Whether you choose to design a website from scratch or use a free Web template to design a website for your online business, there are many things to ask yourself before you get started:
1. Do you plan on selling products on your website? Will you need a shopping cart to collect payments?
2. Do you plan on displaying articles or having a blog?
3. Do you plan on having advertising on your website?
4. Does the website design need to be interactive for site visitors?
5. Do you want to run your website through a content management system (CMS)?
6. Does the website need to include an audio or video player?
7. Would your target market appreciate a flashy design, or something simple?
Once you've answered those questions, it's time to design a website for your online business. There are a few general options to consider when deciding how to design a website:
1. Hire a professional Web designer and/or Web programmer to create a custom Web design and backend system or e-commerce solution, including any necessary tools. You can find great programmers and designers at websites such as http://Elance.com and http://RentACoder.com. When you post a project on either of these services be sure not to choose a bidder just because they are the cheapest. Choose someone with a very long history of positive feedback.
2. Design a website yourself if you already have the Web design and coding skills (or take the time to learn HMTL/XHTML/CSS/PHP etc.). I only recommend this option if you are very technical and very quick. Your time is best spent on building your business not learning the details of web design -- unless, of course, you want to get into the business of web design.
3. Use a pre-designed Web template from free Web template providers, or purchase a Website template. You can use Web templates as-is, or customize them to fit your needs. A great source for templates is http://TemplateMonster.com.
4. If you don't have any experience with creating websites and you do not want to hire a designer then there is still an option for you. I like to refer to this option as a Website-In-A-Box or a Store-In-A-Box. Basically the service gives you everything you need to get your website online quickly and easily. Yes, you have to pay a little more for these services and some of them even take a percentage of every sale but your website design will not stand between you and your ultimate goal -- making money online. Some examples of these services are Yahoo Small Business (http://store.yahoo.com), http://SiteBuilder.com, and http://Web.com.
No matter how you decide to design a website for your online business, make sure that the website design serves the needs of both your online business and its customers or target visitors.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Content management web sites
By: oldcodger | 21-11-2007
I've asked for advice on Joomla! but several have said to me that there are much simpler content management systems that are easy to learn and implement. So I'm stuck! I'm no tecchie - just a web-site guy who is being told that HTML is now being superceded and that content management is the way to go.So which way please?! Yours, in some desperation
CSS looks great in IE bad in Mozilla
By: webmanoffesto | 21-11-2007
Hello,I'm building a webpage http://preview.tinyurl.com/yvgbqgI need to list the (many) speakers at a conference and I will later add the titles of the talks as a sub level. This was frustrating to do because I need the list single spaced, without the annoying circle bulletsWith the CSS code===ul.sample { list-style-type: none; <!-- none = no circle, inherit = circle--> list-style-image: inherit; list-style-position: outside; <!-- inside, outside --> circle: outside; text-indent: 0em; white-space: normal; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 1;}ul.listlist { list-style-type: none; <!-- none = no circle, inherit = circle--> list-style-image: inherit; list-style-position: outside; <!-- inside, outside --> circle: outside; text-indent: 0em; white-space: normal; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;}===it looks great in IE but terrible in Firefox. How can I fix this problem? Is there an alternative within CSS? I prefer not to switch to nested tables, those are messy. But I am open to suggestions.
Best to write framework first or content, or as you go and then edit?
By: asaraink | 21-11-2007
when building a new website, do you write out your content first and then copy paste it into your Html or css, (haven't decided how to integrate), or do you lay out your framework first and then wrtie your content? There is probably an editer available that will highlight my code when I get it right, but I haven't done this in sooo long; can I get an editer for free? which one is the easiest to use?thanks
HTML frames knowledge on each other
By: DrJeckyl | 20-11-2007
Suppose I have a "frameset" HTML document which is split to two frames. Can one frame identify when the other is being reloaded with a new URL (e.g., due to clicking a link) using JavaScript or some other similar tool?Thanks
Sending faxes from the computer
By: yotamar | 19-11-2007
How can I send faxes for free using the computer?
Looking for a free tool to build a website aimed at exchanging items
By: happyudi | 18-11-2007
hello, I want to construct a website that is aimed at exchanging a certain item between people, i am looking for a free tool to build this site. the site should include a register page and than a place where a user could post items for exchange and contact other users, also offcourse a nice front page and all the basics of a standard web site. any help
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