Starting a website - can you advise me?
Discussion
I know there was a guy posting a bit further down about starting up an online business but this isn't a duplicate! I've read through a lot of older posts in the business forum but I was hoping to find some people who know the ins and outs of setting up a website. Mine will be a community based site with much emphasis on charities/local events etc, not going to make me millions but still...onwards!
So what I'm asking is...if you have started up a successful website and can offer me some advice and answer some questions, would it be alright if I sent you a message or two or even if you replied here? I'm getting started on a business plan at the minute and am registering with the local startup initiative, but I really am at stage one.
I'd like to know about potential costs/pitfalls/advertising and any other practicalities that I won't have thought of being 21 and new to this whole business thing. Just looking to make some useful contacts.
Cheers
So what I'm asking is...if you have started up a successful website and can offer me some advice and answer some questions, would it be alright if I sent you a message or two or even if you replied here? I'm getting started on a business plan at the minute and am registering with the local startup initiative, but I really am at stage one.
I'd like to know about potential costs/pitfalls/advertising and any other practicalities that I won't have thought of being 21 and new to this whole business thing. Just looking to make some useful contacts.
Cheers
I highly recommend Aaron Wall's SEO Book: http://www.seobook.com/2852-0-3-10.html
It'll save you paying a fortune to someone else to do what you can do yourself for free.
It'll save you paying a fortune to someone else to do what you can do yourself for free.
I used Netobjects 9.0 (It was free on June/July PC Pro coverdisk!) to create : www.richmond-racing.co.uk
I would suggest planning things a little - try to pick up what you like about other sites and what you don't like.
Be prepared for criticism, or to have to make (design) allowances for "features" of the tool that you do decide to use..
You don't have to spend a lot on the site, but depending on the design, you will have to work out what hosting requirements you need.
Possible spends are :
1) Toolset - although these are freely available, either to download or on coverdisks.. or within the OS that you've already got installed.
2) URL or domain, I would recommend using freeparking.co.uk to check for the URLs available - their search can cover all permutations in one fell swoop - then pop over to www.register1.net and use them to register the URL. .co.uk are cheapity cheap at about £6 for two years and Jamie Beeston (who posts on here) is very helpful.
3) Hosting - if you've got some "free" space with your internet connection that can be used, but this may well be limited, i.e. no flash or php, etc..
Personally keep it simple and ensure that photos and thumbnails of photos are shrunk down so that they don't take a long time to be displayed!! Even on broadband big photos can slow things down badly and not everyone is on 20Meg connections!!
Try to get the layout right and then evolve it over time. Make it appealing - but stick to the old DTP principles - i.e. not more than 1/2 fonts and not lots of different text sizes or bold and italic splashed around..
Netobjects Fusion 9.0 is good, although as I mentioned I picked up a free copy - it comes with a number of templates that you can use to get the initial look and feel of the site and then away you go!! There is a later version, I think it's $100 USD.. or so..
Content - if you want people to visit, the content has to be updated frequently or on a regular basis. Think about who is going to update the site (content) and how this will happen - blogs are very good ways of getting content on there and there are sites that can manage this for you.
Search Engines... Try and get the search criteria in to the URL of the site you have registered, and include this in the heading of the site and also the page content. Search Engines will only pick up on text, so you should really try to avoid putting text on there that's in an image.. or rather avoid the over use of this, not to avoid it altogether! They take around 2-3 weeks to update Google and other sites with changes you make.. Inbound and outbound links - you need some of these, from related sites and other sites.
Google Analytics - I'd suggest also setting this up, it's free and can provide a lot of very useful information, especially location of users (country down to the town!!) and also links that people use to get to your site and also when people use a search engine what phrases are they using to find you.. It can highlight deficiencies in SEO and allow you to tweak it!
I'd also recommend taking regular backups of the site, so that you can always go back to what you had before!! Just in case something doesn't work or you go halfway down a route that you find isn't going to work. Of course your toolset may allow you to do this.
Get people to proofread and check the site - of course everyone has different opinions about what they like or what works - in the end it needs to be your decision.
HTH
I would suggest planning things a little - try to pick up what you like about other sites and what you don't like.
Be prepared for criticism, or to have to make (design) allowances for "features" of the tool that you do decide to use..
You don't have to spend a lot on the site, but depending on the design, you will have to work out what hosting requirements you need.
Possible spends are :
1) Toolset - although these are freely available, either to download or on coverdisks.. or within the OS that you've already got installed.
2) URL or domain, I would recommend using freeparking.co.uk to check for the URLs available - their search can cover all permutations in one fell swoop - then pop over to www.register1.net and use them to register the URL. .co.uk are cheapity cheap at about £6 for two years and Jamie Beeston (who posts on here) is very helpful.
3) Hosting - if you've got some "free" space with your internet connection that can be used, but this may well be limited, i.e. no flash or php, etc..
Personally keep it simple and ensure that photos and thumbnails of photos are shrunk down so that they don't take a long time to be displayed!! Even on broadband big photos can slow things down badly and not everyone is on 20Meg connections!!
