Can I Build My Own Web Site?

The quick answer is "of course" - But, the complete answer is far more complex. Decide if you have the time to learn the skills to develop and promote your own web site. In many cases it is much more time and cost effective to contract a web designer.

Why you want to build a web site is a part of the basic question. "To get a job done right you must do it yourself", sound familiar? Many folks like to be compeletely "hands on" in everything they do. Others just like the exercise of learning a new area or skill. These individuals are usually able to put in the time and effort it takes to do a good job of building their own site. It will, however, take longer to get it done. But the time and effort are rewarded by the finished project.

If the motivation is to save money then the goal may give way to other demands on the free time. If there is a time deadline (as an example fads require a "strike while the iron is hot" response) then the learning curve may cause the site to be "a day late and a dollar short".

For the do-it-yourselfer, buying a few good books online is a great way to get started. The web itself can also be a great source with many excellent references on HTML, web site construction and promotion. Finding out you don't have the time is very common and has delayed and ruined many a fledgling business. Hire someone with the required expertise. The 12 year old next door can bang out some code. Designing and building an effective web site takes a large amount of skill and experience.

What follows is the outline for acquiring some of those skills.

Web Site 101

• A Great web site starts on paper. It is far better to tear up paper concepts than throwaway hours (even days) of mistaken "built on the fly - going nowhere" HTML code. A carefully and well thought out design is the best approach.
  
  
• Register a domain name. After you read and understand the following three guides.
  
  
  Guide 1: Understand the Power and Control of the Registrant, Administrator and Technical Contacts. A mistake here can cost you the ownership of YOUR domain name!
  
  
  Guide 2: Understand what Information is collected about the Registrant, Administrator and Technical Contact positions. This lists the definitions of the positions as well. Remember a mistake here can cost you the control of YOUR domain name!
  
  
  Guide 3: How to choose a Great domain name! Following the guidelines, think up several names (3 to 5).
  
  
  Take time to consider the name ... this (these) domain name(s) becomes your identity and doorway(s) to the world!
  
  
  Then go to HRC Domains to register. Most importantly register several name variations! Why? See "Facade Pages" listed below.
  
  
  Having your IPP (web site hosting company) register the names is Ok, IF they follow the rules in Power and Control of Domain Contact Positions!
  
  
  ISP (Internet Service Provider) = the comapny that provides the surfers connection to the Internet through a dial-up modem, DSL phone line or broadband cable modem. IPP (Internet Presence Provider) = the company that hosts (serves) a web site on the Internet so the surfer can reach (find) the site.
  
  

  After browsing the web for ideas. Pick a "look" for the web site. Some simple looking sites can be complex to build!
  
  

  A good web site will inform, entertain, provide a service or present a product. In some cases a web site will do combinations of those four ideas.
  
  

  K.I.S.S. is a great idea and really applies to web sites . Above all a web site must be easy to use. The basic design must make it simple for the surfer to navigate. Lost, frustrated visitors won't achieve the web site owner’s goal! They will leave (and likely not come back)!
  
  

  A "great" web site needs a sustained marketing effort. Learn to Promote and do it as often as allowed. Learn Search Engine Guidelines.

Planning & Construction Techniques

• Comparing the construction of a web site to a building is a fair one. First start with a good set of plans. In order to do that a set of "blueprints" must be made up. During that time decisions about the exterior "the look" of the site will be made. What the site will be made of, like, two X fours or concrete blocks. There are options today that go well beyond the basic HTML construction. The last planning element is how the interior will be decorated or in the case of the web site, content and navigation.
  
  
• The web site "plan" starts with the goal statement. What does the site need to do to accomplish that goal. The content and using navigation to achive the goal.
  
  
• What must be learned to build the site. Web site construction is actually programing in one of the variations of HTML. That can be done by learning the methods of doing the raw code or by buying a WYSIWYG program.
  
  
• These sites provide instruction in the basics of HTML and web site construction. They also assume the builder will be using a non-wysiwyg editing program or MS Notepad. (Notepad or any basic text editor is all you really need). You can (should) start your lessons in Notepad.
  
  
  • Good, basic HTML information and lessons; MCC
  • Covers just about every type of web building code; Webdeveloper Virtual Library
  • Good, basic style sheet lessons; W3 School (CSS)
  
  

  Now that you have a basic understanding of how to create HTML you need to have a way to create and edit your pages. Listed below are two distinctly different types of programs. Basic editors "NOT WYSIWYG" and those that are "WYSIWYG" and function more like a word processing program.
  
  

  • Best, basic HTML editor Web-O-Rama; Highly recommended (donationware)

  • Great, basic HTML editor 1st Page; Highly recommended (freeware)
  
  

  • Easy to use, powerful; CoffeeCup HTML Editor (shareware)

  • Highly Rated Editor; Spider Writer (shareware)

  • Simple to use, Easy to Learn HotDog Page Wiz (shareware)
  
  

  There are other commercial "WYSIWYG" programs on the market; Adobe GoLive and Macromedia Dreamweaver, but they are a bit pricey and the learning curve is suited to people who are building site full-time.
  
  

  Logos, Images, Clip Art and Fonts.
  
