I Am Such an Idiot - I Can't Even Make a Simple Website!

Has this thought ever gone through your head? You see all those beautiful websites online, and deep down you know that you will never be able to create your own website like that.

But you are wrong. Even you can create your own website! Anybody can, if they are shown how to do it step-by-step in plain English.

The thing is, that all the beautiful websites you see online, are made by people who have lots of experience in creating websites.

That simply means that in the beginning, they had absolutely no experience in creating websites, just like you. But they started somehow, probably with a simple website, published it on the internet, and started making money with it.

As time went by, they learned more and more about the importance of creating websites of great quality, but that most likely took them a long time.

The key to success in internet marketing is creating your own website, with your own domain name, completely controlled by you, don't let anybody try to convince you it isn't.

However, there are many vital things you have to know, things that will probably scare you from even trying to create your own website, if you don't learn them.

Things like, what is a domain name, what is a hosting company, what are name servers, what is ftp, what is a web editor, how do I create a link, are common things that people know they need to learn, but don't know how to get answers to.

The bottom line is that you need to start somewhere. To begin with, all you need to do is learn how to create a simple website, and publish it on the internet, then you need to learn how to bring traffic to it, but that is not the focus of this article. I can show you that later if you want.

If you want to shorten your learning curve by months, and learn how to create your own website, accept this free 123 page eBook on how to create your own website from someone who spent months searching for information online on how to make a website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristin_Thormar

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How to Make a Website - Useful Tools

When developing a website there is a lot to consider even if you are experienced and already understand a lot of the requirements and concepts involved. It makes it easier if you know what tools are available to help you out. Based on this I have compiled a list of the tools I find most useful when developing a site and thought I would share it with you.

Browser Extensions

Firebug and the Firefox developer toolbar
These are two different extensions for Firefox which allow you to both inspect the data and scripts that make a website page up. Firebug is actually my favourite but you may wish to check out the Developer toolbar as well. Do a search on google for 'firebug' or 'firefox developer toolbar'.

Developer toolbar for Internet Explorer
There is also now a developer toolbar for Internet Explorer 7 and IE 8 actually comes with the toolbar pre-installed.

These tools allow you to do things such as: inspect CSS styles sheets and Javascripts used in the page, see the individual CSS or Javascript events attached to individual HTML elements in the page, view header data, post and response data. Believe me, whether you are a web designer or web developer, learning how these tools work will give you a big advantage when developing and bug-fixing your websites. I absolutely cannot do without them on a day-to-day basis.

SEO for Firefox
There is a great little tool if you want to understand SEO. Search Google for 'SEO for Firefox' and you will find seobook.com which offers 2 tools for SEO - a toolbar and also an inpage set of SEO results.

SEOMOZ keyword extractor
This tool scans a web page and reports back the keywords and terms which are most prominent on that page. Basically, you tell it where your website is, then it tells you which terms your site seems to be trying to rank highly in search engines for. If the results aren't the keywords you've been targeting, you'll probably want to make some changes.

Browsershots
Browsershots is a great service for web designers that lets you see how your website looks in different types and versions of web browser. It can take a while to produce the results, but it has a comprehensive list of browsers and you can't argue with the price - its free.

Wave
It's good practice to adhere to to accessibility guidelines, and means people with disabilities will find your website easier to use. Wave is a tool to evaluate how accessible your site is - it will show you what you're doing right, and where you can improve.

W3C link checker
It's easy to get links right when you first add them to your website. But as your site grows, pages change. The same happens to external sites too, so links which once worked often end up at a 'page not found' error. This link checker scans every link on your web pages, telling you which ones work, which ones don't - and exactly what's wrong with them.

Site Monitoring with
Site24×7 - this free online service pings your site hourly and graphs response times and warns you if the site goes off line. For a few dollars a month, you can get checks every 5m and SMS alerts.

Wordpress
Wordpress is probably 1 of the greatest tools to be introduced to the web in the last few years. It was originally intended as a blogging tool but now - with the great range of Theme templates, widgets and plugins you can create a fully fledged website without having to write any code yourself. You dont have to create blog posts but can just create a site which has pages. Plugins such as SEO for Wordpress even help optimize your content for SEO without you having to understand this too heavily.

Google Tools

Google Webmaster Tools
Your best insight into how Google's search engine sees your site, statistics of the googlebot's activity on your site. You can even adjust the crawl rate of the googlebot on your site ie. this is useful if the googlebot is taking up alot of bandwidth and throttling your site.

Google Analytics
Completely awesome, interactive, online site statistics.