Try to get the layout right and then evolve it over time. Make it appealing - but stick to the old DTP principles - i.e. not more than 1/2 fonts and not lots of different text sizes or bold and italic splashed around..
Netobjects Fusion 9.0 is good, although as I mentioned I picked up a free copy - it comes with a number of templates that you can use to get the initial look and feel of the site and then away you go!! There is a later version, I think it's $100 USD.. or so..
Content - if you want people to visit, the content has to be updated frequently or on a regular basis. Think about who is going to update the site (content) and how this will happen - blogs are very good ways of getting content on there and there are sites that can manage this for you.
Search Engines... Try and get the search criteria in to the URL of the site you have registered, and include this in the heading of the site and also the page content. Search Engines will only pick up on text, so you should really try to avoid putting text on there that's in an image.. or rather avoid the over use of this, not to avoid it altogether! They take around 2-3 weeks to update Google and other sites with changes you make.. Inbound and outbound links - you need some of these, from related sites and other sites.
Google Analytics - I'd suggest also setting this up, it's free and can provide a lot of very useful information, especially location of users (country down to the town!!) and also links that people use to get to your site and also when people use a search engine what phrases are they using to find you.. It can highlight deficiencies in SEO and allow you to tweak it!
I'd also recommend taking regular backups of the site, so that you can always go back to what you had before!! Just in case something doesn't work or you go halfway down a route that you find isn't going to work. Of course your toolset may allow you to do this.
Get people to proofread and check the site - of course everyone has different opinions about what they like or what works - in the end it needs to be your decision.
HTH
Some very good advise from ginettag27.
My advice would be to start small and build up. If you are doing some kind of events site, rather than listing every town in the UK and only having events for two of them, start with just two towns and work from there.
A big mistake made by new start-ups IMO is trying to bite off more than can chew in the beginning.
My advice would be to start small and build up. If you are doing some kind of events site, rather than listing every town in the UK and only having events for two of them, start with just two towns and work from there.
A big mistake made by new start-ups IMO is trying to bite off more than can chew in the beginning.
coyft said:
timskipper said:
coyft said:
SEO won't pay any dividends for at least a year
and if does you can count yourself lucky. You'll have to advertise
Absolute boand if does you can count yourself lucky. You'll have to advertise
ocks.My company is 2nd out of 19 million for our main generic keyword. It takes time and
skill. Sure you can get to the top for narrow phrases like wedding shop in Dunstable,
but try getting top for wedding dress and it'll take some serious investment in time and money.
Quick guide to SEO.
1. get a great domain name with a keyword present and a good extension, .com, co.uk or .net the rest are pretty useless.
2. Do some keyword analysis and include those phrases within your website.
3. dont forget the title,H1, H2, description and keyword tags.
4. Use ALT tags for images and call the images something meaningfull not just image 1
5. Call your pages something meaningfull and related to your product.
6. make sure the internal links / menu use keywords.
7. Use text not images of text.
8. Inbound links are ultra critical.
9. Submit your site to major search engines, but do not over do it, once a month is about right.
10. Dont cheat, eg using hidden text.
11. Some great free software is web ceo found here. http://www.webceo.com
jamesuk28 said:
1. get a great domain name with a keyword present and a good extension, .com, co.uk or .net the rest are pretty useless.
I disagree! (and the world is right again).We do very well with a .me.uk domain in a mega competative industry (adult stuff). I don't think the domain extension itself has any bearing on position.
catmartin, drop me a line with any questions you have and I'll be happy to help.
Whilst SEO is useful it's not the be all and end all. There are some more real world (easier/cheaper) options to target local communities than SEO (how often do you Google for your town name?). If I got a leaflet through my door I'd be more inclined to look at a local site than I ever would during my normal surfing habits.
Whilst SEO is useful it's not the be all and end all. There are some more real world (easier/cheaper) options to target local communities than SEO (how often do you Google for your town name?). If I got a leaflet through my door I'd be more inclined to look at a local site than I ever would during my normal surfing habits.
Just heading out the door so don't have time to read all your replies this second but just to let you know my site is a bit like gumtree (but looks better) and wooo.co.uk
But the catch is that it's in Northern Ireland. We don't really have a site that people go on en masse (apart from sites that everyone is a member of like myspace,bebo,ebay,but they're not really local community focussed) and I was thinking that when I need advice on things, or just for banter I come to a car or computer site that I'm a member of - but I wanted to create a general site so that people weren't limited to just those areas, that way you'd get a more varied, and hopefully larger response.
The other part is for charities to recruit people, or finding band members, team mates, club members - again with the assumption that a general site will attract more responses than a specific interest site. If you look at most websites, PH included, you'll notice NI doesn't have as many people posting as it could. We're largely overlooked on sites like Gumtree and Woo, I've found that people I've talked to just don't know these sites exist. We're a small country of 1.5million so considering most large cities in England have more people than that, I've set my eyes on a site for the whole country.
