Websites - The Cheap Way

It can cost you heavily to have a top quality website built for you, paying out several hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You still might not be guaranteed you'll get what you want.

1 It can be a rip-off. No doubt you've seen ads in magazines where companies are charging hundreds of dollars for a simple website with, say, five pages. They may be a physical business which has overheads to account for, such as office space. In any case, it's a risk using one unseen and you're better at least following a personal recommendation.

Even then, you'll be dealing with coders, not internet marketers. So, unless you can describe in exact detail what you want, you may have problems. They will probably not adjust their coding themselves to fit the internet marketing purpose of the site.

2 Freelance. Another option is to finder a coder on a place like elance. These can be cheaper because they don't have the overheads but can work to just the same quality as the more expensive larger companies.

However, the same reservations as above, about coders and internet marketing, apply. You're best testing a coder out with a smaller project first to see how they do in terms of following your specifications, not needing to keep coming back to you, and timing. You could test out a few and choose the best one.

3 Do it yourself. If you only want a simple five page site you can work on it yourself. You could do it for free by downloading a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor like Kompozer. Or you could invest in a program like XSitePro which helps you build multi-page sites as well as single sales pages. There is a learning curve but you are in control of the process yourself and one payment covers as many sites as you want to make. Once you know how, without using any coding, you can repeat it again and again.

Get my new free ecourse on the keys to a successful business: http://www.computer-home-business.com and to get information on starting your own internet business, click here: http://www.web100k.com

The First Steps to Create My Own Website

Those who are new online might be wondering how you create my own website and the truth of the matter is that it is much easier than you ever would have expected. At the same time, however, you cannot simply throw a few lines onto a website template and expect anyone to visit it, as there is a certain science behind creating a website that people will actually want to visit.

This is especially true if you want to make money online, as your website must be something unique and have content that people will want to read or see whenever they visit. In the end, you must know how to create a website in the correct manner, or else this entire venture will end up being a waste of time for you.

Since the internet is relatively new, there are many things about it that are not yet common knowledge. In today's society, pretty much everyone knows how to start a car because they have been around for generations. Not everyone, however, knows how to start a website because it has, up until now, been a specialized field.

There are a few things that anyone who is wondering how to create my own website should know about, as these tips will make it possible for the building to come up with someone that people will truly want to see.

The first thing that you should do is find yourself a teacher who has done this before, as this will help out with many of the growing pains. You probably have a friend who has created a website in the past and this friend will hopefully be able to guide you along the way. If you are unable to find a friend with this experience, you will be able to find a mentor online.

There are many different website out there that will help you along the way, as there is a great deal of information that you can use to help yourself. Remember, the goal here is to create my own website, so it is not wise to find someone who will simply do everything for you. You want someone who will teach you the various techniques, so that you can design the website on your own.

Once you have a found a teacher, make sure that you ask plenty of questions, as that is why these people are there. If you have some basic knowledge already, you can begin designing and then contact your mentor whenever you run into problems. If you have no prior knowledge whatsoever, it is a good idea to find an e-course that includes this information. An e-course will be able to give you a step by step outline of how to create my own website, which will give you the knowledge base that you need to get started.

Remember that even though most web hosts will provide you with a tutorial, it is always best to have additional information on things like HTML, so that you can make your own decisions and create the website that you truly want. In fact, if you are using a mentor to help you along the way, it is highly advisable that you learn the basics of how to create my own website before you ask for any help. That way, you will not waste the person's time with basic questions.

Since this person is helping you out, you will not want to waste his or her time, especially if you are not paying for the service. Learning the very basics will definitely give you an advantage, just like being prepared for a test in class. Once you have learned and you have found yourself a mentor, be sure that you ask for as much feedback and possible on how to create my own website.

Your mentor will be able to tell you what works and what does not work, which will allow you to avoid many of the mistakes that other people make.

As you become more experienced, you will learn to tweak things yourself and when someone comes to you with questions about how to create my own website, you will be able to help these people out in the same way that you were helped in the past.

Now that you know this, let me show you a simple all-in-one tool I used to create my own website.

It will be your mentor as it shows you step by step how to build a profitable website, while providing the tools and support we have mentioned above.

Check it out now at http://createmyownwebsite.create-website-easy.com/.

5 Strategies Undertaken by Professionals For the Best Website Development

In today's world, no one takes the initiative to start cultivating something. It does not matter to anyone whether it is for their personal requirements or to meet their business requirements but people prefer hiring professionals to accomplish the same. It is definitely advantageous to hire someone to get the best services but you should have some knowledge so that you can also judge the same on your defined parameters.