Google AdSense
Sign up for AdSense and you can make money by putting Google provided ads on your site. Google generate the code for you so you don't even have to write any yourself.

Technorati
If you haven't done it yet, registering your site with Technorati will help you track your interactions with the blogosphere. Who links to you and how much authority your site has. Warning: addictive!

Alexa
Yes, I know it's the subject of much debate but if you get reasonable amounts of traffic, Alexa is one useful way of benchmarking your traffic against other popular sites. It's also a useful way of seeing who is linking to your site.

Feedburner
Feedburner provides site statistics, simplifies RSS feeds, does some social network bookmarking (Digg etc.) and some other stuff. There's a WordPress plug in that automatically switches existing RSS subscribers over to a Feedburner feed.

If you are completely new to the topic of how to make a website then you might find it useful to check out our article 'Starting Web Development' first.

Jon Jackson
http://www.springwebdevelopment.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Jack

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Create a Website - Why You Might Need One

If you want to promote a business or a cause, one of the better ways to do it is to create a website. Many people gain info online, and when they are searching for services or businesses to frequent, the first place they look is the Internet. If you wish to draw their attention, it's vital that you have a site of your own. When you want to create a website, you must create the concept first, pick technologies, design the site and host it, and then integrate the feedback.

You need to start by determining a basic concept that your site will be built around. Your main ideas need to be clear to all visitors, and they need to build logically to potential actions and results that you would like to see. A design that would be appropriate if you simply want to inform people would not work if you want for people to do something specific after visiting your site. An interactive site tends to produce more responses from visitors, so you should include interactive elements in your web site.

Next you will want to design your site based on the concept and purposes. A web designer can help ensure you site is usable and attractive. When going through your design think through the actions and ensure your design makes these intended goals clear. The biggest mistake with many websites is that they do not provider their visitors with a clear call to action.

Based on your design you will then work with a technologist to pick the web technologies that will be used in your site. These are important choices as they will dictate the potential capabilities of your website and the type of hosting plan you will need.

Any web host that you retain should be able to support all of the technologies that have gone into building your web site. You may decide that you need more than one web host, if you need extra reliability. You need to make sure that your web host can provide storage for the files on your site and can handle the traffic that your site will generate.

You may be looking to create a website for one of several different purposes. In the digital always on world of today having a website is vital if you have a cause you are promoting. People turn to the web first when they need to find things and so you need a presence there for them to think of you.

If you want to advertise for your business or publicly promote some political cause, then you are more likely to succeed if you create a website. The majority of people now get their news and information online. They will look to the internet if they need some good or service provided. To get their attention, you will need to have a website. When you start to build your site, you must have a clear concept in mind, understand the technology, design the site, find a host, and allow people to contact you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tem_Balanco

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Importance of Proper Specifications

A specification (or "spec" for short) in the web and software development world, is a detailed plan describing the desired website or software program in detail, in such a manner that anyone reading the specification would be able to envisage to a high degree what the final product would be like.

Although specifications can come in numerous flavors, we will use the above description and definition as it is critical to understand the final product from the spec and be able to imagine it in its completeness.

One of the often-times over-looked purposes of a spec is for feasibility studies and marketing analysis. With the spec in hand, you can determine to some degree of accuracy whether the project will succeed or not, and/or whether there will be a market or not. This is wise to do before a lot of money is spent on development.

The main objective of a specifications document is to describe the project in detail. Who will interact with the program, and how? What will the website do? Are there any special reporting requirements? What won't the program do? Which actions can a person interacting with the site perform at any given point?

A good spec is in enough detail so that, if given to 10 different programmers, will give you 10 very similar products, and given to 10 potential vendors, will return 10 similar price quotes. If a spec is vague, you can expect to get vastly different end results and pricing structures due to different interpretations of the spec.

The more pictures in a spec illustrating the desired end result, the better. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words.

One of the most important financial implications of a good spec is scope safeguard. A loosely-worded description of a requirement is easy to add onto later. One party's interpretation could be different to another's, recollection of the past could be vague, etc. However, a spec with pictures of the end interface labelling every button, makes it very difficult for someone to add on a function later with the excuse that they didn't realize this part was missing earlier.

Once programming starts on a project, changes become exponentially more expensive and time-consuming as changes get introduced later in the development.

It really is difficult to stress enough how important good specifications are. Most people who understand this, had to learn the lesson the hard way in the school of hard knocks. A perceived 10% saving in skipping the planning phase of a project is not worth a potential 500% mushroom in unexpected changes and costs down the road due to scope creep or unanticipated issues.

