F T P C Designs Introduction to Internet Web Sites

Introduction to Internet Web Sites

“A Valuable Marketing Tool”

What is the Internet? Simply speaking, the Internet is a worldwide collection of interconnected networks. What this means in practical terms is that anyone, anywhere in the world - with a computer and an Internet connection - has the ability to access a wealth of information and services that are available on the Internet.

The most popular Internet usage includes sending and receiving e-mail, general news, obtaining business information, research in areas of personal or professional interest, online chatting, and online shopping.

Many people are already using the Internet as their source for finding local, national, and worldwide providers of products and services. Leading economists believe the Internet is rapidly becoming the "yellow pages" of the world. The Internet is indeed a growing force in sales and marketing.

Businesses can buy and sell all types of merchandise and services online. This includes everything from office supplies to company vehicles, stock market transactions, banking online, doing all types of research, and a whole lot more. The possibilities are endless.

Web sites can increase your business, whether you use the Internet strictly as an advertising medium or as an interactive part of your business. Interactivity can be anything from e-mail access to information about your products or services, online reservation or sales forms, or actual online sales or reservations booking by utilizing credit cards as a means of payment.

Each individual business should determine its needs, based on the products or services offered, as well as the business’s advertising budget, and its targeted market. In order to make sure that you utilize your available resources to meet your needs and goals, it’s a good idea to keep a notebook and write down any information that might prove to be of value in creating your business web site.

If you have a computer and Internet access, make notes on commercial sites that grab your attention and hold it. You can also “bookmark” or “add to favorites”, depending on the browser you’re using, so that you can easily find these sites again. Ask yourself what makes these sites attractive.

What type of web site do you need? A simple web site, consisting of one or two pages with limited graphics can be used for informational purposes in much the same way as a newspaper or magazine ad. If you need more space for information and graphics, or wish to use interactive information such as e-mail or online forms, you'll need a larger site. If you plan to have multiple pages with a lot of graphics or online ordering and/or reservations, which need the ability to use a secure server for credit card processing, you'll need to have a complex site.

The next step is to decide on a web page designer. You have several options, depending on the complexity of the web site and your knowledge and familiarity with the Internet.

You can choose to do it yourself, however I would not recommend this for the novice or if your proposed web site is complex. If you are at least semi computer literate and have lots of time and patience you can create a simple to medium sized web site. You will need a fair amount of creativity, the willingness to learn all of the software and marketing techniques necessary to accomplish your goals, and the persistence to stick with it until it is finished.

If you are lucky enough to have a web site designer as a family member, or close friend and they are willing to design your web site at little or no cost, you can save yourself a lot of time and frustration in addition to the cost.

If neither of these are the case, you'll need to find a capable web site designer and a web site hosting service, or you can go with a turn key professional whose services include design, hosting, registration, and maintenance.

It can sometimes be less expensive to find a designer and web site hosting services for the less complex web sites. However, keep in mind that you'll be responsible for making sure that marketing efforts are implemented and that the web site is periodically updated.

You need to be aware of effective web page design and marketing, regardless of who your web site designer is. Remember that your web site is a marketing tool and your approval is necessary before the web site is uploaded for public use. You'll also be the one to determine when updates are needed and the form they need to take.

As with a print ad, make sure that all the information you want your customers to see is included. Keep the design as simple as possible while still making the most of the visual impact of the page. Make sure that the text is pleasing to the eye as well as easy to read. Overpowering backgrounds can make text almost impossible to read, and that will defeat the whole purpose of the web site.

If the page is too busy with artwork, it will distract the viewer. Unless you are displaying artwork that you are selling on your web site, don't go overboard. Even if you are selling artwork, it's a good idea to only display a few items on a page. Use more pages, if necessary.

There's another good reason for simplicity. If there are too many graphics or pictures, it can slow down the loading speed of the page. Internet shoppers aren't known for being patient. If a page takes too long to load, they will most likely exit your page. This could cause you to lose customers.

