Websites from Beginning to End

There is much that goes into the process of getting a website up and running on a live server. Now that you have created a website - what can you do with it?

Taking a website from the "idea-stage" to being live on the Internet requires several steps. You have created several websites and uploaded them to the PCC Student Web Server (SWS). This server is a live Internet server that can be accessed by anyone with access to the Internet. This server is only accessible during the term in which you are enrolled in the class. The directories (and all their content) are cleared out at the end of the term. In the "real-world", if you wanted to take your website live, you would need to publish it to a hosting server, along with obtaining a domain name. This process is not explicitly described in your textbook, so be sure to read through the following material about how to take your website live.

A web site should start with the following process:

  1. Planning the website
  2. Registering your Domain name
  3. Select a Web Host and register for an account
  4. Creating the website
  5. Test your site
  6. Launching and beyond
    1. Get your site noticed
    2. Website maintenance

Part 1: Planning the Website

This section has already been covered in the first module: Website Planning.

Part 2: Register your Domain name

The first step is to decide what your website domain name will be. This is your website address or URL. This is one of the most important parts to the website creation process because you want people to come to your site and without a good domain name, your website traffic can be negatively impacted. The following list gives some tips on selecting a good domain name:

  1. Brainstorm the 5 Top Keywords
    • When you first begin your domain name search, it helps to have 5 terms or phrases in mind that best describe the domain you're seeking. Once you have this list, you can start to pair them or add prefixes and suffixes to create good domain ideas. For example, if you're launching a mortgage related domain, you might start with words like "mortgage, finance, home equity, interest rate, house payment" then play around with them until you can find a good match. Having popular keywords for you site as part of your domain name is good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practice. Search Engines like sites that have keywords in the URL (as long as it makes sense to make them part of the URL!) A good example would be acmemortgage.com because the keyword mortgage is part of the URL. A poor example would be acmemortgagelendingequityhomeloans.com because while it is full of keywords, it is obvious that the URL would be impossible to remember and is stuffed with too many keywords. 
  2. Make the Domain Unique
    • Don't choose a domain that is simply the plural, hyphenated, or misspelled version of an already established domain. You want people to remember your site accurately without having to remember what the correct "misspelling" might be. If acmemortgage.com is already taken, don't pick acmemortgages.com as your domain. It's too easy to get confused between the two. You want your site visitors to come to your site - not your competitor's.
  3. Try to pick Dot-Com Domains
    • Most people who use the web still make the automatic assumption that .com is all that's out there. If acmemortgage.com is taken, selecting acmemortgage.net may seem like a good solution, but this will lead to customer confusion and many of your potential customers may end up at the wrong website. If the .com version of your domain is unavailable, you should consider a different domain name all together rather than just using the .net version. It's also a good idea to register several different domains if they are all available, such as acmemortgage.com, acmemorgage.net, acmemortgage.org, etc. You can redirect them all to one site so that whatever is typed in by the customer, they will end up at your site.
  4. Make it easy to type and remember - and keep the name short!
    • You don't want to be the company with the terrific website that no one can ever remember to tell their friends about because they can't remember the domain name. Short names are easy to type and easy to remember.
  5. Create and fulfill expectations
    • When someone hears about your domain name for the first time, they should be able to instantly and accurately guess at the type of content that might be found there. That's why domain names like hotmail.com, careerbuilder.com, autotrader.com, and webMD.com are such great ones. You know what's going to be at the site before you get there. Others such as Monster.com, Amazon.com, and Zillow.com required a lot of branding and marketing in the beginning because of their un-intuitive names.
  6. Set yourself apart with a brand
    • Using a unique moniker is a great way to build additional value with your domain name. A "brand" is more than just a combination of words. Mortgageforyourhome.com is not as compelling as lendingtree.com.
  7. Reject hyphens and numbers
    • Both hyphens and numbers make it hard to give your domain name verbally to someone and it makes it hard to remember and difficult to type. It is much easier to tell someone to visit "acmemortgage.com" vs. telling them to visit "acme dash mortgage.com" (acme-mortgage.com) 

For more information and tips on picking a good domain name, visit: http://www.quickonthenet.com/features/How-to-Choose-a-Domain-Name-for-your-Website.cfm. You can register your name through any domain name registrar who then registers it with ICANN. You can find out if your domain name is available by going to http://www.whois.com/. You can also register your domain here for around id="mce_marker"0.00 per year. However, I would recommend that you register your domain with the same company that provides your hosting service. This is not required, but it does make the process a little easier and it will also make it easier to track renewal dates if everything is in one place. Some personal favorites of mine are godaddy.com or hostgator.com.


Part 3: Select a Web Host and Register for an Account

Once you've agreed to do the work for the client and the contract has been signed, you should

  1. Gather all the assets from the client and obtain the text content if they are doing the writing.
  2. Create and give to the client a specific timeline regarding what and when the parts of the project will be completed.
  3. Create a complete flowchart/sitemap for the site (as described in the Flowchart/Sitemap section below).
  4. Create a complete outline for the site (as described in the Outline section below) if requested/required by the client.
  5. Create at least one style layout of a probable home page (this is described in the Building the Site section below).

Part 4: Creating the Website

This part is everything that you have learned in this class since the beginning until now.

In the context of website design, a flowchart and sitemap are the same thing. They are a graphical display of the site structure which includes all of the pages and a concept of how they link together.
 
Consider the Prudential Verani Real Estate example site from the book Writing for Multimedia and the Web by Timothy Garrand, Focal Press, 2006. This is the home page of that site:
 
Here is an example of a flowchart/sitemap for the real estate example site.
 
This key describes how the symbols are used on the sitemap in the example above.

Review of Website Creation:

  1. Planning the Page Layouts: sitemap and wireframe diagram
  2. Structure: Div tags and HTML tags, Code view
  3. Content: text & images, Code and Design view
  4. Style: CSS
  5. Scripting: adding Javascript or Database. This is based on individual page needs.
  6. Testing & Revision

Part 5: Test your Website

This part is the Accessibility and Usability testing. It is crucial to find out how your target audience or end user will be using your site, how they navigate the site and get accurate feedback from them before launching the site. Your target audience or end user may be different from your client who ask you to create the site.

Part 6a: Get your site notice

You will need to get the website that you work so hard to create be recognize. Even though you are not in marketing and may not know how to promote your site, you should understand the concept of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Part 6b: Website Maintenance

There are likely to be maintenance and design/development implications for pages that aren't static. These should be addressed and explained to the client. Discuss the detail of this step prior to agreeing to the project. Don't assume that client will know or understand if this would be part of your service or not.