Have you ever paid big bucks to get a web site developed? It happens a lot!
As recently as just a few years ago, getting a good web site up and running typically meant:
- Develop the idea for what you need and want.
- Shop around for someone to build it for you.
- Work with the developer as he/she “gets in your head” to find out exactly what it is you envision.
- Come up with the content (text & pics, etc) that will work with your vision. Very often pictures need to be customized to the “theme” of your web site. That can take a bit of time and effort.
- The web designer custom-programs your site with an expensive software package. Sometimes the code is written by hand. This can take time.
- Go back and forth several times, possibly making changes as your vision comes to life.
- Sign off on the completed web site, pay your contracted fee and take over.
- Often the web site is not set up to be administrated by the end-user. It is possible to run into additional $$$ spent on future administration tasks or changes.
You could easily spend several thousand dollars in this process. In the case of larger, multi-function web sites (information, media, some kind of shopping cart, etc.), even more, MUCH MORE!
I work on a slightly different model. I use a web site framework known as WordPress. WordPress originally made it’s mark in the blogging world. However it has now been extended with various themes and plugins. It can be used to create many different types of web sites, not just blogs. You can see a showcase of web sites done with WordPress here:
http://wordpress.org/showcase/
The wonderful thing about such a framework is that it makes assembling the web site very fast and easy, with no expensive special web design software like Dreamweaver or FrontPage. The work is done in a standard web browser like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.
Additionally, there are hundreds of free themes available for use. Should one of the free ones not work for you, there are other modestly-priced themes out there. Changing the theme of a WordPress web site is often just a matter of finding a theme you like and then doing a little tweeking. It is extremely easy to try several themes, switching between them to compare. You can browse the official WordPress theme directory yourself by clicking below:
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
Another benefit is that WordPress has it’s own administration interface. Once the site is set up, it is easy (for you the end user!) to administrate pages, posts, pictures, and more. Or, if you would rather not, I can do any changes or updates for you.
Hosting
NelsonTek can not only design your web site, but also give it a place to call “home”. It is a very common practice for the very large “mega” web host companies to lease space on their servers to smaller web site “resellers”. I lease such space and resell it…”Entrepreneur 101″. You get the same great hardware and top-notch service, along with a great price and small-town familiarity with your hosting company. Importantly, your money gets spent here in Williamsburg. Support of local businesses matters!
Hosting packages start at $10/month, $100/year and go up depending on the size and complexity of your web site.
How To Start
Where to begin? If you really have no idea what you want to do, spend a bit of time looking at other web sites. Are there colors or themes that catch your eye? Do you want to place more emphasis on visual effect or how your content is displayed? Is there a lot going on, or do you want to take a minimalist approach?
There are many do’s and don’ts that web “experts” have come up with over the years. Many of those are simply opinions; there certainly is no one correct answer. However, some of the top things to remember are:
- You only have a short amount of time to impact a new visitor. Your potential viewer will either find what they are looking for or give up within 15-30 seconds.
- The use of Flash is frowned upon by the “industry” for several reasons. Just know that using a Flash movie to intro your web site eats into that valuable 30-second window mentioned above. Think twice before you use Flash for anything but movies.
- Try to keep your site looking clean. Lots of information can be confusing, especially to certain demographics of people (elderly, children, sight-impaired, people like me who are easily distracted). Try to layout your web site so that there is a “flow”. “Flow”can mean just about anything, but the point is to keep your viewer engaged with what you have to say to them. You don’t want them struggling to understand you or your product. If you are taking them on a wild goose chase throughout your web site, you will lose them to someone else.
- Colors do matter. Some colors incite passion (red), some soothe (yellow), some say “money” (green), some denote temperature or coolness (blue). Think about color that way when you look at other web sites.
- When you find web sites you like, write down the address. Your web developer will be grateful for the suggestions to look at.
- Keep your pictures in mind while you are looking at other web sites. Note how perspective, color, shading, cropping, and other techniques can make pictures really pop. When people take pictures, they normally aren’t thinking about these kinds of techniques. When you are designing a web site, you can often get what you want by thinking outside the normal picture-taking “box”.
- Will your web site contain more than just pictures? Will there be music or video available? These kinds of files take up much more space than the web pages themselves do. If you have a lot of these, then your site will likely have to have more space allocated to it than a simpler site. That will increase your monthly outlay somewhat for web site hosting.
- Will your web site sell things? These sites are typically more complex than your average site. A database on the back end to contain your store inventory and sale information, a front end web page(s) to interface with the customer, and encryption used to keep the customer’s transaction information secure. All of these components are necessary and take up additional development time and space.
As you can see, there are many factors to consider when planning a web site. These are only guidelines, but they will get you going in the right direction. If you would like to discuss creating a web site, NelsonTek is only a phone call or email away.