Creating (+ Maintaining) a Website

What do you need for a website? The following is an overview of what you will need to create a website that includes five components and a brief explanation of website basics for creating a website.

Website Basics

• Website Design and Development
• Domain Name Registration
• Web Hosting
• Promotion and Marketing
• Web Maintenance / Webmaster Services

Website Design and Development

Before you start working on the actual design of your website , you need to plan first. You will need to determine your Internet objectives and who your audience is. The types of websites you may consider include:

An informational website

An informational website is similar to an online business brochure. The objective of this type of site is to offer business information including the “who, what, where, when and how” of your business or organization.

An E-commerce website

An e-commerce website is for those who would like to sell products including goods or services online. This type of site displays products and provides the ability to complete the purchase transaction online.

Domain Name Registration

A domain name is an Internet address used on the World Wide Web to locate your website. One does not actually own a domain name as annual fees provide the “right” to use it. Annual fees vary for this privilege depending on the company providing the services and the domain name extension requested. When choosing a name it is important to choose a name that others can remember easily.
For more on domain names: Tips to Choosing a Domain Name

Web Hosting

Web hosting is the actual “housing” where a website is stored. This process may be thought of as the apartment or office that is rented in a large building where the site is conducting business.

Promotion and Marketing

When the website is complete, a marketing plan to promote the website should be devised. Website marketing and promotion fees are separate and in addition to domain name fees, web design and development fees and hosting fees. The following are two website marketing considerations:

Basic Marketing Plan

Includes site submission to the major directories and search engines. Directories include: The Open Directory Project and Yahoo!

Aggressive Marketing Plan

For those who desire an aggressive promotion and marketing strategy, PPC or Pay Per Click marketing options include Google Adwords and Yahoo!'s site submit.

Web Maintenance / Webmaster Services

Keeping your website fresh with current information is an absolute necessity to portray a professional image to your Internet audience. Ensuring that your site is current and relevant is just as important as initially creating the site. You will need to determine who is going to perform the changes and updates to your site. If you anticipate ongoing edits, you may want to consider a cost effective web maintenance agreement. Fees for web maintenance are separate and in addition to web design, domain names, web hosting and promotion.