How to create a website for your business
If you're not familiar with the procedure, setting up your
website can be a complex process involving various different
companies and lots of confusing jargon. Your website is your
business' shop window on the internet, though, so make sure you
make the best impression possible to entice customers and encourage
them to return.
Registering your website
- Before you start building your website, you should
register a domain name for your business. This is your
business' address on the web, so make sure it's catchy and easy to
remember.
- Use Nominet to
check whether your domain is available. If it's
already taken, you may be able to buy it from the person who owns
it. Use a service such as Whois to find the contact details of the person
who owns it.
- A note on domain extensions: Your domain name is
made up of a word of your choice, followed by an extension. .com
and .net are both worldwide, .co.uk, .org.uk or even .biz are more
specific to your location or business. If you can register a .com
domain, do - it will lend your business credibility and viability.
Register additional domains as well to give your customers a better
chance of finding your website - country-specific ones such as
.co.uk will show your customers your business is based in the UK,
while business-specific ones such as .biz or .tv will give an
indication of your industry, but probably won't resonate for most
of your customers. It's worth noting, though, that some domain
extensions, such as .org.uk or .gov.uk, are reserved for certain
businesses such as non-profit organisations or government.
- To register your domain, you will need to use a domain
name registrar. There are hundreds available, all of which
offer different hosting packages. Choose one which offers email
addresses as well as a domain name, and as much web space as
possible - you will almost certainly want to increase the size of
your website as time goes on.
Website design and development
- The process of creating a website can be divided into two
stages: design and development. At the design stage, you
come up with a number of different looks for the website. During
the development phase, the developer will translate these looks
into code which can be read by internet browsers.
- Most web design companies offer both design and
development services but check with the company before you
sign a contract. If you want a more bespoke website, you may want
to consider employing two companies separately - but make sure they
work together well or you will encounter problems further down the
line.
- When you're looking for a web design company, look for
companies which have worked on similar projects to yours.
Find the right company by looking at the bottom of websites you
like, which often mention the designer, asking around or speaking
to the owners of websites which have caught your eye.
- Give the designer a clear brief by showing them
websites you like and giving them an indication of what you want
included on the website - whether that's an online store, a
portfolio of previous work or even a contacts page.
- The designer should provide you with a number of different
designs based around your ideas. Make sure you give them
clear, constructive feedback on your likes and
dislikes, as well as ideas on how they could change it. Try to
avoid out-and-out criticism - instead, put the emphasis on which
aspects of the design you like.
- When it comes to setting your site live, your web design
company should be able to help. Make sure they show you how
to make changes to the site so you don't have to call on
them every time you want to add a new line of text.
- It's worth noting that web design isn't something you
should scrimp on. If it's designed properly, your website
will form many of your customers' first impression of your
business, so make sure it makes a good impact.
- If you're on a limited budget, you may wish to create
your own website. You can do this relatively easily and
cheaply using a DIY package such as Mr Site, which
will allow you to design and create a professional-looking website
fast, although it will limit how much you can customise it.
Checklist
- Register your domain name before you start
- If the domain name you want is taken, use whois.com to contact
the owner
- Register more than one domain name for extra coverage
- Hire a designer who has worked on similar projects
- Provide the designer with a clear brief of your
requirements
Jargon buster
HTML: Hyper-text markup language. The code used by
web developers to tell internet browsers what they should be
seeing.
Javascript: A type of web programming language
which allows the designer to embed programmes into a web page.
Flash: Another programming language, often used to
embed animations or videos into web pages.
DNS: 'Domain name system': the internet 'phone
book' which translates what you type into your browser into binary
IP addresses.
URL: 'Uniform resource locator': essentially
another way of saying 'domain name', it's your website's unique
'address' on the internet.
IP address: Your site's Internet Protocol address
is the binary equivalent to the domain name. The DNS server
converts the words and slashes in your domain name to binary code,
which your computer can read.
Resources
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