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Introduction to
Websites
If you are new to web
sites in general, this brief overview should help you
understand the entire process. It is really quite simple and
affordable. For this tutorial, we will use the
analogy of the real estate business.
Step 1: Buy some
property
This is called a domain name and is your
Internet address. This can be any combination of
letters/numbers that is available, up to 67 characters. For
example, www.johndoe.com is a domain name. You can also piggy
back on another domain, which is similar to renting an
apartment. Essentially, your web site would be
www.sunriseweb.com/johndoe. This is commonly used with free
web site services. This is seen as unprofessional for a
business and should only be used for personal sites, if at
all.
In order to determine if your domain
name is available, you must look up the availability. There
are many companies that do this, but we recommend the
following two companies:
- www.buydomains.com
- www.nameboy.com
The cost for buying a domain name varies
across companies. You can pay anywhere from $35/yr. to $6/yr.
You can purchase a domain name for 1 or more years at a time.
You can purchase your domain name by yourself, or we will do
it for you. We charge $9.95/yr. to register the domain name
and handle any correspondence.
Please call or e-mail us if you have any questions regarding
this process. Picking a domain name is easy, but if
the domain name you want is already registered, there are
various ways to be creative.
For example, maybe your business name is
Sunrise Web Solutions and you found that sunriseweb.com is
taken (our web site!). Well, you could simply change it to
www.sunrisewebsol.com. Both web sites above have search
results that recommend different domain names automatically,
which is very helpful. Please contact us if you would like
help in finding the best domain name for your web site. In
general, try to be simple and short.
Step 2: Build
your house
Staying with the real estate analogy, designing your web site
is similar to building a house and/or choosing a property
where you would like to live. You can spend thousands of
dollars for a deluxe mansion (fancy web site) or you can spend
a few hundred dollars and get a simple web site.
This will be based on your budget and
reason for getting a web site. Most web sites for small
businesses and individuals, should start off with a simple
site. This strategy helps you learn about the process and
get your feet wet. A web site is a "living" thing that can
always be changed or expanded in the future.
Also, consider what you want your web site to accomplish. Here
are some ideas:
- Inform customers of your
products/services
- Post pictures of completed projects,
employees, family members, etc.
- Use in conjunction with
advertisements
- E-commerce/selling your
products/services
- Allow customers to contact you
directly
Sunrise Web Solutions can help you develop
a web site that is within any budget. Depending on your
preferences, experience, and budget, we will help you select
the right strategy. You DO NOT need 1000's of dollars to get a
web site! Contact us for a free
phone consultation and we will discuss the different options.
You can also choose from one of our packages. In addition,
depending on your preferences, we can easily train you how to
update your web site on your own. There are several products
on the market that we work with and/or can recommend that
simplify the web design process. This saves you money in the
future should you want to make minor changes.
Step 3: Maintain your house
Now that we have purchased land (domain name) and built a
house (web site design/layout), the next step is to maintain
your house (web site). Just like a house needs water,
electricity, and other services to become "livable," your web
site needs to be "hosted." While this analogy doesn't quite
fit perfectly, we'll try to explain it better.
Hosting your web site is simply putting the files on a server
which allows your web site files to be viewable all over the
world from any computer. Without a hosting service, your web
site would not exist and no one could view it. Similarly, you
have to maintain your home by paying taxes, having
electricity, water, and other services. It is also similar to
buying land because you have to put your "house" somewhere,
but hopefully, this makes it clear.
We offer hosting for all of our clients. The world of web site
hosting is constantly changing and pricing plans can be
confusing. You can pay anywhere from $0 to $100/month or more,
depending on the services you want and the amount of
memory/data traffic you need. E-commerce sites usually
approach about $50-$100/mo. while more basic sites can be
hosted for $8-$20/month. Some services offer free hosting, but
usually limit you to basic services. The idea is that
eventually, customers will upgrade to a paying account.
Sunrise Web Solutions offers web hosting with all of our
design packages. You can also purchase our hosting packages
separately if you already have a web site.
Depending on your needs, we will find a hosting package that
suits your needs. We will help you understand all of the
options and find the hosting solution that meets your needs
and is the most affordable.
Step 4: Throw a House Warming Party
This tutorial is almost over. Hang in there. Now that we have
a domain name, web site, and hosting service, it is time to
promote your web site or in keeping with the analogy, it's
time to let people know you're in the neighborhood. This
process involves submitting your site to major search engines
as well as various aspects of e-mail marketing.
Some simple steps you can take to promote your site are listed
below. Put your web site on the following:
- All advertisements
- Business cards
- Your e-mails/e-mail signature
- Bumperstickers
- Letterhead
- Yellow page listings
- Chamber of Commerce listings
- Etc.
We will help you develop a promotion
strategy, depending on your goals and purpose of your site.
For many small businesses, simply putting their web site on
all correspondence and other communications is enough. If you
are planning to selling lots of products from your site, you
will need to pursue other search engine strategies such as pay
per click advertising and developing an in-house e-mail
list/newsletter.
This concludes the Intro to web sites
tutorial.
Contact us today to set up a free
consultation and begin your Internet adventure!
We hope this has helped you understand
the world of web sites and the process involved. It may seem
slightly complicated or confusing, but benefits far out weigh
the risks.
Many companies say they can't afford a web site...we here at
Sunrise Web Solutions believe that you Can't Afford Not to
Have a Web Site! Simply put, no matter what business you are
in, a web site sets you apart from your competition, not to
mention the promotional opportunities it brings.
Best of luck in your Internet adventure. There are certainly
many companies to choose from and we wish you the best of luck
in your search.
Naturally, we would love to offer you our design/consulting
services.
Contact us today for a free
consultation.
This tutorial does not guarantee to cover every aspect of a
web site project. Please consult us with any additional
questions you have regarding your web site and/or Internet
needs.
Prices subject to change.
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