I have a talented web designer friend who I am hoping to make use of and my partner is doing a business degree, but in the big bad world, experience gives you better advice than a student. As there will be quite a philanthropic approach in terms of charities and community events I'm hoping to secure funding from Prince's Trust and other government bodies, but I realise this will be hard work. At the minute I'm building a prototype site to show people who might be interested and just to see if I'm capable of doing things myself, then if not, I'll get the pros in.
Thanks for all the replies I've had so far, just thought I'd fill you all in a bit better. I'll reply to all you kind advice later this afternoon. Thanks again
Cat
But the catch is that it's in Northern Ireland. We don't really have a site that people go on en masse (apart from sites that everyone is a member of like myspace,bebo,ebay,but they're not really local community focussed) and I was thinking that when I need advice on things, or just for banter I come to a car or computer site that I'm a member of - but I wanted to create a general site so that people weren't limited to just those areas, that way you'd get a more varied, and hopefully larger response.
The other part is for charities to recruit people, or finding band members, team mates, club members - again with the assumption that a general site will attract more responses than a specific interest site. If you look at most websites, PH included, you'll notice NI doesn't have as many people posting as it could. We're largely overlooked on sites like Gumtree and Woo, I've found that people I've talked to just don't know these sites exist. We're a small country of 1.5million so considering most large cities in England have more people than that, I've set my eyes on a site for the whole country.
I have a talented web designer friend who I am hoping to make use of and my partner is doing a business degree, but in the big bad world, experience gives you better advice than a student. As there will be quite a philanthropic approach in terms of charities and community events I'm hoping to secure funding from Prince's Trust and other government bodies, but I realise this will be hard work. At the minute I'm building a prototype site to show people who might be interested and just to see if I'm capable of doing things myself, then if not, I'll get the pros in.
Thanks for all the replies I've had so far, just thought I'd fill you all in a bit better. I'll reply to all you kind advice later this afternoon. Thanks again
Cat
ginettag27 said:
then pop over to www.register1.net and use them to register the URL. .co.uk are cheapity cheap at about £6 for two years and Jamie Beeston (who posts on here) is very helpful.
3) Hosting - if you've got some "free" space with your internet connection that can be used, but this may well be limited, i.e. no flash or php, etc..
3) Hosting - if you've got some "free" space with your internet connection that can be used, but this may well be limited, i.e. no flash or php, etc..
Thanks Philip.Cat, if you have any queries about the hosting / domains / email / website / php / all that gubbins... side of things, feel free to drop me an email..
It can all seem daunting at first, but with the right guidance and a little Q&A, it's amazing how quickly it all clicks into place
I've literally sorted hundreds of PH'rs out with Domains and/or hosting.
Check profile for more details (and PH'r Recommendations!)
J
ginettag27 said:
URL or domain, I would recommend using freeparking.co.uk to check for the URLs available - their search can cover all permutations in one fell swoop - then pop over to www.register1.net and use them to register the URL. .co.uk are cheapity cheap at about £6 for two years and Jamie Beeston (who posts on here) is very helpful.
Search Engines... Try and get the search criteria in to the URL of the site you have registered, and include this in the heading of the site and also the page content. Search Engines will only pick up on text, so you should really try to avoid putting text on there that's in an image.. or rather avoid the over use of this, not to avoid it altogether! They take around 2-3 weeks to update Google and other sites with changes you make.. Inbound and outbound links - you need some of these, from related sites and other sites.
Google Analytics - I'd suggest also setting this up, it's free and can provide a lot of very useful information, especially location of users (country down to the town!!) and also links that people use to get to your site and also when people use a search engine what phrases are they using to find you.. It can highlight deficiencies in SEO and allow you to tweak it!
Lots of great advice! I was using GoDaddy to search for domains, what I originally wanted to call the site was taken but now I've got other ideas. Go Daddy don't use .co.uk so I checked out freeparking and they have what I want as nearly all.com names were taken. Headed over to Register1 and think I will probably make use of them! Gonna email Jamie soon. I feel better working with a company in the UK and someone that so many here recommend.Search Engines... Try and get the search criteria in to the URL of the site you have registered, and include this in the heading of the site and also the page content. Search Engines will only pick up on text, so you should really try to avoid putting text on there that's in an image.. or rather avoid the over use of this, not to avoid it altogether! They take around 2-3 weeks to update Google and other sites with changes you make.. Inbound and outbound links - you need some of these, from related sites and other sites.
Google Analytics - I'd suggest also setting this up, it's free and can provide a lot of very useful information, especially location of users (country down to the town!!) and also links that people use to get to your site and also when people use a search engine what phrases are they using to find you.. It can highlight deficiencies in SEO and allow you to tweak it!
I set up a blog the other day
think I'll use it to document how the business is going. Was reading up about how to make money out of blogs. I'm already a member on lots of sites so hopefully can post in the NI parts of thoseSigned up a few weeks ago for Google Analytics, this was before I even had a business idea, I thought I could use it to check other people's pages haha but now I can use it for mine
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