M
mobious
Not being one to complain and do nothing about it - I have decided to attempt a second version of Kybers brilliant guide to "Building a good web presence". It has become slightly outdated so I think it was about time to update it to 2012!
Do you need a website?
A very important and frequently asked question is "do I actually need a website?" In a nutshell a website is usually a sound investment - portraying your brand (usually) in a professional and established manner however websites are not always the best strategy for some businesses. A local tradesman who generates enough work from referrals would not really benefit from a website unless they had intentions of growing.
Before jumping into getting a website do some research into your industry, take a look at your competitors, industry search volumes (Adwords Keyword Tool) and industry insights (Google Insights). The information gathered should not deter you from getting a website - just to aid with establishing a budget and basic predictions of ROI. If this is your first website you can also use your competitors to gather ideas but be very careful of copyright, patented functions and trademarks.
In order to have an impact within your industry you need a professional looking website, it's far better not to have a website than an online presence which damages your offline credibility. Nowadays it's very easy to get a professional looking website with various CMS.
Some business owners are content with only using social media as opposed to a website. This may work for them however you are bound to using a third party platform. Facebook for example, is constantly tweaking its algorithms and if an update is not in your favour you could potentially loose business with nothing to fall back on.
What you need to get started
A domain name
Domain names are essential; a good starting point is using your own company. Domain name registrars are easy to find, just simply search for them and pick a company based on their merits and reviews - always make sure you own the domain name and are not tied to contracts. Also make sure you have Auto-Renew enabled as domain hijacking is a real problem.
Choosing the right domain name extension is also important; most companies can't afford to buy all the domain name extensions (recommended) so it's important to choose the correct one(s):
.co.uk and .com are the most popular English based domain names however the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority maintains a full list of domain names on Wikipedia. In the event of buying more domain names you can redirect them to your main URL.
It also pays to check your domain name has not been used previously - a domain name may have been used for unethical practices which means it may have been blocked/black listed from certain search engines. Tools such as this one can check how many registrations a URL has had or you can use WAYBACK to see if any cached websites have been used on this URL.
Once you have purchased your domain name you can now use a custom branded email address. Worth noting: Some providers will impose restrictions such as MB usage, accounts created and mailboxes.
Website Hosting
The internet is inundated with website hosting companies, which is great for you, the consumer, as this pushes hosting agencies to be very competitive. Look for a website hosting company with solid up time guarantee, credibility (established a long time) with positive reviews. In most cases your domain name provider will provide hosting - if you are unsure about a hosting company ask someone who knows about the industry. It pays to get a domain and hosting with the same company as changing settings may prevent your website/emails from working, certainly if you are new to the domain/hosting World. When choosing your hosting account there are several packages to choose from - as you are new to developing websites shared hosting may be a great place to start.
Shared hosting is partially using a server as opposed to hiring the full server - which is a very cost effective way to host your website. Shared hosting packages start from as little as a £2 (or less). Most hosting companies will give you a few days to change your mind - once they have sent you your hosting details run a Google search on the IP of your server to see if it's been black listed; most good hosting companies will allow you to change if this is the case or regulate it beforehand.
You can upload files to your hosting account by the web host providers file manager via their admin panel (cPanel/PLESK) however you can upload your files far quicker by using a third party FTP Client such as Filezilla.
If you are having trouble finding a suitable host or domain provider then why not post your requirements on UKBF Tenders or request advice via the IT forum.
Getting a website designed & online
There are two options to developing a website and that is either to do it yourself or hire a professional freelancer/agency to do it for you. The website design industry has come a long way over the years making it increasingly simple for users to create a website through easy to use CMS without the need of an agency but it does have its draw backs.
The DIY Approach:
Positives: Cost effective solution giving the webmaster full control over the website. Reduction in amendment times as you are not relying on a third party developer (who may be busy)
Negatives: DIY may reduce website functionality as you will be restricted to using third party themes and plugins. There is the potential of flawed website code allowing vulnerabilities or user errors. It will also be a big learning curve should this be your first website - it is essential not to launch your website until it is ready.
Creating a website yourself is a fairly straight forward task however it will require time and effort. The most user friendly CMS of choice (my choice) is Wordpress, there are other alternatives out there but Wordpress is a great place to start as there are countless themes, plugins and documentation to aid troubleshooting and management.
