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A
Guide to Starting a Web-site
Basics
Q. " I
don't know anything about publishing my own web site. Do I
need to have a web host for my site?"
A. "Yes, to get started
publishing your site onto the world wide web you
will need to do two things. You must first register a domain
name and also obtain a web host. Many domain names have already
been taken! You will first need to find out if the name you have chosen
is available. You can do this by checking your
name at http://www.godaddy.com. You may have to come with a suitable
variation on your desired name. If you have problems we
can help you come with one.main name.
Q: "Is it
expensive to register a domain name?"
A:
"Different companies charge different amounts for this
service. Godaddy.com is the number one choice for new
registrations because they are very reasonable. A new
domain costs about $9.99"
Q. "What does a
web host do?"
A. A web
host or server offers you a place to store your web pages and
other files, and
allows you to publish your site so that others may look at
it.
Q:
"Do you provide
web hosting?"
A. No, we do
not provide hosting services. We will be happy to recommend a
good host suitable for your needs
Q:
"Is it very difficult to open a hosting account?"
A.
No. It is very simple Web hosts want
your business and they do everything they can to simplify the
process. It generally involves no more than giving them your
contact information and a valid credit card number.
Navigation
Q.
"Okay. I have come up
with a domain name and picked out a web host what do I do
next?
The first thing you will need
to do is plan the structure of your site. You will
need to figure out the number of different pages ( links) you
require and what the content will be for each one. For example, you may
want an
about us page, a contact page, a mission statement page, a
product or services page, a photo gallery page. If you have any problems
figuring out the navigation you can always find
inspiration by looking at other sites that offer the same
kind of service or product as yours.
Content
Q. "Okay, I
have figured out the basic navigation of my site, what do
I do next?"
Once you have figured out the
navigation of your site, you will need to start thinking about
the content of site. You will be responsible for creating
the text that appears on your site.
It would be helpful if you could supply us with any photographs that are specific to your
particular business. We do image searches but they are
usually general in nature.
Q:
"What file formats do you support?
A.
"Text files must be in standard word format. Photos
may be either jpegs or gifs.
Videos should be in .wmv format (Windows media). Music
files may be either .wav or .mp3. Simple databases may be constructed in excel
spreadsheets.
Q: "What about the
appearance of the site? How do I figure out what my site
should look like?"
Once you have a basic idea
about the content of your site you will need to think
about what you want the site to look like. It
is a good idea to
consider the purpose of your site and the sort of image you would like
to convey We recommend you
take a look
around the net and try to find sites that are similar to what
you have in mind.
Q. " I don't
like the generic look of some web pages. Do you ever work from
templates?"
A. "No, we don't use templates
(except by request.) All
our work is original and created solely for your site based on
your suggestions. No one else will have the same design."
Shopping Carts
Q; "Can I add a
shopping cart to my site? How much does this cost?
A
We
use the a PayPal shopping cart system because it is simple to
use. We charge a one time fee of 50.00 for all carts and an
additional fee of $2.50 a product,
Q : " I would like
to be able to accept credit cards on my site How do I do
this?"
A:
"In order to accept credit cards you must purchase a
security certificate and set up a merchant account with a
bank. We recommend using a paypal system because
it is easier to set up than a merchant
account ( which may require a store-front address).
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