  

  • Create professional logos with; The Logo Creator (retail)

  • Create buttons, rollovers and Nav Links; Easy Web Graphics (retail)

  • Cool 3D Logos and Animation; Ulead Cool 3D 3.5 (retail)
  
  

  • Great Clipart, Web Parts & Great Tutorials Too; gifART.com (subscription)

  • Over 150,000 Premium Web Animations and Graphics! Click Here (subscription)

  • Huge collection of various Clipart, photos & fonts; Clip-Art.com (free & subscription)

  • 30,000 photographs. illustrations, fonts, audio files; PhotoSpin (subscription)
  
  

  • The Ray Larabie Font Collection; Free Fonts @ RLPG (freeware)

  • Get the Special Fonts needed for Great pages; Famous Fonts (retail)
  
  

  Then the "look" of the site can be integrated with the plan and the programming to achive the goal!
  
  

  Remember you can also take the approach of doing part of the work and hiring help with areas that are not part of your strengths. This may apply to logos, graphics, photography or even the basic layout. You will find that even with hiring a professional the site owner needs to do many tasks.

Web Site Design Tips, Tricks and Secrets!

1. Page Loads: Surfers have short attention spans - i.e. they will not wait. Estimates range from 8 to 20 seconds to load a page and keep a surfer. That range is based on how bad they think they want to see your content. Your index page must load quickly. Learn how to optimize page loading.
   
   
2. Browser Friendliness: Take the number of different web browsers and multiply that times the number of different version and multiply that times the number of operating systems and multiply that times the number of different video display modes and you get a staggering number. If the index page isn't simple and well designed there is no way to know how the surfer will see it displayed. This is where K.I.S.S. comes back into play. More information about browser optimization!
   
   
3. Simple Navigation: Think of web site navigation in outline form. An organized presentation of information. Simple. Easy to follow. The path may need to be forced. Several different links leading to the ultimate goal. That goal is different - based on what the site is trying to accomplish. Have several different "testers" try the site under observation. Modify, based on their reactions, questions, success or failure to browse the site.
   
   
4. Meta Tags: The "meta-tags" contained between the <head> </head> html tags are used by many search engines to define the title, description and content of a web site. Proper use of meta-tags will help in placement with some of the "big 10" search engines. If the search engines can't find and properly index a site, neither can surfers using those engines. Learn about optimizing meta-tags.
    
5. Facade Pages: Use registered variations of the domain name to build, link, promote and track, "facade pages", to boost traffic to the primary domain. Web host hrc4.net offers facade pages.
   
   
6. Update Frequently: Give your surfers a valid reason to return to the web site(s) by constantly updating information, entertainment, providing a new service or presenting a new product. Make a "what's new" link part of the index page.
   
   
7. Ask For Feedback: Contact information and Email links must be easy to find. Ask for Questions and Comments!

Marketing Concepts:

• Once the site is up and running apply for your merchant Credit Card processing. Most gateways and processors need to find the site up and running before granting the ability to accept Credit Cards. We are currently suggesting Charge.Com. Accepting Credit Cards online will increase web based sales.
  
  
• Traffic through a web site is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The traffic will come from where the marketing efforts are directed. Choose an IPP that allows (helps) track the source of the traffic. ( HRC4 does ) This allows you to measure the effectiveness of your marketing and promotion efforts.
  
  
• Achieve proper listing in the major search engines. Hire a professional, Site Solutions or rlpg.com. It is that important. If you must do-it-yourself here are two places we recommend; addme.com and ineedhits.com. It is very time consuming and there are plenty of cost-effective ways to get it done.
  
  
• Utilize frequent, traditional and online, creative Press Releases.
  
  
• Write relevant articles for newspapers, journals, magazines and periodicals. Volunteer to speak at schools, civic groups, business and service organizations. Try to work with local and national radio and television stations as a web information source. Offer to provide content to other web sites. In all cases promote the web site URL(s). Make it part of any printed byline. This is where an easy to remember, simple domain name is worth its weight in gold! NEVER say "my web site is http colon slash slash www dot my domain name dot com slash index dot html" NEVER! Just say "domain name dot com" (correct extension BUT it should be dot com).
  
  
• Develop a relevant, consistent mutual link program (both in and outbound). The more quality inbound links a site has the better they do in search engine rankings. An extensive web search can make this a do-able (but tedious and time consuming) manual operation. It is usually better to try one of these; Zeus Internet Marketing Robot or Links Manager.
  
  
• Include web site URLs on everything: The extensive rlpg.com list!
  
  
• Develop an e-mail based newsletter. Build an Opt-In Form and send the newsletter to your subscribers and customers. Ask them to forward copies to their friends and family. The newsletter helps to build traffic ... and sales. Announce any change to the site or new product! Use the newsletter to let your current customers and newsletter subscribers know about it - for free.
  
  
• Utilize "true" customer testimonials to add credibility to your web site goals!
  
  
• Join relevant newsgroups, chat rooms and listservs (Electronic Mailing Lists). Practice proper netiquette. Don't make it an ad - provide useful information and help. Let your "signature file" do the promotion.
  
  
• NEVER resort to SPAM! NEVER! It can cost you your web site and it is never an effective marketing tool for any long lasting web site gains.
  
  
• Always use a "signature file" with every e-mail. This needs to include Name, phone number (if appropriate), service(s) offered and web site(s) URL(s).
  
  

Keeping Surfers Coming Back

So Important - Worth Repeating: Content, new content, fresh content! A stale web site is a dead, dying web site. As noted; a web site "must" inform, entertain, provide a service or present a product. if one visit to a site does everything, sees everything and reads everything - then one visit is all you get! New information - a new special, a new product - additional information - that is what keeps surfers coming back. Keep up to date, keep changing; keep them coming back!

To Steal a Phrase ... Just Do It! An idea left on the shelf is truly a loss ... a loss to everyone, most importantly a loss to YOU!

Questions?... Comments ... Please  E-Mail us!

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