A website development service is a typical portion while considering the website deployment for any organization. It is not tough but a bit complex one. While developing the websites one should keep in mind various standing instructions, which might help on later progress of the business. Web development India is progressing in a rapid way because Indian web development professionals are keen towards the development strategies and thereby meets the required criteria.

5 Important Website Development Strategies:

While developing websites, it is expected by most of the organizations to follow few strategies that could bring the best result in terms of traffic and business. These strategies may not be known to normal people who are outside of this technical world but it is somehow very important to know the different strategies so that the success constraint can be measured effectively. The various strategies that are kept in mind while developing the websites are as follows:

* Market Analysis:
Before developing the website like a layman apply some sensitivity and perform a serious market research as like some reputed offshore web development company. This will help in finding out what is the current demand of the market and whether you are creating something unnecessarily. In this way you would be able to save your precious time as well as money. During the time of deployment you can easily make out whether your website is developed based on the present market niche or not.

* Develop Customize Website:
If you are planning to indulge your thoughts while developing websites then keep your thoughts apart. World has changed now and entrepreneurs wants their choicest websites to be viewed by the web surfers. But, how is it possible? The easiest solution is, to indulge the clients whenever you are planning to develop websites for them. By this way at least you will be able to meet the customer satisfaction.

* People hate Backdated Technologies:
Are you thinking of implementing the same technology, which you have implemented till date? Then your act is really obnoxious. Technologies are changing every fortnight. So, you have to update yourself accordingly. You can not follow the same track. It is the time for your up gradation. It is up to the people whether they know about the technology or not but you should be updated always.

* Avoid Coding Complexities:
If you are the programmer you might get fascinated creating codes but in reality it dims everyone's fascination. Complex codes are easy to understand by website developers but not by general people. Redundancy of codes is another factor that annoys people to the extent, therefore better avoids your client's irritation. Coding complexities are the foremost factor that is needed to be reduced in order to make everything simpler after deployment of the websites.

* Save Time Reducing the Code Length:
Do not write unnecessarily lengthy codes. You might predict your potential observing your written codes but your clients might not. They always search for something short and stealthy. So, just separate your talent quotient from your development work while prioritizing the customers. Short codes behind the websites saves time as get uploaded easily so do not waste your time and talent behind unnecessary things.

All these are certain strategies that are followed by the professional website development services providers while developing the websites for the clients. If you are still confused regarding the checking factor then, consult the professionals who share their expertise for the offshore web development services. You can surely update your knowledge from web development India to get the best result. If you are working on your own then, do the best you can. The fact is the learning lesson is just initiated, which has no ending.

Author is related with offshore web development company, Aditech Web Development. Are you in search of professional website development services? Then log on to AditechWebDevelopment.com

Web Branding of Your Business

So, you have a business or just started one. You need to get 'out there' and there are a thousand and one terms and companies that can help you do so. Costing probably an arm and a leg, or they're just down right suspicious. Well, if you have a little bit of IT knowledge, boosting your business may not be that hard.

First off, you'll need a webpage. Not just a MySpace or Facebook page. A proper website. Something that's you and reflects your business. Get a reliable web host. They'll look after your page. While you look for that, most of them offer a domain name. Choose something thats related to your business name or type, and geographical location.

Next, get a CMS. Its a Content Management System that is web based, and is usually easily installable by the web host. Joomla and Drupal are some of the best with extensive support and free add ons as well as templates. Make sure your template design is something that you can identify with as will your future customers.

Now start keying in words and setting up categories that will make the page easy to navigate and read. Google rankings increase with relevant keywords in your web page, so that kind of takes care of your Search Engine requirements. Get good images too. You can buy pictures for as low as $0.20 or take some of your own. Remember the page must be pleasing to the eye, easy to read and simple to navigate.

The worst thing you could do is to pepper the pages with too many blur or pixelated pictures and non-relevant text. Trust me, there are many pages out there with claim to such notoriety.

Have your contact details at the footer of each page, such as your phone number. Have a members area to make them feel special. You could send them updates from the web page, have members-only specials and even have a private forum. This improves traffic, which in turn generates sales. Remember, potential customers always search for businesses on the web, and if your web page represents everything about your business, you'll go a long way. That's branding and Internet marketing in a nutshell. Have fun and do write me if you need any more advice.

P Ryan Joseph
Your Business Online
http://www.ybo.com.sg
info@ybo.com.sg

How Do You Make Your Own Website - Planning Your Website

How do you make your own website? Well, you should consider planning your website first, before you even start. You need to know exactly what your ambitions of your website will achieve. Here are some thoughts you should consider.

