There are several steps to follow
when designing a website.
But, remember, we here at
Lone Star Designs will help you each step of the way. So, if you
get confused or overwhelmed, don't worry, that's what we're here for.
The first step is deciding the purpose of your
website. Do you just need a one page site that introduces your
business and gives you a web presence? Or do you need several
pages to describe your business? Do you want to have online
ordering available?
The second step is deciding if you would like to
have your own domain name. A domain name is your web address (ex.
www.yourcompany.com). If you just need a basic site, you may want
to use the web space provided by your Internet Service Provider.
This space is usually included in your package from your ISP.
Having your own domain name does have several
advantages. Since you can select what you would like your address
to be, you can use your company name or something that is easy to
remember. Also, search engines (Google, Alta Vista, Yahoo!, etc.)
tend to rank a site that has its own domain name higher in its search
results.
You can register your domain name when you sign up
for web hosting. A web hosting service provides you with your
space on the Internet. Your website will reside on their
server. Look at it as, paying rent for your space on the
Internet. The web hosting service we recommend is
Apollo Hosting. We highly recommend them based on their customer
service, lack of technical problems, and low cost.
The next step is the actual creation of your
website. You need to decide on the name of your website (usually
your company name), a logo, graphics or photos, and colors. Think
about what feeling you would like your website to convey. Do you
want it to be formal and professional, personable, comical, etc.?
Although we highly appreciate your input on these decisions, if you're
not sure exactly what you want, we will help you. Sometimes, you
don't know what you want until you see it.
The text of your website is very important.
Graphics and photos are great, but they usually don't tell your visitor
what they came looking for in the first place. We will ask you to
send us company brochures, recent advertisements and/or general
promotional material you are currently using to help us in giving your
site the "right" look and feel.
Take a look
at our portfolio...
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