There's a lot that goes into building a website for yourself or your business. You may have thought getting that site up was hard, but just use these simple tools and you'll be a website wizard before you know it. A big part of kickstarting America is making sure you have the tools you need to make getting online easier.
GETTING STARTED
Many people begin the process of getting online by deciding the web address they want to use. Coming up with the right name is important. You want to make it easy-to-remember and relevant. This is your identity in the virtual world. Make it something you're proud of.
http://
The hypertext prefix for any address. This calls your site to a browser.
www.
This is the sub domain. www stands for world wide web. other subdomains might be mail or blog.
yourname
Your web address sometimes referred to as your domain name.
.us
The stuff after the dot is called the top level domain. Together with your domain this is your domain name.
Why is a name important?
Your name or your company name might be the first choice for your new home on the web. First things first, check that name in a Google search to see if it brings up any competitors or sites that you don’t want to be associated with.
Choosing your name
Here’s details to consider when choosing your web address, or domain name. This video from the Web team at about.com is a great overview of how to chose a name.
Tips for a great name
When a name becomes your web address, it can become even more memorable than your company name. Read this article on branding with your URL to make smart choices and avoid common pitfalls.
A checklist for your new site
From your name, to your plan and marketing ideas — this checklist tallies up all the top line steps to getting started. Easily get a grasp of the big picture — it’s far simpler than you might think.
PLAN, DESIGN AND BUILD
You’ve seen the checklist for planning your site, now you can consider the design and build. The options range from learning code and building a new site yourself, to hiring a professional to build it for you. In the middle there are a lot of great free tools to get you up and running. This section will show you where to find useful tools, and the related pros and cons.
Follow these handy tips to find the right
tools for your new endeavor
Start by considering the time and effort you will be able to contribute in order to keep up with your website.
See what it takes to design and build your website with this comparison chart of a selection of your offerings.
| Hire a professional | Pros | Cons | Cost | Resource |
Get a custom built siteA professional design and development team will create a design to your liking, and custom code it. If you take this avenue, make sure the site can be easily updated by you. |
Customized Design |
Can be expensive |
Varies depending on complexity, but you can find estimates |
Article: Hire a designer. Article: Hire a designer. Article: Hire a designer. |
| D.I.Y Beginner Level | Pros | Cons | Cost | Resource |
Save some money and learn the ropesMany registrars offer you a complete site builder kit when you reserve or purchase your domain name. There are plenty of free template sites available. |
Easy to use |
Less customized, what you see is what you get |
Free to minimal monthly fees |
Templates: Templates: Templates: Templates: Templates: |
| D.I.Y Advanced Level | Pros | Cons | Cost | Resource |
Takes more time and some templates are not freeMany people think Wordpress is just for blogs, but it's also another great resource for website templates and tools. You can browse the most popular themes and the site does a good job of guiding you through the process. |
Advanced. Professional apperance. Online help. |
Can be more time intensive than easier templates. Need a basic knowledge of code. |
Free to moderate one time template purchase price. |
Site themes: Wordpress Tutorial: |
10 important tips to consider
From a clear description of ‘who you are’ to easy-to-find contact information, there are a some basics to consider when you are putting your site together. Read Entrepreneur’s ten tips to make your webpage really standout.
Creating the right content
Learn how to put the right information on your site to make sure your customers get the whole picture. You’ll discover how to tell your story and make it fresh. Also learn the best way to make content friendly for online viewing.
Some good website examples
Take a look at what’s out there. This gallery will give you a good overview of some of the best looking and most effective small business websites.
PUBLISH, MAINTAIN, ENHANCE
Maybe by now you have a domain. Maybe your site is even live on the web. Now how do you take advantage of this great new opportunity to connect with your visitors, customers or even fans?
Advertise
Do you have traffic to your site? Maybe you can offer them additional value by teaming up with some advertisers you know they will be interested in. This is a win-win scenario if your visitors like the ads, and you get paid every time the ads are clicked.
Measure
Learn if you do have traffic to your site - and what types of traffic you are getting. Outside of contact information and feedback forms, you can create monthly of even daily reports that detail when and where your visitors are coming from.
Sell
Do you have products you can sell online, or a cause you’d like to take donations for? Add e-commerce to your site with some fairly simple tools.
Shopify: Easy themes to add a shopping cart to your site
Magento Commerce:
More ways to sell your products online
Paypal: Integrate this widely known option in a very simple way
Yola: Easy shopping cart integration to sell your products online