It is all very well just designing your site as you go along, but you'll be banging your head with frustration! You need to focus on what you want out of it. Who are your visitors? What type of site do you want?

Yes, focus! Have some direction where you are going. Make sure you have all the steps in the sales funnel thought through.

For example, let say you are designing a squeeze page. As you probably know, your main objective is to build a list.

If you think about it, you really need to consider the whole process before even writing your copy. For this example, do you have the following?

• Your niche and the type of visitors you are seeking

• Product that you are giving away

• Have a domain name and hosting set up

• Autoresponder (AWeber) account with a few follow up messages already set up in advance

Now that is sorted, you can start to look at planning your website copy. A good way is to map it out using the old fashioned way, pen and paper.

If it is a squeeze page, you will need to think about a compelling headline. Then think about the key benefits of what your product will do for them. Where do you want the images and of course opt-in box to go?

On the other hand, if you are planning to have an e-commerce (online store) website, it will require a lot more preparation. How many products do you want included? There is a lot to consider, especially your niche as you don't want to be in direct competition with Amazon.

Planning your website in the beginning you may think is unnecessary, but it will pay you dividends in the end, eliminating some of those frustrations. So, if you want more information on how to make your own website, get your FREE e-book on unbelievably simple website creation. Just click here ==> http://www.creatingyourfirstwebsite.com

Choosing Community Website Software - Are They All That Bad?

If you are getting frustrated with researching and choosing the best social networking software, then you will find this article very valuable.

When I initially starting looking for community website software packages, I faced the same issues. When I would look up user reviews on a particular package, I would either find sales pitches by the providers or reviews packed of unconstructive remarks written by irritated users. As you know, these scripts aren't inexpensive, so making a decision was horrible!

1st challenge: Lots of unconstructive reviews, few encouraging ones.

Each time you type "Dzoic" or "phpfox" in Google, you'll probably find many reviews of persons saying they are all a rip off. Is this right?All of these reviews need to be put into perspective. Clients turn out to be annoyed when they purchase something that does not meet their expectations. Looking at the script features specified by the providers, I often wonder what these clients were really expecting.

Generally, angry customers did not comprehend the nature of the product they were purchasing. Community website software solutions like efriends, Dzoic, and so on, are ready made. They come with a very important list of features that are hardcoded. For someone with partial know-how of php, html and other languages, modifying these scripts will be a difficult job. Even for a skilled programmer, this would be a challenge. Due to the complexity of the scripts, a programmer would have to read a lot of documents and then attempt to comprehend the complete construction from scratch to make any noteworthy changes to the functionality.

Most of the bad reviews come from persons who did not comprehend this and did not take the occasion to plan out the exact requirements of their website prior to buying an out of the box package.

The basic rule to being a pleased client is determining what it is you are expecting exactly. Only at that time can you look for a community website software package that suits you best, and then maybe have minor changes made. Doing this the other way around is a costly recipe for failure!

2nd challenge: The offer is too big!

There are more than a hundred distinctive providers out there. How on earth can you make an informed decision with all these horrible reviews and expensive price tags?

Again, the answer lies in your methodology. No IT project can come to triumph without an obvious specification of requirements.

As soon as you have made a list of what you desire your site to be able to do, you should have restricted the offer to a top 5 list.

Now is the time to begin looking at the front-end design (the part the users see and navigate through). Out of these 5, which one do you like best? Which of the software solutions do you think needs the slightest modifications design and colour wise?

By now, you should have a shortlist of a a small amount of solutions that are fit for your needs.

3rd challenge: They are all so costly!!!

Lets think about this for a moment. You are purchasing a software solution with multiple interactive features like chat, video, audio, twitter feeds, mobile feeds, polls, groups, affiliate management, etc. If you were to create this yourself, even with programming expertise, you would be paying a lot more in terms of expensive hours passing by.

If you are not willing to invest this amount in your project, you ought to look for other solutions. Perhaps your project is better fitted for something like Ning, which hosts social networks without you actually purchasing the script and building a website yourself.

Again, it all depends on your expectations. What is it that you want to realize?

Conclusion:

1. None of the solutions are "bad" as such. What makes some better than the others, is the client service and documents on the software.

2. Being a pleased client depends a lot on yourself. Make a list of what you wish for exactly, and after that start looking for a solution.

3. Try to choose a solution that already has the design you are looking for.

4. Decide if your project is worth the money and compare this to the cost of a programmer or the time you would waste on it yourself.

5. To help in your search, acquire lists of features for each product, if possible with some user reviews about the client service.

