websites 101 powerpoint presentation
Post on 21-Oct-2014
595 views
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
So you want a website . . .So you want a website . . .
Presentation Goals
Explain the basic building blocks
Speak “non-geek” and demystify the process
Answer your questions
Help you know where to go from here
What is your name?What is your name?
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the name that customers will use to find your site, e.g. www.agora-net.com
How do I pick a name?
Pick a name that’s easy to connect with you
Pick a name that’s short
Consider more than one name in some cases
Typically pick a .com name if you are a business and .org if you are a non-profit organization
Have more than one name in mind in case your top choice is taken
Getting a Domain NameGetting a Domain Name
Where do I get one?
You become the “owner” of a domain name when you pay a registration fee for using it. The companies that provide the registrations are called “registrars”.
To register a name, you go to the website of any accredited registrar (or a reseller), create an account and pay the registration fee.
How much are the registration fees?
Registrars compete for your business so fees vary. Typical fees range from $10/year to $35/year per name.
Buyer BewareBuyer Beware
Make sure your domain name is registered in your name or the name of your organization
Know your registrar. If you get a notice from a registrar other than your own, ignore it!
SummarySummary
Your domain name is your identity on the web
Pick a name that’s short and easy to remember
You register domain names with an accredited registrar for a yearly fee
Get your name registered in YOUR name
Who are you?Who are you?
Where do I start with a design?
What do you need?
Logo?
Consistent branding?
New site? Redesign?
Who is your site FOR?
What do you want your site to DO?
What is your budget?
The “look”The “look”
What defines your organization?
Use a consistent branding
Determine what “feel” you want
Determine the top 5 or 6 blocks of information you need to convey, e.g. “About Us”, “Products”, “Services”
Know your audience, e.g. age, web-savvy, on-the-go
How much does “look” matter?
What should it DO?What should it DO?
How will people use your site?
Gather information about you
Buy your products
Networking with you and/or each other
Register for events
Share files
Access confidential information
Watch videos
Who should build it?Who should build it?
Use internal resources
Do it yourself
Use a relative, employee, neighbor
Get started with a template
Buy a template and build on it
Hire a designer and/or developer
Hire a graphic designer for a logo and/or site template
Hire a developer to add your features
All of the above
Who should build it?Who should build it?
Use internal resources
Do it yourself or use a relative, employee, neighbor
Low cost but quality and timing may suffer
Get started with a template
Buy a template and build on it
Inexpensive, Quick start
Hire a designer and/or developer
Hire a graphic designer for a logo and/or site template
Hire a developer to add your features
Most expensive but offers most options
How much does it cost?How much does it cost?
Consider all “costs”
Money
Your time
Weigh it with the benefits
Saving staff time
Increase office efficiency
Money
Templates: Free – Thousands; Lots around $50
Logo design: Plan for $1000 - $2000
Custom design: Plan for $1000 - $2000
Custom Full site: Plan for $1500 - $5000 depending on features
Important FeaturesImportant Features
Content
Write for the web
Use pictures to liven up pages
Avoid twirling flaming things
Avoid background music unless needed
Use the power of linking
Important FeaturesImportant Features
Accessibility
About 20% of people have a disability
Make sure your site is programmed well for all types of disability
Visual - Blindness, low vision, color-blindness
Hearing – use captioning
Movement - Inability to use a mouse, slow response time
Cognitive - Learning disabilities, inability to remember or focus on large amounts of information
It’s good business … and may be the law
Important FeaturesImportant Features
Help people find your site
Make your pages search-engine friendly
Get linked with other partner businesses
Include your web address on all printed materials
Test, test, test
Do your menus work?
Do your links work?
Spelling ok? Grammar?
Does your site work in all major browsers?
SummarySummary
Determine what you need
Determine the features you’d like
Determine your budget
Examine your resources
Make your site a reflection of you
Make your site usable by everyone
Test!
Where do you live?Where do you live?
What is hosting?
Hosting involves putting your web pages on a computer (server) that has a connection to the Internet
What does that really mean?
Web servers are computers specially designed for delivering your web pages to your customers.
“Hosting companies” maintain several of these servers and support them so that your site is always available
Why do I need a host?Why do I need a host?
Professional web hosting offers:
Power backups
Data backups
Email service, e.g. [email protected] (use it!)
Fast connections to the internet
Ability to handle lots of requests at once
Climate control
Security
24/7 monitoring
Customer service
How much does it cost?How much does it cost?
How much does hosting cost?
Packages vary widely
Typical prices are $10/month - $50/month for “shared hosting” services
If you have greater needs, you can pay several hundred dollars/month
Are all similarly-priced packages equal?
No. Check around and get references for hosting companies. Some inexpensive packages may not provide you with the level of speed, reliability and customer services that you need.
SummarySummary
Hosting means putting your web pages on a special “server” computer
Hosting companies maintain banks of servers designed just deliver web pages, email and other related features
Hosting prices and packages vary:
Check out the reputation of the company – get referrals
If your site is down all the time or is too slow, customers won’t come back
Will you still love me Will you still love me tomorrow?tomorrow?
Keep your content fresh
Offer reasons for people to come back
Coupons
Be a resource
Offer a useful service
Search engines like active sites
Will you still love me Will you still love me tomorrow?tomorrow?
Who will do your updates?
Internal Resources
Outside Developers
Both
Can you do it yourself?
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Editing Software (works like a word processor)
Adobe Contribute
Coffee Cup
Homesite
Hand-program it
What do you need to know?What do you need to know?
Questions?