       |
Resources
Covering the Basics
What Kind of Site Does Your Company Need?
Search Engines And Marketing
Glossary of Internet Terms
Covering the Basics
Below is a list of the basic information the you can use to make building your web site as simple as possible.
Choosing Your Domain Name
A Domain Name is the first step in getting your site on the internet. A domain name should identify your organization and be easy to remember. You can choose a domain name with either .com, .net or .org at the end of the name. For example, Harry's HotDog Stand may want the domain name harryshotdogstand.com or harryshotdogs.com.
Either way, you should first get together a list of domain names that you feel would work for your web site and write them down. Then go to Network Solutions to find out if they are available. You can register your domain name through many different vendors now, maybe including the hosting company that you choose (in the next section). The price ranges from $8 a year to $35 a year.
Hosting Your Web Site
Once you have decided on a Domain Name the next step is having a company host your web site. This is a necessary step in having a web site. Hosting companies have internet servers that are connected to the internet 24/7. Without the hardware, software and internet connection, there is no web site. Hosting packages usually start around $9.95 and can go up from there depending on the features that you need.
Building a Web Site
Once you’ve selected a host, the next step is to create a web site. A web site is created using a coding language called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). At Web Design Specialties, we offer professionally designed web sites at affordable prices. Check out our web site packages for more information.
What Kind of Site Does Your Company Need?
Answering the following questions will help you understand your needs for a web site.
1. Who is your audience?
What type of audience are you trying to reach with your website? What type of customers do you currently have?
2. What function do you want from your website?
Would you like you site to be informative? Would you like an e-commerce site with a shopping cart? Would you like your site to be a communication tool with existing customers by email or form returns?
3. What technology are you capable of supporting?
Do you have a computer to check e-mail and reply to it? Can you support an e-commerce site? Can you support customer’s e-mail or form mail?
Tips for Clients
• Research your competitors and preview their sites.
• Collect all graphics. Make sure that you provide logos, pictures, etc. to your designer.
• Complete a site map. Create a map of the entire site laid out as a tree.
• Plan for Growth of the site.
• Consult with the designer. They are the experts and can help you get the best site even if you have to give up an idea. It is for the benefit of the company.
Search Engines and Marketing
One of the most effective ways to promote your site is by registering your site with a search engine. Registering with the major search engines is free. Getting your site to show up on a search is somewhat difficult due to the thousands of search engines that pop up everyday. Be patient and persistent when submitting your website.
Alta Vista
Usually adds a page within a few days.
• Submit URL: http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query/pg=addurl
• To See which pages are listed, conduct a search using the phrase: url: yoursite.com (omit http://)
Excite
Has a two-week turnaround from submission to listing.
• Submit URL: http://www.excite.com/info/add_url
• To see which pages are listed, conduct a search using the phrase: yoursite.com (omit http://)
HotBot
Uses a shared database by Yahoo and other search engines.
• Submit URL: http:// www.hotbot.com/addurl.asp
• To see which pages are listed conduct a search using the phrase: domain:yoursite.com (omit http://)
Infoseek /Go.com
It takes a few weeks from submission to listing. Never submit the same URL more than once per day or you won’t get listed.
• Submit URL: http:// www.go.com/addurl?pg=submiturl.html
• To see which pages are listed conduct a search using the phrase: http://yoursite.com (use the http://)
Lycos
It may take some time until the site is listed.
• Submit URL: http://www.lycos.com/addasite.html
• To see which pages are listed conduct a search using the phrase: domain:yoursite.com (omit http://)
Webcrawler
It is the primary search engine for AOL.
• Submit URL: http://www.webcrawler.com/info/add_url/
• To see which pages are listed conduct a search using the phrase: domain: yoursite.com (omit http://)
Yahoo
Every site submitted is personally accepted or rejected by the staff. Follow the submission instructions exactly as they are given.
• Submit URL: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/
Online Marketing
• Advertising online can be an effective and inexpensive marketing technique. There are lots of places on the Internet where you can advertise for free or for a small fee. Click here for an example.
(http://www.ad2go.com/)
• Exchange links with complementary websites. Once you’ve found some sites you like send an e-mail suggesting that you exchange links for each other’s sites.
Offline Marketing
• Consider the traditional media as a form of promotion: TV, radio, magazine, and newspaper ads. Even direct mail campaigns can be an effective marketing tactic by sending postcards or brochures to past and current customers.
• Getting media coverage of your site or business in the newspaper as an editorial is an easy way to get free publicity.
• Put your website address on all materials for you company: business cards, newsletters, brochures, bags, and signs.
• A contest, drawing, or coupons on your website is a great way to get new and old customers to visit the site. Everyone loves freebies and word of mouth can spread about the site.
Glossary of Internet Terms
http://wsp08.wspros.net/learning/learning_glossary.html
Baltimore, MD • 410-234-3337 • info@webdesignspecialties.com
|
