| You've decided to create a website to market | | | | |
| your products or services. More and more | | | | - Clear contrast between the font color and |
| people start their information searches | | | | the background |
| online, so having a website is the logical | | | | |
| next step. But without web development skills | | | | - Links to the main pages that are easy to |
| or knowledge, how do you build and market a | | | | find from any page |
| website? | | | | |
| | | | - Links throughout the site that take |
| To help you bring your business online, we've | | | | visitors to the next steps - more details |
| laid out these steps for you: | | | | about your products or services, order pages, |
| | | | contact information |
| The website concept | | | | |
| | | | Put together an e-commerce system |
| - Choose and register a domain name | | | | |
| | | | If you sell products or services at your |
| - Write a site outline | | | | website, you need: |
| | | | |
| - Get a website template | | | | - An online shopping cart program so that |
| | | | people can place orders |
| The website | | | | |
| | | | - A merchant account to handle Internet |
| - Write your website content | | | | payment transactions |
| | | | |
| - Make your website user friendly | | | | - A payment gateway to connect your shopping |
| | | | cart and the financial institutions involved |
| - Put together an e-commerce system | | | | in the sale |
| | | | |
| The online presence | | | | - An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate |
| | | | to establish a secure connection when |
| - Choose a web host | | | | receiving credit card information |
| | | | |
| - Set up your website | | | | For low-volume sales, PayPal may be more |
| | | | economical than a merchant account, and it |
| - Market your website | | | | doesn't require a payment gateway or an SSL |
| | | | certificate. |
| 1. The website concept | | | | |
| | | | Shopping carts range from basic to those with |
| Choose and register a domain name | | | | more advanced options. Some merchant account |
| | | | providers include a payment gateway with |
| Your domain name should represent your | | | | their merchant accounts, which simplifies |
| business and be easy to spell and remember. | | | | setting up an online store. |
| Your company name is the obvious choice, but | | | | |
| if the name is long, you may want to use a | | | | 3. The online presence |
| shortened version of it. | | | | |
| | | | Choose a web host |
| The domain name extension is the part that | | | | |
| comes after the main part of the name and the | | | | Choosing a good web host is essential to your |
| dot. Dot com (.com) names are the most | | | | online presence. If your site is constantly |
| popular for businesses. If your business is | | | | down, or if you can't get customer support |
| specific to a country outside the US, a | | | | when you need it, your website won't be able |
| country-specific extension helps show this. | | | | to work as well for you. |
| Country-specific domain extensions have rules | | | | |
| relevant to the country they represent, such | | | | Don't look at price alone when choosing a web |
| as that you're a resident of that country or | | | | host. Consider also these factors: |
| have a registered business in that country. | | | | |
| | | | - Are the support people fast and helpful? |
| To find out if a domain name is available, go | | | | |
| to Whois Source ( or the domain name | | | | - Can you reach support easily at any time? |
| registrar of your choice. Whois Source has a | | | | |
| name spinner tool, which suggests variations | | | | - Does the company have a good record of |
| of a name if the one you want is taken. | | | | server uptime? |
| | | | |
| Once you choose a domain name, register it as | | | | - Do the hosting packages provide room for |
| soon as possible with a low price domains | | | | your site to grow? |
| (http// provider. It might not be available | | | | |
| the next day. Be sure to renew it before it | | | | In addition, look for specific features that |
| expires - your company identity will become | | | | your website may require, such as website |
| linked with this name. | | | | templates or support for specific e-commerce |
| | | | solutions. Website Source's Hosting ( |
| Write a site outline | | | | includes these features and more: |
| | | | |
| What content do you want at your website? | | | | - Hundreds of templates to choose from using |
| These pages are standard for most business | | | | Site Studio - no HTML knowledge required |
| websites: | | | | |
| | | | - A shopping cart and shared SSL certificate |
| - Home | | | | included with accounts |
| | | | |
| - About Us | | | | - Free website content that clients can |
| | | | publish at their sites |
| - Contact | | | | |
| | | | - A marketing control panel with tools to |
| If you offer just a few products or services, | | | | help market and monitor websites |
| one page for each product or service will | | | | |
| work fine. On the other hand, if your company | | | | Once you have a web hosting account, you're |
| provides a range of products or services, | | | | ready to go online. |
| your site will be easier to navigate if you | | | | |
| group the products or services into a | | | | Set up your website |
| separate directory for each group. | | | | |
| | | | You have your domain name, your website |
| Good website content not only helps site | | | | template, your content, your e-commerce |
| visitors decide on your products or services, | | | | system, and your web host. Now what? |
| but it also helps increase traffic to your | | | | |
| website. If you're selling purple widgets, | | | | Put it all together. |
| for example, a page on how to use purple | | | | |
| widgets will bring your site more hits via | | | | - Your domain name When you set up your web |
