There are numerous things you need to think about before building a website for beginners.
1. Do you know HTML?
2. Can you FTP?
3. Do you have a Domain Name?
4. You will need Web Hosting.
5. Do you have a plan?
6. What will your online website do?
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. This language code is what enables all website surfers to actually see what it really looks like minus the code. HTML is actually easy to learn and is what most beginners learn. There is also XHTML and this is an XML application or just a higher version of HTML.
What is FTP? It stands for file transfer protocol. This is what enables a webmaster to transfer html files from your editing software to your web hosting account. All your files should reside on your hosting server. This means if you delete, destroy, or if someone steals your computer these files are still retrievable via your hosting plan. You hosting company also backup your files. Redundancy is a good thing. You will need an FTP client program and you can get a free one by searching for "Core FTP client program".
Do you have a domain name that will attract your visitors? Choosing a domain name is very important. Be sure you have the.com extension and not some other b.s. extension. What is easier to remember...agoodwebsite(dot)com or agoodwebsite(dot)info?
One of the more important factors in building a website for beginners is choosing a very good web host. If your web site goes down, you are out of business. When searching for a web host company make sure they have secure server capabilities, fast servers, tons of space, unrestricted CGI access, SSH and FTP access, access to raw server logs, good email services, and daily server backups. Signing up for free or cheap web hosting can sometimes cost you more trouble. The last thing you want is cheesy advertisements and or slow connections. The most important factor in choosing a web host is support. This is what matters the most without good support you may lose lots of valuable time, money and most important customers.
Do you have a business website plan? You don't really need one but it sure would be handy to read in case you start to wander off in a different direction. It is possible to pay someone to design, build and maintain your website. Most web design firms can charge up to 2 grand for fully functional website. You could do a local search such as "web design in your city". This is the easy way to make the kind of website you might be looking for. However I like doing things myself.
What will you do with your website? Is it just to impress your friends and family? Or are will you really going to add good useful content so others will benefit from your content. Building a website for beginners with content that others can use is what all good Internet folks, search engines and Online Marketers want.
Get your free 'step-by-step' guide on how to create your first website now.
Showing posts with label domain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label domain. Show all posts
Jan 8, 2010
Jan 3, 2010
6 Great Reasons to Avoid Free Web Hosting
When it comes to web hosting, there are a lot of options available. With so many alternatives to choose from, you might be tempted to consider one of the many free web hosting services out there. However, there are some common pitfalls related to that approach that can end up costing you and your business a lot of money down the road. Therefore, it is important to know what these red flags are so you can avoid them.
Here are 6 great reasons to avoid free web hosting:
1. Lost Credibility. Your web site will often be the first impression your potential customers have of your business. With free hosting, you may be stuck with a very long domain name such as http://freehostingservice.com/~yourbusiness. A domain name like this is an instant signal to your prospects that your business is still in the minor leagues. It is very difficult to build trust and credibility when your web presence appears to be fly-by-night.
2. Banner Ads. The main reason these services are free is because you agree to allow banner ads on your site. So you invest the time, money and energy into driving traffic to your site and the free hosting service profits by directing that traffic away from you. Clearly not the best way to build a successful, long-term business.
3. Limited Features. Free hosts usually offer a limited number of services. This lack of flexibility can seriously hinder your ability to conduct and grow your business online. For example, if you select a free service, you may have limited or no access to email, FTP accounts, content management systems or ecommerce options.
4. Lack of Portability. When you pay to register and host your own domain, you have the option to transfer it. With free hosting services, this is usually not the case. So, if you spend a year or two building up your site and driving traffic to it before realizing how beneficial it would be to have your own domain name, your hard work may be out the window.
5. Overcrowded Servers. This leads to slow load time for pages and increased downtime for your site. Of course, both of these issues can have a serious negative impact on the growth and profitability of your business.
6. Poor Customer Service. Another major issue with free hosting services is that they offer little to nothing in the way of customer support. If there is a problem with your site, you will have a very hard time contacting anyone to help resolve it. Every minute your site is down carries with it a huge opportunity cost in terms of frustrated customers and lost sales.
Based on this list, you can see that "you get what you pay for" with free hosting services. Instead, consider quality web hosting an important investment into your business - one that will continue to yield positive results for your business long into the future.
Here are 6 great reasons to avoid free web hosting:
1. Lost Credibility. Your web site will often be the first impression your potential customers have of your business. With free hosting, you may be stuck with a very long domain name such as http://freehostingservice.com/~yourbusiness. A domain name like this is an instant signal to your prospects that your business is still in the minor leagues. It is very difficult to build trust and credibility when your web presence appears to be fly-by-night.
2. Banner Ads. The main reason these services are free is because you agree to allow banner ads on your site. So you invest the time, money and energy into driving traffic to your site and the free hosting service profits by directing that traffic away from you. Clearly not the best way to build a successful, long-term business.
