We all know each website on the internet is different, but there are some things they all share in common.
Basicly, there are three things that are needed to get a website up and running on the internet.
Firstly, you need a Domain Name, then the Web Site needs to built and thirdly, you need a Hosting Company to host your website.
Thats it! Once you have those three things your website can be on the internet for everyone to see.
ok, that seems simple enough!
Simply, it's the address of your website. www.companyname.com.au
The "www" stands for World Wide Web, and "companyname" is the name you choose to call it, ".com" means it is a company or business, and the ".au" shows that is is a registered business in Australia.
eg: .com.jp = Japan and .com.ca = Canada.
There are many more now days, like .net .org .bis but most businesses use .com.au
Try to keep it short. You want people to remember it and it will go on your business cards and stationary.
Your domain name is registered through a Domain Name Registrar, which must be licensed. The registration period is for two years, and will cost anywhere from $19.00 to $59.00 for the two years. $19.00 is cheap, but beware, service is everything, and it's not always there at this price.
Pages n Pages can register your Domain Name for you.
The hosting company is a company set up to host websites.
They have large computers (or banks of computers) at their premises specifically for this purpose. It's where your website sits, and where your site goes out to the World Wide Web.
They can be here in Australia or overseas, it doesn't really matter. However, it is best to use Australian companies. Consider the time difference if you want to phone them.
The cost of hosting your website varies quite a bit, but on average, it will cost approximately $99.00 per year for a good Australian hosting company. Good value, when you compare it to advertising in the paper or the Yellow Pages. Remember, Cheap hosting, usually means cheap service. Your hosting account is due once per year, and most companies e-mail you before the due date, to let you know when it's due.
So, how much does it cost to maintain a website per year?
Using the figures above:
Domain Name $59.00 divided by 2 = $29.50 p/y plus Hosting $99.00 = $128.50 per year.
Pages n Pages can set up a Hosting account for you.
For businesses, there are two main types of websites.
A Brochure Website, to give viewers information about your business, your products and services, were to find you, and contact information. These are by far the majority of websites on the internet.
The other main type is a Shopping Cart Website, for selling products over the internet.
The Look and Style of your website.
If your business is already set up and you have your signs, vehicle artwork, stationary and logo, your website should follow your existing theme. If it's a new business, you have free reign on how you want your website to look. Consistency is important, so you will probably find that the look of your businesses will then need to follow your website theme. A good way is to show your designer a couple of websites you have seen, so he or she can see what you have in mind. Keep an open mind however, as your website designer may show you a design far better. And maybe even less costly to produce.
The Content.
Some people know exactly what they want and some have a rough idea and would like some help from the web designer. Either way, as the owner of the business, you will need to contribute to the content that goes into it. You know your business, not the web designer. You will need to supply most of the Text (What you want to say, the services you provide etc) and maybe even some photos.
Dynamic Content.
Here we go, technical jargon. Don't worry, the designer handles this stuff. Photo Galleries, Contact Forms, Dropdown Menus are examples of dynamic content and they can make a website more interesting to the viewer and most importantly help you gain customers. Having these included into your website will up the cost a little bit, but they do make your site look professional, and in some cases can be necessary.
Pages n Pages can advise on the best type of web site, the style and layout, suggest ideas you may not had thought of and work with you, to produce a good website that works for your business.
Once you've got your Domain Name, your Hosting Account set up and your Web Site (the 3 things), it is ready to be uploaded to the Internet for every one to see. GOING LIVE
Before it "Goes Live" however, a few things need to be added to your web site. Certain code is added so Search Engines like Google and Yahoo will list it on their search pages. Also the text and headings etc are tweaked to help search engine rank it higher on their pages. It should then be submitted to search engines and internet directories.
There is a lot more that goes into building a good web site of course, but the above information will help you gain an understanding of the processes involved, in setting up a web site for your own business.