| search engines. It will also provide content | | | | hosting account, your web host gave you the |
| that webmasters of other sites as well as | | | | names of two nameservers. These names need to |
| posters in forums might link to. | | | | be in the domain name record for your domain |
| | | | name to point to your website. |
| With the site outline ready, you're ready for | | | | |
| the next step. | | | | To add the nameservers to your domain name |
| | | | record, log in to your domain name account at |
| Get a website template | | | | your domain name registrar and look for the |
| | | | two fields marked "nameservers," "DNS" |
| Pre-made website templates ( vary in quality, | | | | (domain name servers), or just "Primary" and |
| but they can be customized, and they save you | | | | "Secondary." Enter the nameserver names that |
| time. If you plan to buy a pre-made website | | | | your web host gave you, and click on Update. |
| template, consider these features when | | | | (The exact steps may vary depending on your |
| choosing a template: | | | | domain name registrar.) |
| | | | |
| - Does the design convey a professional image | | | | While it used to take 24 hours or more for |
| that fits with your business? | | | | domain names to point to a website, this |
| | | | process often happens within an hour or so |
| - Do the pages download within a reasonable | | | | now. |
| time? | | | | |
| | | | - Your website content Your web designer can |
| - Does the design look good in all of the | | | | format the content in HTML for you and add it |
| most common screen resolutions and browsers? | | | | to each web page. If you're using a pre-made |
| | | | template with a website builder, you can add |
| - Does the template come with a site builder | | | | the content yourself. |
| that formats your content for you? | | | | |
| | | | - Your website You can upload your web pages |
| If you prefer to have an original website | | | | via an FTP (file transfer protocol) program |
| template but you don't have web design | | | | or via the website control panel if your |
| skills, we recommend that you hire a | | | | control panel has a file upload feature. If |
| professional web designer ( To choose a web | | | | your site has an e-commerce system, you can |
| designer, look at several web designers' | | | | set it up after you upload your page files. |
| portfolios to see whose web designs meet the | | | | |
| above criteria and suit your personal tastes. | | | | When you think your website is ready for the |
| | | | public, check it, check it, and check it: |
| 2. The website | | | | |
| | | | - Do all the links work? |
| Write your website content | | | | |
| | | | - Can visitors find information easily with |
| Web readers are different from print readers. | | | | the minimal number of clicks? |
| Web readers want to know right away if a page | | | | |
| has the information they're looking for. If | | | | - If you have a shopping cart, does it work |
| it doesn't, they may use the Back button to | | | | smoothly? |
| go to another site. | | | | |
| | | | - Did you provide all the details that |
| You can hire a copywriter to write your | | | | visitors need, including contact information? |
| website content, or your web designer may | | | | |
| work with a web writer. Or, you can write | | | | Market your website |
| your website content yourself. | | | | |
| | | | If you build it, they will come - but only if |
| Tips on writing for the Web: | | | | they know about it. |
| | | | |
| - Organize your content with headings and | | | | Help people find your site online: |
| subheadings. | | | | |
| | | | - Submit your site to search engines ( |
| - Tell readers what each page is about near | | | | |
| the top of each page. | | | | - Find relevant online directories and submit |
| | | | your site to them. |
| - Write clear, concise sentences in short | | | | |
| paragraphs or bullet format. | | | | - Ask the webmasters of sites with related |
| | | | content if they want to link to your site. |
| - Use tables to display data such as product | | | | |
| and price comparisons. | | | | - Put your site name and a link to it in your |
| | | | signature line for all outgoing email. |
| - Provide details about your products and | | | | |
| services. Imagine what you'd want to know if | | | | - Participate in forums and newsgroups and |
| you were looking for the products or services | | | | include your site name and a link to it in |
| that you provide, and make this information | | | | your signature line for posts. |
| easily accessible at your website. | | | | |
| | | | Share your site domain name offline too: |
| Search engine optimization (SEO) is a major | | | | |
| part of web writing. Use keywords (words that | | | | - Print it on your business cards and |
| people will enter in search engines to find | | | | stationery. |
| information) throughout your content and in | | | | |
| your title and headings in particular. The | | | | - Display it in your store or office. |
| use of keywords also helps people find the | | | | |
| information they're looking for. | | | | - Add it in lettering on your company |
| | | | vehicle. |
| Make your website user friendly | | | | |
| | | | - Put it on any company giveaway items. |
| Once site visitors come to your website, you | | | | |
| want them to feel comfortable and to spend | | | | - Include it with any advertisements. |
| time reading the content. If your site is | | | | |
| difficult to read or to navigate, you'll lose | | | | Keep your website content current, continue |
| visitors. Make sure that your website has the | | | | adding new content, and give your domain name |
| following: | | | | as much exposure as possible. And watch your |
| | | | business grow. |
| - A readable font size | | | | |