Once you have installed Wordpress on your hosting account you can then find and update the website theme from places such as Wordpress's own template directory, Template Monster and Theme Forest to name a few. There is the option to purchase premium themes which may aid with technical issues as normally you are presented with the developers contact details or support portal. Wordpress also houses a wide range of functionality through the use of Plugins from ecommerce plugins to contact forms; again there are both free and premium options available from within Wordpress UI or third party websites.
Please Note: Keep your Wordpress version up to date as lacking versions are vulnerable to hacks and exploits, updates are not very frequent but are important.
You can read about the full benefits of Wordpress Here.
Hiring a freelancer or third party agency
The use of a third party agency/freelancer will require financial investment but it does allow you to focus on running your business. There is no standard check list of what you need to do in order to vet a website development agency but it would pay to check:
Be careful with website design agencies, you can use tools mentioned in the domain section to see how long they have been established for.
Getting found on the internet
Most people have the mind set of "if you build it, they will come" which is far from the case with a website, you need to actively drive people to your website:
Organic Search aka SEO - the process of optimising your website in order to be favourable within Search Engine Result Pages. SEO resources: Google | SEOMoz | to name a couple. Always be cautious for bad SEO advice, as it's ripe on the internet. SEO houses a wide range of internal traffic generating strategies such as forum posting, directory submissions and guest blogging.
Third party advertising - Displaying your website advertisement or banner on third party websites in a bid to generate referral traffic. Can be expensive depending on the website however if targeted correctly can be very fruitful for visitors and conversions.
Another form of paid advertising is Pay Per Click which entails placing your company advert, text, banner or video in premium locations for a fee per visitor generated in the form of a click or per X amount of impressions.
Exposure - Adding your company website to your business cards, email signatures, stationary and company offline branding can increase visitors looking for information on your company. It can also aid offline sales as having a website can show that you are well established.
Social Media - A great platform for generating visitors with the ability to spark discussions, reviews and interaction. Setting up social media pages is relatively easy with the ability to integrate them via third party platforms (Tweetdeck) for easy management
Press releases - Developing a press release about company news can be a great way to get your website out there. Most press companies have a website and a select few offer the ability to link back to your website - it may also spark interest in your brand.
Do you need a website?
A very important and frequently asked question is "do I actually need a website?" In a nutshell a website is usually a sound investment - portraying your brand (usually) in a professional and established manner however websites are not always the best strategy for some businesses. A local tradesman who generates enough work from referrals would not really benefit from a website unless they had intentions of growing.
Before jumping into getting a website do some research into your industry, take a look at your competitors, industry search volumes (Adwords Keyword Tool) and industry insights (Google Insights). The information gathered should not deter you from getting a website - just to aid with establishing a budget and basic predictions of ROI. If this is your first website you can also use your competitors to gather ideas but be very careful of copyright, patented functions and trademarks.
In order to have an impact within your industry you need a professional looking website, it's far better not to have a website than an online presence which damages your offline credibility. Nowadays it's very easy to get a professional looking website with various CMS.
Some business owners are content with only using social media as opposed to a website. This may work for them however you are bound to using a third party platform. Facebook for example, is constantly tweaking its algorithms and if an update is not in your favour you could potentially loose business with nothing to fall back on.
What you need to get started
A domain name
Domain names are essential; a good starting point is using your own company. Domain name registrars are easy to find, just simply search for them and pick a company based on their merits and reviews - always make sure you own the domain name and are not tied to contracts. Also make sure you have Auto-Renew enabled as domain hijacking is a real problem.
Choosing the right domain name extension is also important; most companies can't afford to buy all the domain name extensions (recommended) so it's important to choose the correct one(s):
.co.uk and .com are the most popular English based domain names however the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority maintains a full list of domain names on Wikipedia. In the event of buying more domain names you can redirect them to your main URL.
It also pays to check your domain name has not been used previously - a domain name may have been used for unethical practices which means it may have been blocked/black listed from certain search engines. Tools such as this one can check how many registrations a URL has had or you can use WAYBACK to see if any cached websites have been used on this URL.
Once you have purchased your domain name you can now use a custom branded email address. Worth noting: Some providers will impose restrictions such as MB usage, accounts created and mailboxes.
Website Hosting
The internet is inundated with website hosting companies, which is great for you, the consumer, as this pushes hosting agencies to be very competitive. Look for a website hosting company with solid up time guarantee, credibility (established a long time) with positive reviews. In most cases your domain name provider will provide hosting - if you are unsure about a hosting company ask someone who knows about the industry. It pays to get a domain and hosting with the same company as changing settings may prevent your website/emails from working, certainly if you are new to the domain/hosting World. When choosing your hosting account there are several packages to choose from - as you are new to developing websites shared hosting may be a great place to start.
