Choosing your Domain Name
Included in these pages is some very basic information on some initial things you should consider when planning to have a website setup by us.
Choosing your Domain Name
1. Choose the extension you want to use; do you want to use .com or .com.au, or .net etc. Some extensions can't be used by just anyone (like .com.au which can only be used by a properly registered Australian business). Others such as .com and .net can be used by anyone and don't have any special restrictions.
If you expect that most of your potential customers would do a local search for you (just Australian pages, or just NZ pages etc.) then you should use the matching extension in you domain name (.com.au, .co.nz etc. rather than just .com or .net). Otherwise you may be excluded from local search results, or at least rank more poorly than you would otherwise.
2. Choose the name (url) you want to use. If you decided on the .com extension then the name would be: yourcompany.com. Please note that if you're using an Australian extension (.com.au, .net.au) your name should be something close to your business name or the product or service you deal in.
Actually, no one besides Google, Yahoo etc. know for sure how much weight different factors carry when determining your search ranking. But, its fairly certain that it helps to have your keyword (the word or phrase you expect customers to search in Google when looking for you) in your domain name (like www.carpetcleaner.com). It can also be hyphenated (www.carpet-cleaner.com).
3. Check to see if the name you want is available. Click here to check.
Choosing your Design
Choosing your Design
1. You may have some favorites already. If not you can browse the web and note some sites that appeal to you in design, colors, layout, graphics etc. It's best if you don't limit yourself to only looking at sites in your own industry. Content is separate from design. You're just looking for designs.
2. If you've already had a logo designed, like for business cards, then the original artwork would be available to you from your printer. And this can also be used on your website. Also, if you have recent advertising print, you can get these together to better communicate to us the look and feel you're after for your site.
3. Another thing to consider with regard to the design of your site is the navigation buttons. There are many choices such as drop-down or fly-out buttons. If you're trying to keep your site simple then it would be best to avoid drop-down buttons, but if you have a lot of pages then they might be the best way to organise your content.
Website Content
Supplying the content, both text and images, for a website is required from the client. Of course, you know your business better than anyone else and so naturally you can describe it best. If you require copy to be written for you or images to be provided, then this can be arranged for an additional cost. If you're planning to include pictures of premises, staff or products, you should consider using a professional photographer.
Writing Website Copy
Generally speaking when you're writing website text you're not just writing for people but also for search computers. Unless you're not particularly concerned about getting search engine results (you have other avenues of promoting your business) you should try to use less pronouns like it and this and that, and instead tend to repeat keywords. Do this at least on the first page of your site, for the other pages you can relax and start to use better style.
Example one: "Our deluxe carpet cleaning service is suitable for old and new carpets alike. It will renew your carpets and remove stains. This service starts at $30 per room."
A person will know that it and this in the text above mean "deluxe carpet cleaning" but a search engine won't, so it won't know what the text is about.
Example two: "Our deluxe carpet cleaning service is suitable for old and new carpets alike. The deluxe carpet cleaning service will renew your carpets and remove stains. Prices for deluxe carpet cleaning start at $30 per room."
A person reading the second example might find it a bit strange but probably not too much. And a search engine will be able to recognize the theme of "deluxe carpet cleaning."
Website Images
Pictures can be used to illustrate a point or showcase a part of your business/company. If you're including pictures to showcase a part of your business (like staff or premises) then you would take them yourself or have a professional photographer take them.
If you want to use pictures to illustrate a point ("speed of service", "streamlined process" etc.) then some of the royalty-free stock image sites may have what you need. You can do a Google search to find these sites or check the two listed below.
Free amateur images: StockXchng.
Professional images (~$10 each): Istockphoto.