There's an old but appropriate saying that goes: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Andreas Huttenrauch
Internet Strategy Consultant / Web Architect
http://www.theworkingweb.com
"The Specification is Mightier than the Code"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andreas_Huttenrauch

Andreas Huttenrauch - EzineArticles Expert Author

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Quality Website Builds Bottom Line

Is your website out of date, under construction or lacking in focus? Does it make you cringe every time a prospect refers to it? Think of this as the "cringe test." If you cringe at the thought of your website, it's time to turn it into a strong marketing tool that will build your bottom line.

In an economic downturn, your website is even more important for a number of reasons. It works 24/7. It's where customers and prospects increasingly go to research purchases even if you have a storefront. It's an inexpensive way to advertise new products and services. It allows you to build a relationship with prospects and customers.

Here are seven ways to build a quality website:

1. Set goals. Many companies overlook this critical step and doom their website to failure before they even begin. Before you launch or redo your website, ask yourself what you want to accomplish by having a website. Write your goals down and use them to guide the development of your website.
2. Write to be found. If you have a website with all the bells and whistles but no one finds it, your website is not doing its job. Understand what keywords people use to search for your products and services and use them in your text.
3. Write to be understood. While the use of keywords is critical to help people find your website when using a search engine, your copy also should be clear, concise and to the point if you want visitors to understand your message.
4. Make it easy to find information. Use headlines, bullets and type to help visitors quickly find and understand the information you are presenting. A sea of unbroken type is difficult to maneuver and often will cause people to click off your site.
5. Write each page as if it is the only page. A website, unlike a printed piece, often is not read from start to finish. Visitors may land on a product or service page first, totally bypassing your home page. While you can't repeat all information on every page, each page should contain your marketing message and a call to action.
6. Refresh copy often. If a store owner never changed or replenished his or her merchandise, before long customers would stop coming to the store. The same is true of a website. If you want people to keep coming back, give them fresh copy, new offers and resources to explore.
7. Make your website copy rich. Use your website to help your customers and prospects understand how you can help them. Keep in mind that while this is your website, it should be written for your customers and prospects. Develop your website for them and reap the rewards of a stronger bottom line.

May be reprinted with the following, in full: Joan B. Marcus, president of Joan B. Marcus Communications LLC, helps nonprofit organizations and small businesses build their brand with a powerful marketing message. Joan is a pro in all forms of writing, from websites to grant proposals, brochures to electronic newsletters. Services include copy-writing; marketing strategy; branding and message development; marketing communications planning; and grant development, including writing case statements, researching funding opportunities, writing and editing grant proposals, and documenting grant implementation. Sign up at http://joanbmarcuscommunications.com for a free newsletter that offers practical and low-cost strategies to help you market your business or nonprofit organization.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joan_Marcus

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Customer Reviews - Adding Trust Equity to Your Website

Consumer psychology both offline and online has always interested me. If you think of the basics of 'marketing' - word of mouth is one of the most powerful mediums (in both positive and negative contexts). From positive perspective if a trusted 'influencer' advises you that a service or product is the right one for you - then you are 7 times more likely to purchase it. However, if you have a negative experience - then you are likely to advise at least 13 people - and warn them off that product / service.

These stats are largely drawn from off line consumer psychology - however, online, within the realms of the viral environment - then it's likely these inflate significantly. Offline, we may turn to our trusted 'influencers'; our friends, colleagues and family to offer advice and suggestions when considering a purchase or service. And online the same 'influencing' factors exist. Research has identified that 'testimonials' and 'case studies' add 'trust equity' to a site. And now more than ever, when online businesses are more SEO savvy than ever - it's not necessarily the best companies that get found by being on page 1 on Google.

Customer reviews (provided they are transparent and provide both the positive and negative comments) are an effective way to draw in customers, build trust and encourage conversions. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'd like to see search evolve to include such elements into 'quality scores' (think eBay) - so that those that are performing well and providing great customer service are not only reliant upon customers to spread the word - but also search engines promote not just relevant but 'quality' service providers - too... A big call perhaps, but hey... nothing's impossible.

To keep up to date with my marketing news, views, tips and advice, why not subscribe to http://www.carvillonmarketing.co.uk

Michelle Carvill is a Marketing Consultant and has been running Carvill Creative for the past 6 years. Working with a number of small and medium sized businesses - she shares her hands on experience - tips, news, view and advice. Visit her blog http://www.carvillonmarketing.com for more...

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Carvill

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