Part 1 of 4: Designing Your Website
1
Get inspired. Look at
websites with great designs and think about why they're great designs.
It usually comes down to the information, resources, links, and pages
being laid out in a way that is easy to see and use. To get ideas about
how to design your own site, look at sites which do similar things to
get ideas about where you should put different types of content.
Stay realistic to your skills.
Ease of access is the most important thing. If you don't have a
certain piece of information easily visible, make sure that getting to
that information is very logical.
Generally the simpler the design, the fewer the pages, the better.
2
Choose a theme. If you
already have a fairly good idea about what your website will focus on,
skip this step. If not, here are some things to help you figure that
out. First, understand that there are billions of people on the
Internet, and a healthy percentage have websites. If you limit yourself
to something that hasn't been done, you'll never get started.
When you think, "Internet," what is the first thing that comes to
your mind? E-commerce? Music? News? Socializing? Blogging? Those are all
good places to start.
You could create a website that's dedicated to your favorite band, and have a chat area where people can talk about it.
You can build a page for your family, but be careful about things
like this. The internet is full of unsavory characters and information
you put up about your family could end up being used against you.
Consider adding password protection to your personal family website.
If you're a news junkie, or want something less filtered than
traditional media, build a website and get publicly available feeds from
news providers such as Reuters, BBC, AP, and others. Build your own
customized news aggregator (what used to go by the quaint name of
"newspaper"), then see and show all the news that's fit to digitize.
If you're creative at writing then you can start a blog where you can write about anything you want and attract monthly readers!
3
Make a plan. Building
your website is going to take a commitment of time and money, so set a
limit on both, and then dig in. The first thing you want to do after you
have your idea and are ready to build a website is to plan it out. This
doesn't have to be a big, complicated spreadsheet, or a fancy graphic
presentation, but at the very least, you will want to know what goes
where.
4
Figure out your content.
There are lots of different types of content and many have their own
considerations. You'll need to figure out what's best for your website
and your needs. Some things to consider including:
A store. If you want to sell things, you'll need to figure out
how you want the items to be available. If you have relatively few
things to sell, you might want to consider having a store with a hosting
service. Society6, Amazon, and Cafepress are all well-established store
hosts which let you sell a variety of items and set your own prices.
Media. Do you want to display videos? Music? Do you want to host
your own files or do you want them hosted somewhere else? Youtube and
SoundCloud are great hosting options but you'll need to be sure that the
way you design your website allows these media types to display
correctly.
Images. Are you a photographer? An artist? If you plan on putting
original images on your website, you might want to use a format that
can help keep them from getting stolen. Make sure the images are
relatively small or that they are hidden behind some Flash code, so as
to keep them from being easily saveable.
Widgets. These are mini-programs which run on your website,
usually to help you keep track of who visits, what they're looking for,
and where they're from. You can also find widgets for booking
appointments, displaying a calendar, etc. Look into what might be useful
for you (just make sure the widget comes from a reputable source).
Contact information. Do you want to have contact information on
your webpage? For your own safety, you should be careful about what kind
of information you have available. You should never display things like
your home address or home phone number, as information like this can be
used to steal your identity. You may want to set up a PO box or a
special email address for people to contact you at, if you don't have a
business address.
5
Draw a flow chart. For most people, the website starts on the home page.
This is the page that everybody sees when they first go to
www.yourSite.com. But where do they go from there? If you spend some
time thinking about how people might interact with your site, you'll
have a much easier time down the line when you are making navigation
buttons and links.
6
Plan for platforms. 2012
and 2013 saw the real rise of tablets and other mobile devices as
internetting platforms. If you really want to make a website that will
stand the test of time and be accessible to the highest number of
viewers, plan on making different versions of your site for different
platforms, or plan to use a responsive design that adjusts as necessary.
Part 2 of 4: Building Your Website
1
Make it happen. When you
have the basic idea down and have a plan for how it will be laid out,
the next thing you'll want to think about is how you're going to build
it. The options seem mind-boggling, and people will try to sell you
this, and that, and every other thing that you "absolutely must have" on
your site. When you get right down to it, though, there are only a few
basic choices to make.
2
Build it yourself. If
you have a website-building application like Adobe Dreamweaver, it is
not very difficult to create a website from scratch. You might need to
do some coding but don't panic!
HTML
looks complicated, but it's like listening to Shakespeare—it's hard at
first, but once you get the feel of it, it's not that difficult.
Pros: website design software simplifies the process of building
sites by letting you drag-and-drop images, text, buttons, movies, and
anything else you can think of, usually without ever having to dig into
HTML. Many web design applications will even let you create sites
specifically for your smart phone or pad. If you are building a basic,
personal website, this is really a great way to go.
Cons: there is a learning curve, and though you don't have to dig
into HTML, it's not totally geek-free. If you are in a hurry, this might
not be the best solution. Perhaps the biggest con, though, is that if
you are not a graphic designer, you could end up with a page that
hurts the eyes. To mollify this somewhat, there are a number of free
templates in the applications, and on the internet, but be aware of your
limitations—if you have any!
