If you are not technically experienced, do not begin by setting up your own Web
server. You can host your site with less effort, expense, and risk by using
someone else's Web server e.g. use a service like
EarthLink Web Hosting.
Find something unique to specialize in. You will not attract more visitors
because you have general content on your site. Instead of having a bunch of
generic links that will refer to finance, it will be much better if you present
more specialized and rich content focusing in accounting, stock market,
marketing, etc.
Do not be excessive in glamorizing your pages. A modest and serious presentation
will give you more credibility than super-relative press releases "best web site
for what you want to learn about the Internet."
Watch always other Web sites so you can try to learn from their errors and their
successes.
Put useful material on your pages. Your visitors are not simple; they will not
accept whatever you pass on to them and will not revisit you.
Be sincere. Always declare the real reasons for which you created this Web site
on your home page.
Provide material relevant with the subject of your incentive. E.g. if you have a
business that deals with food you can include recipes, diets, advice for
dietetics etc.
Do not emphasize on graphics. They slow down your site, discourage your visitors
and do not offer also anything unique.
Avoid excessive animation, blinking text, and extreme contrast.
Avoid a long time declaration that you site is under construction. Be vigilant
and begin to launch your operation in a timely fashion. Don’t wait. You will
lose potential clients.
Make sure all your pages are under the same structure flow and facilitate
functionality. Thus, the person who has not visited your site before can better
be accustomed, navigate, and use your Web site.
Do not allow each of your departments to make changes on their pages of your Web
site. All should conform themselves in the common image and presentation of your
enterprise and present themselves as a whole.
Always check your hypertext for any broken links. Addresses of other of web
pages and links are changing on a frequent basis.
You must maintain the same URL on all your pages. The more changes you will make
the more potential clients you will loose.
Manage your Web site efficiently and effectively. Appoint someone as the
Webmaster (the general person in charge) and identify persons responsible for
each activity on your Web site.
Do not hide prices of products that are represented on your Web pages. They
should always be visible and easy to find by the visitor.
Always present your enterprise including nature of business, years of operation
and other useful information for you clients. The prospect clients will feel
better if they know who they are dealing with.
Your Web site should include a contact page with the email and telephone numbers
where one can request more information and place orders.
How to market and promote your Web site
The most important and critical aspect for a Website is to be easily found by
its prospective visitors. This is done through various search engines (e.g.
Google, Yahoo). The natural results (Organic Placements) are a particularly
desirable indexing advantage on the Web. Web sites that are constructed with the
mindset "from the Idea, to the HTML Code" and do not abide by rules and
techniques of Search Engine Optimization, possibly find that the visual image,
the pricing information and also the variety of services offered are not
sufficient for a good indexing placement in the search engines.
The SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process will analyze the Web site including
its HTML code as well as its linked pages. This analysis will provide the
construction of the Web site, its URL structure, its Meta Tags, and its overall
content. Essential design and construction changes depend on the category of
material that is recorded during the analysis process.
Also, the submission of your Web site to the Web is essential. Special mailing
lists and newsgroups exist to accept such submissions. Also, if your Web site
has useful material for special groups such as e.g. cooking recipes you can list
your own Web site in the sites where other persons interested in cooking recipes
might go.
You want to be registered wherever possible. Several Internet lists exist
indexing various companies depending on the subject of their business or
services rendered online (e.g. list with cooking recipes or special diets). Send
an email to the Webmaster asking to be listed on their site.
Finally, your Web site address should be included in all your networking tools
along with your logo, address, email and phone numbers.