Shared hosting is partially using a server as opposed to hiring the full server - which is a very cost effective way to host your website. Shared hosting packages start from as little as a £2 (or less). Most hosting companies will give you a few days to change your mind - once they have sent you your hosting details run a Google search on the IP of your server to see if it's been black listed; most good hosting companies will allow you to change if this is the case or regulate it beforehand.
You can upload files to your hosting account by the web host providers file manager via their admin panel (cPanel/PLESK) however you can upload your files far quicker by using a third party FTP Client such as Filezilla.
If you are having trouble finding a suitable host or domain provider then why not post your requirements on UKBF Tenders or request advice via the IT forum.
Getting a website designed & online
There are two options to developing a website and that is either to do it yourself or hire a professional freelancer/agency to do it for you. The website design industry has come a long way over the years making it increasingly simple for users to create a website through easy to use CMS without the need of an agency but it does have its draw backs.
The DIY Approach:
Positives: Cost effective solution giving the webmaster full control over the website. Reduction in amendment times as you are not relying on a third party developer (who may be busy)
Negatives: DIY may reduce website functionality as you will be restricted to using third party themes and plugins. There is the potential of flawed website code allowing vulnerabilities or user errors. It will also be a big learning curve should this be your first website - it is essential not to launch your website until it is ready.
Creating a website yourself is a fairly straight forward task however it will require time and effort. The most user friendly CMS of choice (my choice) is Wordpress, there are other alternatives out there but Wordpress is a great place to start as there are countless themes, plugins and documentation to aid troubleshooting and management.
Once you have installed Wordpress on your hosting account you can then find and update the website theme from places such as Wordpress's own template directory, Template Monster and Theme Forest to name a few. There is the option to purchase premium themes which may aid with technical issues as normally you are presented with the developers contact details or support portal. Wordpress also houses a wide range of functionality through the use of Plugins from ecommerce plugins to contact forms; again there are both free and premium options available from within Wordpress UI or third party websites.
Please Note: Keep your Wordpress version up to date as lacking versions are vulnerable to hacks and exploits, updates are not very frequent but are important.
You can read about the full benefits of Wordpress Here.
Hiring a freelancer or third party agency
The use of a third party agency/freelancer will require financial investment but it does allow you to focus on running your business. There is no standard check list of what you need to do in order to vet a website development agency but it would pay to check:
- Portfolio - speak to people, don't just look.
[*]Search their name - what are the reviews like?
[*]Turnaround time - What is the expected timescale of your project?
[*]Relationship - Am I using their services because I am a friend or because of their merits?
[*]Templates - Are they using templates or a custom build? Is my website unique?
[*]Support - What support and communication will I receive?
[*]Outsourcing - Do you outsource any work? If not, can I have that in writing?
[*]Cost - How much & will you cap the cost? Is this the final fee with no further charge?
[*]Regulation - Do you comply with regional and national regulations? Cookie laws?
Be careful with website design agencies, you can use tools mentioned in the domain section to see how long they have been established for.
Getting found on the internet
Most people have the mind set of "if you build it, they will come" which is far from the case with a website, you need to actively drive people to your website:
Organic Search aka SEO - the process of optimising your website in order to be favourable within Search Engine Result Pages. SEO resources: Google | SEOMoz | to name a couple. Always be cautious for bad SEO advice, as it's ripe on the internet. SEO houses a wide range of internal traffic generating strategies such as forum posting, directory submissions and guest blogging.
Third party advertising - Displaying your website advertisement or banner on third party websites in a bid to generate referral traffic. Can be expensive depending on the website however if targeted correctly can be very fruitful for visitors and conversions.
Another form of paid advertising is Pay Per Click which entails placing your company advert, text, banner or video in premium locations for a fee per visitor generated in the form of a click or per X amount of impressions.
Exposure - Adding your company website to your business cards, email signatures, stationary and company offline branding can increase visitors looking for information on your company. It can also aid offline sales as having a website can show that you are well established.
Social Media - A great platform for generating visitors with the ability to spark discussions, reviews and interaction. Setting up social media pages is relatively easy with the ability to integrate them via third party platforms (Tweetdeck) for easy management
Press releases - Developing a press release about company news can be a great way to get your website out there. Most press companies have a website and a select few offer the ability to link back to your website - it may also spark interest in your brand.
As mentioned, this includes revisions from the previous 
