1. Get Your Domain Name
The first thing you need to do before anything
else is to get yourself a domain name. This is the name you want to give to
your website. For example, the domain name of the website Development
Commisioner (MSME) is " dcmsme.gov.in". To get a domain name, you
have to pay an annual fee to a registrar for the right to use that name to any Internet
domain registrar and web hosting company e.g., www.net4.in. Getting a name
does not get you a website or anything like that. It's just a name. It's sort
of like registering a business name in the brick-and-mortar world; having that
business name does not mean that you also have the shop premises to go with it.
A domain name that matches your brand name is very
important. The very name that you use to advertise your product is the name
that you will want for your domain, because that is the first thing that people
will try in their browse.
Domain names can be of any length up to 67
characters. Instead of Long domain name, use short meaningful domain name.
If you get a domain name with a suffix other than
".com", make sure that you promote your business or website with the
full domain name. For example, if your domain name is
"dogandcatfood.net", make sure that when you advertise your site or business;
call it "dogandcatfood.net" not "dogandcatfood". Otherwise
people will assume a ".com" extension and travel to the wrong place.
2. Choose a Web Host and Sign Up for an Account
A web host is basically a company that has many
computers connected to the Internet. When you place your web pages on their
computers, everyone in the world will be able to connect to it and view them.
You will need to sign up for an account with a web host so that your website
has a home. If getting a domain name is analogous to getting a business name in
the brick-and-mortar world, getting a web hosting account is comparable to
renting office or shop premises for your business.
Name of some ad free web host X10Hosting , FreeHostia etc.
FTP is the most common method used
by people to transfer their web pages and other files from their computer to
their web host's computer, so that it can be viewed by anyone in the world.
3. Designing your Web Pages
Once you have settled your domain name and web
host, the next step is to design the web site itself.
Here are 10 tips for designing a better Web site:
i.
Set your
goals-What is the purpose of your site? Do
you want to sell products? Are you looking to find new customers? Are you
trying to provide information for existing customers? Do you want an online
brochure, or something more complex? Think about what you're trying to
accomplish via the Web and look for ways to reach that goal. Review your
business plan and your marketing plan to make sure that your Web efforts
accurately reflect your company's vision and image.
ii.
Keep your
site up to date- It's important to encourage repeat
visits to your site with fresh content. Refresh your Web site on a regular
basis, with new images, bits of product or company news, articles of interest
to your customers or whatever else you think will both be compelling and
useful. Capitalize on your efforts by featuring a "What's New"
section which makes new information easy to find.
iii.
Avoid long
download times- Web users are renowned for their
impatience. If your images take too long to download, surfers will get bored
and click right on past your Web site. Use small clusters of graphics, as
opposed to one large sheet of color and form. Keep graphics on your home page
interesting, but get rid of complex, overdone graphics that take forever to
download. The same goes for text -- look out for dense blocks or long lists
that are hard to read, or require the user to scroll for a long time to reach
the information they need.
iv.
Have a
"call to action"- Your
Web site should have many, many, many listings of your EMail address, phone
number, address, and instructions for ordering if you are selling products or
services. Include this information in as many places as possible. Don't make
someone search for a way to contact you.
v.
Don't use
"under construction"- If
something is not ready to be featured on your site, do not put it up with an
"under construction" sign. Users who spend time downloading an under
construction graphic will be more than disappointed -- they will be annoyed.
Regard your site in the same way you do all marketing materials. If you want to
highlight something before you showcase it, use a "coming soon" icon.
vi.
Know your
audience- Whether you're marketing CD's to
Gen-Xers or selling dentures to older people, your design and content should be
suitable for the people you want to reach, just as you would do with any piece
of advertising you produce. Remember, your Web site is a form of advertising,
whether in-your-face or subtle, and it is a projection of your company image.
vii.
No bugs,
no errors- If something doesn't work perfectly,
don't put it on your site -- visitors are not beta testers. Look out for
missing links -- ones that go nowhere or result in an error message -- since
these do little but frustrate users. And be sure to proofread everything;
typos, poor grammar and sloppy sentence construction will detract from the
professional image you seek to develop.
viii.
Provide a
"return to home page" function- Users
will be more likely to browse around if they know they can return easily to
your home page. Make this feature a part of all pages of your site. Another
option: use a map or list of your features to encourage people to find what
interests them. You can also try a "return to map" function. Keep
navigation simple.
ix.
Make
ordering simple and straightforward- If
you're selling products, make it easy for your customer to place an order.
Product pictures and prices should be clearly displayed, along with available
options. Some merchants favor shopping carts, which let shoppers add and
subtract items as they go along and keep a running tally. Allow shoppers to
order directly from your Web site, but also offer alternatives like phone or fax
for people who don't trust online transaction processing.
x.
Make the
visit an enjoyable one- If humor
is appropriate, you might consider using it. If you have an interesting company
history, include it. People like to attach a face to your business and feel
personally connected, so you might even want to include a bio and a picture of
yourself and those of other key staff members.
4. Testing Your Website
This should be done
throughout your web design cycle. You will need to test your web pages as you
design them in the major browsers: the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera,
Safari and Chrome.
All these browsers can be obtained free of charge, so it should be no hardship
to get them.