I have had clients that have either never created a website or have stuck with a boring, horrible one for far too many years simply because they don't understand the "web world". To this I say, poo poo!
Are you one of these people? If so, here are the basics that you should be aware of.
WHAT DO YOU NEED VS WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
So there are a few simple components to a successful website that you will need, and a plethora of places to find them.
DOMAIN NAME: An address which includes your name, slogan, initials, etc. Hopefully something that remotely identifies your purpose. There are many services that will sell you custom domain names, but be careful how you search as you may accidentally "lock" it out or drive up the price just by searching.
HOSTING SERVICE: This of this as the place that holds your site, like a post office box for your website where only you hold the key. The price ranges can vary greatly with hosting services, so be careful to go with a no-name one that will also provide you with no-service.
WEBSITE: This one is pretty straightforward but also limitless with regards to options. It is the actual files of your website containing the code, images, look etc. I can help you decide what type of site is best for your organization.
EMAIL: By having a unique email identity your business or organization will seem more cohesive (and related back to your domain name). So lose the yahoo, hotmail, etc. I'll show you how to do this easily. Whether you need one email account or 100, I can help get you set up with these as well as establish management procedures for adding and changing these down the road.
SEO: You have a website, now what? How are you going to get it noticed? How are you going to drive traffic. I tell my clients that SEO (search engine optimization) is not something that you do and forget it. To optimally stay at the top, you need to develop a SEO plan and stick with it. I can help you develop a plan that will work for you.
So that may or may not seem like a lot. Now the question is, where to begin?
When I have a client that has existing services, I work with them to make sure that they are subscribed to the most beneficial ones and that they really truly need these services. I can't tell you how many people are paying for things that they never use! (Such as the market with 10 employees that was paying for 100 email accounts each month!) By making sure that you have the most meaningful services, you will then begin to maximize your usage of these services.
For clients without existing services, I do my best to package these services together. For example, many hosting clients will offer a free domain name registration when you sign up. So it is important to make sure that you have the proper hosting client prior to domain name purchasing. Also, I always recommend buying a few domain names when registering, to ensure your business's integrity down the road.
HGC offers hosting, design, and consulting services. I am happy to walk you through the process of website creation.
Creatively - HG
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