While there are many software programs both commercial and open source that will help you build a website, you will save yourself a lot of headaches if you spend time thinking about your website and planning ahead. Planning is the first step in any endeavor and when building a website it is absolutely essential. Here are a few ideas to get your planning process started.
Setting the Cornerstone
The cornerstone of any website is the domain name. Before you check to see if your preferred domain name is available, spend time brainstorming a number of alternatives and variations of your chosen domain name. Think about how the domain will be used in search engines and how visitors will search for your content. Register your domain name with an accredited registration service and pay the yearly fee.
Framing the Website Design
When it comes to website design you have two choices design it yourself with available software or hire a web designer. Either way you’ll need to think about what pages you want on your website and how you want your visitors to navigate around the material.
Adding the Architectural Features
If your website requires sophisticated features that fall beyond the scope of traditional web builder software, it’s wise to hire a professional designer. That said, most of today’s web builder software includes e-commerce components such as shopping carts, payment processing, and databases.
Signage
Signage for websites is primarily your web host. If you are setting up a personal website or just experimenting, then choose one of the free website hosts. However, if you are erecting a website for your business or non-profit; you may find the drawbacks of free hosting to be intolerable. Some free hosts have terms of service that allow them to shut your website down at any time and most offer no service or support.
Business and non-profit web sites often require or desire site support and service and find they are well worth the nominal monthly or yearly charges.