.

Free HTML software
If you have html skills or want to learn them consider these free html editors.

Kompozer

http://kompozer.net/features.php

HTML-Kit

http://www.htmlkit.com/

Coffee Cup html editor

http://www.coffeecup.com/

NVU

http://nvu.com/

Hire a Professional Web Designer
If you’re doing business on the Net you need a website that not only looks professional but loads fast, has a clear navigation system and is optimized for the search engines. Designing and building the site yourself or using a free template may save you some money upfront but hiring a professional is a wise investment if you want a website that is sustainable and grows with your business.

Costs

A domain name costs between $10.00-$25.00 depending on the domain name registrar you select.

Web hosting costs vary depending on how much space and bandwidth you need. For most websites 100MB of space and 3GB of bandwidth is sufficient. The cost ranges from$15-$25 per month depending on the web hosting company.

Web building software is free unless you use professional software such as Dreamweaver which costs $399.00.

Web designers charge based on the size and features needed for your site. For example a 5 page informational website may only cost $300-$500 to build however a large site containing 100s of pages may cost you 1000s of dollars.

If you have further questions about what you need to design a website please contact Web Design Maryland