3. Limited Features. Free hosts usually offer a limited number of services. This lack of flexibility can seriously hinder your ability to conduct and grow your business online. For example, if you select a free service, you may have limited or no access to email, FTP accounts, content management systems or ecommerce options.
4. Lack of Portability. When you pay to register and host your own domain, you have the option to transfer it. With free hosting services, this is usually not the case. So, if you spend a year or two building up your site and driving traffic to it before realizing how beneficial it would be to have your own domain name, your hard work may be out the window.
5. Overcrowded Servers. This leads to slow load time for pages and increased downtime for your site. Of course, both of these issues can have a serious negative impact on the growth and profitability of your business.
6. Poor Customer Service. Another major issue with free hosting services is that they offer little to nothing in the way of customer support. If there is a problem with your site, you will have a very hard time contacting anyone to help resolve it. Every minute your site is down carries with it a huge opportunity cost in terms of frustrated customers and lost sales.
Based on this list, you can see that "you get what you pay for" with free hosting services. Instead, consider quality web hosting an important investment into your business - one that will continue to yield positive results for your business long into the future.
Jan 2, 2010
7 Steps For a Killer Website
Web design is a very unique occupation because it combines the best of two worlds; technology and art. A web designer is able to release their design talent and ideas while still remaining in touch with technology. Unlike professions such as programming or graphic design, website designers tend to require less specialization and take on more of a jack of all trades approach. It is not uncommon for a website designer to be quite proficient in many different mediums and applications such as Photoshop, Flash and Dreamweaver. Moreover website design always brings new and exciting challenges every day. Taking the complex puzzle that each project brings to the table and finding suitable solutions is an absolute joy in itself.
When working in website design there tends to be seven crucial steps involved in the project. Every project will vary however these steps are the key building blocks for every website.
1. Planning:
Define the goals and purpose of the website. Any unique project requirement should be identified and accounted for as well such as whether a CMS is required or any particularly interesting and potentially challenging features.
2. Contract:
Create and submit a proposal to the client for the project, which outlines the entire project in written form so that all parties involved understand the expectations and outcome of the project. A time frame and financial agreement should also be set at this time. While at times you may prefer to not create a contract, it is always important to have something to fall back on, if things go south.
3. Design:
In this step you must find your customers target audience, and design a website according to their needs. Color, layout, font, and many other design elements depend on the target audience.
4. Building:
Convert your design into its respective language(s). In general most website will at minimum require HTML and CSS, while more advanced website may also require other languages such as JavaScript, PHP, or Ajax. If you are unable to code the website by hand using a development environment, you may prefer to use a tool such as Adobe Dreamweaver.
5. Testing:
Of all the steps testing is perhaps the most crucial. Unlike a typical computer program, a website is run in a web browser, of which there are many. Each browser follows its own rules and may or may not include certain features as their competitors. In general you can get away with testing your work in the follow browsers: Internet Explorer (6 through to 8), Firefox, Netscape, and Opera. Besides testing the individual web browsers you may also like to ensure that your website meets HTML and CSS standards (visit w3c.org for more information).
6. Launch:
Secure a domain and hosting package, upload the websites files to your host's server. Popular choices for purchasing domains and hosting are 1and1 and Hostgator.
7. Site maintenance
In order for most websites to be successful frequent updates will be required to the content as well as fixing any bugs that may turn up with new releases of software and browser updates.
When working in website design there tends to be seven crucial steps involved in the project. Every project will vary however these steps are the key building blocks for every website.
1. Planning:
Define the goals and purpose of the website. Any unique project requirement should be identified and accounted for as well such as whether a CMS is required or any particularly interesting and potentially challenging features.
2. Contract:
Create and submit a proposal to the client for the project, which outlines the entire project in written form so that all parties involved understand the expectations and outcome of the project. A time frame and financial agreement should also be set at this time. While at times you may prefer to not create a contract, it is always important to have something to fall back on, if things go south.
3. Design:
In this step you must find your customers target audience, and design a website according to their needs. Color, layout, font, and many other design elements depend on the target audience.
4. Building:
Convert your design into its respective language(s). In general most website will at minimum require HTML and CSS, while more advanced website may also require other languages such as JavaScript, PHP, or Ajax. If you are unable to code the website by hand using a development environment, you may prefer to use a tool such as Adobe Dreamweaver.
5. Testing:
Of all the steps testing is perhaps the most crucial. Unlike a typical computer program, a website is run in a web browser, of which there are many. Each browser follows its own rules and may or may not include certain features as their competitors. In general you can get away with testing your work in the follow browsers: Internet Explorer (6 through to 8), Firefox, Netscape, and Opera. Besides testing the individual web browsers you may also like to ensure that your website meets HTML and CSS standards (visit w3c.org for more information).
6. Launch:
Secure a domain and hosting package, upload the websites files to your host's server. Popular choices for purchasing domains and hosting are 1and1 and Hostgator.
7. Site maintenance
In order for most websites to be successful frequent updates will be required to the content as well as fixing any bugs that may turn up with new releases of software and browser updates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