3
Use a hosting site.Wordpress
is a great option for building websites. Wordpress features more than
2000 themes that you can start using immediately. There are some options
for customization, and you can manage your site from anywhere that has
an Internet connection.
Pros: Very easy to use, quick to get started
with one click install, and lots of options for the beginner (with enough depth for more experienced users).
Cons: Some themes are limiting, and not all are free.
4
Build more complex skills.
If you decide to build your website from scratch, there are ways to
extend your HTML skills and add more features and more depth to your
website. If you are developing a professional website, these tools will
help you get that edge that is needed in any business venture.
CSS,
which stands for "Cascading Style Sheets". CSS gives more flexibility
for styling the HTML, and makes it much easier to make basic
changes—fonts, headers, color schemes—in one place, and have those
changes ripple through the site.
XHTML
is a web language set by W3C's standards. Almost identical to HTML, it
follows a stricter set of rules for marking up information. What this
means, for the most part, is minor changes to the way you write code.
Look into HTML5. It's the fifth revision of the core HTML standard,
and will eventually subsume the current version of HTML (HTML4), and
XHTML as well.
Learn a client-side scripting language, such as
JavaScript. This will increase your ability to add interactive elements to your site, such as charts, maps, etc.
Learn a server-side scripting language.
PHP,
ASP with JavaScript or VB Script or Python can be used to change the
way web pages appear to different people, and lets you edit or create
forums. They can also help store information about people who visit your
site, like their username, settings, and even temporary "shopping
carts" for commercial sites.
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a technique of using a
browser sided language and a server sided language to make the page get
new information from the server without refreshing the page, often
greatly reducing user wait time and vastly improving the user's
experience but increasing bandwidth usage. For a website that will see a
lot of traffic, or an eCommerce site, this is an excellent solution.
5
Hire a professional. If
you are not up to designing, or learning languages and
protocols—especially for more advanced sites—hiring a professional may
be your best option. Before you hire, ask to see a portfolio of their
work, and check their references carefully.
Part 3 of 4: Test Driving Your Website and Going Live
1
Register your domain name. If you’re on a budget, there are strategies for
buying a cheap domain name.
Find a domain name that is easy to remember and easy to spell. If you
use domains ending with .com, you will end up with more traffic, but
most of the easy ones are taken, so be creative!
Look to Network Solutions, GoDaddy, or Register.com are good in US
and uk2.net if you're in the UK to research and find the ideal domain
name for your website. Wordpress also includes a feature whereby you can
use a name that's tagged with their site, for example,
mywebsite.wordpress.com. But if the name you choose is also available as a .com, they will notify you when you sign up.
You can purchase domain names if they have been "parked" or are for sale
online through business sales sites. It's a good idea to get legal and
financial advice before purchasing an expensive domain name.
2
Inspect your website.
Before you post your site, check it out. Most web design software has a
way to test your site without taking it online. Look for missing tags,
broken links, search engine optimization, and website design flaws.
These are all factors which may affect your website's traffic and
revenues. You may also generate a free full-functioning site map to
submit to search engines like Google, in a matter of minutes.
3
Test drive your website.
When you finish your website, do usability testing. You can do this by
asking a few friends or family members to try it out. Give them a
specific task like "edit your profile" or "buy an alpaca sweater from
the bargains page." Sit behind them and watch them navigate—do not help
them. You will likely find areas where you need to improve navigation or
clarify some instructions. Alternately use something like zurb.com to
user test on specific demographics for different types of engagement.
When testing a website in 2014 it's becoming important to keep the
platform in mind and make sure the website is usable from smartphones
and tablets as well as desktops.
Keep a list of things you notice that seem difficult or non-intuitive for the user.
4
Post it!Choose a web host and upload your website. Your web host may have an
FTP feature,
or you can download your own FTP program like FileZilla or CyberDuck.
If you hired a professional to design the website, they should be able
to take care of this for you (but it still pays to ask questions so that
you understand what is happening).
Part 4 of 4: Website Considerations
1
Define your goals. The
website you create may be for fun, it may be for profit, or some
combination of the two. Knowing your expectations makes it much easier
both to design your website, and to track and make sense of the results.
2
Be ready for competition.
Content sites require less investment but they also face more
competition, since anyone can start a content site. To make money from
this kind of site, you provide information and generate income from the
traffic you receive through advertising, such as through
Google AdSense. In order to
optimize AdSense,
you will have to write your content purposefully and make it
interesting so that people come to your site. Use specific keywords
directed at people searching for specific terms too; just don't get
carried away with this aspect or the content may suffer and readers
won't like it.
3
Be ready for responsibility.
eCommerce sites, which sell products, will need more maintenance and
attention. You will need to think about shipping, sales, taxes, SSL,
inventory updates, and everything that a person with a brick-and-mortar
storefront would have to manage. A system for prompt answering of
questions and dealing with complaints is essential when selling products
online; many companies also offer phone help, which you can outsource
offshore if need be.
If the goal is just to add a stream of income, you can also sell other people's products through
affiliate programs, letting you earn money without investing in product or worrying about shipping.
