Considering a new site, improving your existing site or decided that you are ready for a re-design? The following information is provided to assist you with planning, getting started and maintaining your web project.
Points to consider:
Understand your market. How do you want your company perceived? Young and energetic? Dependable? Innovative?
Speak your mind! If you have a design style in mind, make it known!
Next Steps:
Register your domain name. Your domain name is the name of your website and oftentimes the name that people type into their browsers to get to your home page. We recommend choosing a domain name that reflects your company name or what you do.
- Decide on your content. What is the goal of your website, and what is the goal of each page? If you have existing marketing collateral - for example, a brochure - we recommend using it. Examples of different pages you can have include a home page, about us page, a page for different products and services, etc.
- Determine the look and feel of your website. Once you have your content ready, including any text and images you want inserted on each page, your designer can begin work on the template design for your website.
- Create your website pages. After your website template is complete, your designer will insert any text and images you want to include on each page and build the actual web pages that will be seen on your website.
- Publish your website. When your website is ready to launch, it is important to secure a web hosting service (if you haven't already) so it can be seen on the Internet. Web hosting costs range from a few dollars a month to several hundred dollars a month, depending on what you need. We will be happy to hosting your site, give us a call and we will get you started. Or click here to get started today.
Your web development questions answered:
How much does a web site cost? The ultimate cost of your web site is determined by several factors. These factors include how many pages you are going to have, if you will sell products on your website, the graphic work involved, and how interactive your web site will be. You will also need web hosting and domain name registration .
Who owns the copyright on the finished web design?
Once payment has been made in full, your business owns the copyright.
What is the design turnaround time?
Turnaround time depends on your design choice and its complexity and size, along with the rate at which we receive feedback from you. CSI will provide an estimated start and completion date for your web project upon receipt of all necessary documents.
Is it best to hire a "local" web site designer? Web sites can be designed for clients who are local as well as out of state. By using the Internet, email, instant messaging, online conferencing and the telephone, it is possible to communicate effectively with clients in any location.
What is an URL? It stands for "universal resource locator". This is the address that you type into your browser to view web pages on the Internet. For example, http://www.csicorporation.com accesses our home page.
Can I choose you to design my site and use my own web hosting? Yes.
What is website maintenance? Maintenance is a fee that you pay monthly to keep your site updated with new content that you provide. It is best to have your site updated with new content regularly. Fresh content will keep your visitors coming back.
How do I use keywords in my website?
Research and decide on the best keywords to aim for, ones that your future clients use to search for the products and services you are offering. You can try a number of different keywords to get an idea of the market. You will also want to search for the phrase on Google to see what your competition is for optimizing for that keyword. Don't use their exact keywords, experiment and come up with your own.
A great way to get traffic to your site is to exchange links with other sites in related fields and request that they link to you with the keywords you use in your link text on your site. These are called reciprocal links and the more your have on your site, the better chance you have of ranking high in the search engine results pages.
Why can't I use a program like Microsoft Frontpage and design my website myself?
Your business will stand out with a unique, custom-designed website, not a cookie-cutter website. Look professional and get the visibility and image you deserve with a unique website.
Ok, I am ready - I want CSI to design my web site. What is the next step? simply fill out our web development worksheet to get started.