Another thing to keep in mind is that certain design elements classified as novelties may seem cute, but are usually not appreciated on a commercial site by the majority of Internet users.

Things to avoid include animations, scrolling text, blinking text, auto-playing music files (especially embedded looping ones which cannot be turned off). If you do use music files, give users the option of turning the music off.

Also, be absolutely certain that you have a site license or other proof of permission to use copyrighted materials, otherwise you may find yourself facing legal action by the copyright owner. Copyrighted materials can include music, graphics, text, and pictures. Anything that has been created by someone is their property, whether it has been registered or not.

There are users who dislike frames as well. Frames are a programming device that splits the monitor's screen view into two or more areas. They are usually used to display navigational links, company logos, advertising, or contact information. Although frames are a good way to keep your information available at all times, for those with small monitor screens, it can detract from the information. If you feel that you must use frames, make sure that they are small and efficient, rather than overpowering and obtrusive. A good design will have a non-frame alternative that can be accessed easily. (The last statement is my personal opinion.)

Of course, people have to be able to find your web site. That's where Internet marketing comes in. You have the potential to reach people on the Internet who will never see your print ads or see your listing in a telephone book, so make the most of it.

One of the most efficient means of marketing is registering your web site with Internet search engines. These are the first places on the Internet that people will go to find whatever they are looking for. Search engines index registered web sites by keywords, topics, and content. This enables users to type in a name, topic, or keyword to find the information they need.

Search engines are thought to bring as much as 40% of all Internet traffic to web sites. That makes registration with the top search engines vital to the success of your marketing efforts on the Internet.

There are registration services available that will register your site with differing numbers of search engines for a fee. However, not all services are created equal. Keep in mind that the search engines use differing means of indexing web sites. Whatever service or software package you may use, make sure that you do a little search engine testing to see how your site is doing.

It's important that your web site be designed with the search engines in mind, if you hope to get the rankings that will bring potential customers to your site. Part of a good web site design is to have solid content, as well as a type of tag called meta-tags. These are a part of your web pages that don't show to the public, but play a very important role in indexing for several of major search engines, including AltaVista, HotBot, InfoSeek, and WebCrawler.

The two meta-tags that are important to search engines are called "keywords" and "description".

The description, or a part of it, will be displayed by the search engine, in addition to the title of the web site, which links to that site. This is how many people will get to your web site, so your description needs to be concise. Your keywords need to be well thought out as well. Try to include any word that anyone might use in attempting to find the goods or services you offer.

Please note that if your web site uses frames, you must make sure that the search engines can access information to index your site. This is a little too technical to explain, but without proper coding, search engines do not see anything on a frames site except blank areas.

Other Internet marketing resources include online directories, networks, banner ads, links, and joining in forums, chats, or newsgroups - particularly those that pertain to your business.

Web site links are a great way of sharing information, as well as marketing web sites. The more people who can find your web site, the better.

There are different types of links too. You can link to any web site that you think would be beneficial or of interest to your customers, and others' web sites may link to your web site in the same way. It's always good netiquette to contact web site owners for permission before adding links.

When contacting a web site owner, it's a good time to ask for reciprocal links. If they agree to link to your site and you link to theirs, you will both benefit by attracting additional traffic.

In conclusion, it does take a lot of thought and planning to decide on a web site strategy, but it's well worth the effort. When you have a clear vision of what you want your web site to project and accomplish and the best manner to implement it, then you’re ready to put your ideas to work.

I hope that this information has been helpful. Good luck and may all of your Internet surfers become customers.

Sources of information:

Complete Idiots Guide To Creating An HTML Web Page by Paul McFedries - http://www.mcfedries.com

NUA Internet Surveys - http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi

The Web Design Resource - http://www.pageresource.com

Northern Web's Search Engine Tutorial - http://northernwebs.com/set/

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