4
Know the audience or market you want to reach. Which kinds of people will your website serve?
Conduct market research
to figure out more about your audience. Things to know or find out
include: What do they do? How old are they? What are their other
interests? All of this information can help make your website much more
useful. However, be careful of assuming that your site is only targeting
one group––always watch for trends that show other types of people
becoming interested, so that you can cater for their interests too and
make the most of new opportunities.
5
Narrow down your concept.
If you're doing this for money, which ideas stand to make the most
profit? Which ideas require the most commitment? Which ideas look like
they'd be fun to pursue? You will be spending time working on your
website, so choose the idea you are most passionate about (that is also
profitable and practical for you).
6
Do keyword research.
This is necessary to determine whether people are searching for topics
that are relevant to your site and can be useful for learning more about
your potential clients. Making a conscious effort to incorporate
in-demand keywords into the site can also help you
get a better search engine ranking. There are tools available from Google (ex.
google.com/trends/ and
google.com/insights/search/#), Overture, and third-party software developers that can make the keyword research process easier.
Sprinkle the keywords you've chosen throughout your text, but not insofar as it hurts the quality of your content.
Creating pages that are optimized for the search engines will help
you get your site found which is really more important than design. What
good is a site that no one sees?
7
Advertise. Now that it's out there, you want people to come, so let them know!
Submit your site to major search engines. There are sites that will do this for you, or you can
do it yourself.
Tell your friends. Tweet about it—constantly! Add it to your
Facebook status updates, post pictures of it on Flickr, add it to your
LinkedIn account—anywhere and everywhere is the key here. The more
people coming to your site, the better.
Use an e-mail address with your domain. Visit other websites that
complement (not compete with) yours, and offer to exchange links or
guest blog/write. Post constructively on blogs and forums, and put your
URL in your signature.
Use article marketing. Creating
SEO-optimized articles
and posting them to other sites is a sometimes a useful way to create
back-links to your website. This might help you to boost your website’s
search engine ranking but always keep abreast of search engine updates
that often impact SEO strategies and can render them less helpful or
even downgrade your site's ranking.
8
Provide quality content and service. Most of all, listen to your readers and customers and learn from their experience with your website.
Take constructive comments seriously. Other band members, fans, and friends may all have easier navigation ideas.
Think about your target market or audience: their needs, their
frustrations, their circumstances. As much as possible, seek to make
their lives easier or more informed.
Tips
People are often in a hurry. On average, you have about 3-7 seconds
to capture people's eyeballs, so be smart about what people see first
when they get to your page. To minimize your load time, don't overload
with huge graphics. Compress them where possible. Use flashy technology
JavaScript, Flash, Streaming Audio/Video, etc., sparingly and only if it
is important to your presentation.
If you're selling a product that users will find through a search
engine, make sure that product is the first thing they see when they get
to your page. The more you make your visitor click, the more likely
your visitor will visit someplace else.
If you hire a professional to code a complicated site, remember that
programmers are not necessarily graphic designers. The most
eye-catching sites out there have been made by or with the input of
someone involved in graphic design. The best advice, especially for a
professional site, is to use the right team for the job: designers
design the look and feel of the site; programmers do all the stuff under
the hood to make it work; marketers position the site and make sure
it's relevant; and writers write the copy.
Find popular websites, even if they do not have much to do with
yours, and use them as models. What are they doing right? What is
interesting about their layout, their content, the way you maneuver
through the website? Incorporate relevant aspects of what you learn from
viewing these sites into your own website, tailoring it to fit your
requirements.
Begin with simple things, practice them, and then find ways to
improve – even if what you create is not very impressive the first few
times time. Do not attempt to rush through the process.
If you intend to sell a product on your website, you will need to be
able to accept secure credit card payments. You can apply for a
merchant account, which charges a per-transaction fee, or
use a free payment service like PayPal.
Always read the fine print carefully. Be aware that many credit
facilities require you to give guarantees for lost or damaged shipped
items (look into insurance as well).
Warnings
Never violate your visitors' trust. Respect their privacy. Spam,
annoying pop-ups, and irrelevant ads will hurt your credibility. A clear
privacy statement is one way to build your credibility. Provide a
prominent link to your privacy statement from every page on the site as
well as from any location that you are asking your visitors for personal
information. Provide legitimate contact information online. If you need
to use ads on your website, explain to your visitors why, and show them
that you're doing your best to accommodate their visit. And mean it!
Be careful not to obsess too much about all the "latest advice" on
marketing websites. While some of the advice is useful and sound, a lot
of it is not. Marketing is not a science––it's an ongoing, ever-changing
experiment. You are the best judge for how your own promotional
strategies are working (or not). Listening to users and learning from
their experience is the most valid approach of all.
If you use content from another website, be it a picture, a
JavaScript, or whatever, get permission and give them credit for it. If
you do not, they might sue you.
Remember, never delete the details (username, password, etc.) of
your account. If you do not have the details when you forget them, you
will not be able to work on your website again. More importantly, never
give out your details (except for your website address).