Looking for social networking software to get you started?

Below software user review site will help you on your way:

http://www.TopCommunitySoftware.com

Website Text - Your Guide to Effective Internet Content

You have decided to create a website for your business or to upgrade your existing website. You have hired a talented designer or you plan on doing it yourself. You know that in today's competitive marketplace, every business large or small needs an Internet presence.

But what can you expect from your website? How do you decide its functionality, appearance, number of pages, and level of interactivity? What should the text say? How much text do you need? Here's an introduction to website text and its function.

There are three basic types of websites.

The Business Card

Effective for professionals and upscale service providers including attorneys, financial planners, dentists, and home construction companies, a business card website is typically no more than five or six pages: home page, services, about us, contact us, and case studies or testimonials. The site is designed to accomplish three goals:

1. To validate the visitor's choice of you and your company.
2. To educate the consumer in a very general way.
3. To provide a means to contact you.

Business card websites should have enough search-engine-optimized (SEO) text including keywords so that when a prospect performs a search, your website appears. For example, if you are a divorce lawyer in Spokane, Washington, your text needs to contain these keywords.

A business card website need not be expensive and the content need not change very often. Because you want your clients to read the text, the quality of the writing must be flawless. Each page will contain from 200 to 500 words, and each sentence must be polished to perfection.

To create fresh content, you may consider including a blog on your website. The website is considered a marketing expense because you are not using it to directly generate revenues. It establishes your brand in the marketplace.

The call to action is an invitation to the visitor to contact you for more information.

E-Commerce Website

Designed to make sales, e-commerce websites (like Amazon.com) offer products or services for sale. The website is designed to generate revenue and encourage visitors to make a transaction. There must be a high level of interactivity and security.

In marketing, there are three degrees of sales pitch: soft, medium, and hard. A soft sell encourages the visitor to make contact and to enter into the sales process (most business card websites are soft-sell). The medium sell makes it easy to complete the transaction on the spot: all the information is there, the checkout process is easy, and there is no reason why the customer should wait to make the purchase. The hard sell uses highly focused sales techniques to funnel the visitor to a sale; often there is the implication that if the customer waits, the opportunity will be lost.

E-commerce websites can be either a few pages or vast in scope with hundreds of pages. But the functional text is often kept very simple because you do not want the visitor to get bogged down by reading long descriptive paragraphs. The content may change frequently. Search engine optimization is important, depending upon the level of visibility of your company. Smaller websites (four or five pages) that sell a product or service must feature concise text that supports the sales process-no extraneous verbiage that will distract the reader.

The call to action is an invitation to the visitor to make a purchase, right now.

The Stand-Alone Website

In some cases, such as Google and Facebook, the website itself generates all of the company's revenues. There is no other "product." The stand-alone website creates income by charging for advertising, affiliates, links, and other Internet-related services. The only way for the site to grow and profit is to attract huge numbers of visitors. Search engine ranking is critical to success. These sites must be deep and must contain large amounts of text.

There is no call to action, except to stay longer on the website and view more pages, or to subscribe to the website.

Website Text

Many large websites have a two-tiered approach to text. The "public" pages that represent the site and are seen by every visitor, such as the home or landing page, the about us pages, and FAQ pages, must be written perfectly. One typographical error or poorly written phrase can create the impression that the site is unprofessional or, even worse, is a scam. (Ever notice how the dangerous phishing emails, like those that claim to be from your bank or Internet provider, always have bad English?)

But good writing is not cheap. To populate the back pages of websites with search engine fodder, business owners are often tempted to purchase bulk articles. As long as the keywords are right and the writing is good enough to satisfy the search engine spiders, the bulk articles may serve their purpose. But there are big dangers to this strategy. First, bulk articles are often copied from other articles and "spun," or changed slightly, to appear original. If you purchase these spun articles, chances are you are loading up your website with content that is nearly identical to content on dozens of other websites. The search engine value of the text is severely compromised because your page rank has been diluted. You can check on the originality of any text by using an online service such as Copyscape.

Second, you run the risk that a visitor will actually read your content. Substandard text makes you look unprofessional and indistinguishable from hundreds of other similar sites. It is much better if all the text on your website is of the highest quality, is SEO, and is original.

Your website may be read by hundreds or thousands of potential customers. It is always a good idea to invest in quality writing that will enhance your reputation and brand, and give your customers confidence in you.

Thomas Hauck Communications Services provides writing and editing solutions for businesses and nonprofits. Visit us at http://www.thomashauck.net/ for information on how THCS can impact your bottom line.