Website Design Steps and Tips

Setting up a website is a rather simple process with the help of a
friendly, knowledgeable, and reputable website designer.

Website Steps

• Register your Domain (www.yourbusinessname.com) - this takes a lot of thought. You want a domain that your customers can remember, yet aids in the placement of you site on search engines and directories

• Gather all content to be displayed on your website including logo, photos, text, etc.

• Decide on color scheme and layout

• Find a reputable website host and set up hosting for your site

• Design website

• Point your newly registered domain name to the server

• Upload website to the web host's server (needed to view your website on the world wide web)

• Submit your website on search engines and directories.

• Promote on printed materials and word of mouth!

Note: Many website developers will register your domain and set up hosting in their name. MBD clients have the right to acquire website hosting and domain registration from the provider they choose. MBD will of course refer clients to the registrar and hosting provider they feel best fits their needs, as well as the provider they feel is most reputable.

Website Tips

Below are some tips and some valuable information that should be taken into consideration when developing a website.

• For inspiration regarding the website design layout, visit other websites; of course originality is important! Use what you find to get your creativity and thought process rolling! Copyright infringement is a big no-no!

• Be user friendly; easy to read and easy to navigate, and be well organized

• Be search engine friendly; in order to reach a high ranking on search engines and directories

• Compress photos! There is nothing worse than having one of your visitors, a possibly customer, leave your website because they have to wait a long time to view your images and photos!

• Track your website visitors using a website usage tool. Not only does website tracking count the number of "hits" made to your site, web tracking implementation can also share with you the following information: - where a visitor found your website - what keywords are most commonly used to find your website - how long they viewed a particular page - how many times a particular page was viewed ...and more valuable information that may be used in your website marketing plan.

• Set up the website so that it appears well on all browsers; in the most commonly used resolution.