WEBSREETEC Sites

Getting Started

 

	Getting Started
	There are six main steps to go through to owning and editing your own website. Web site proposition review Domain name registration Email and webmail requirements Web site preparatory work Web site design and set-up Web site maintenance
	Web site proposition review
	Ask yourself the following questions - in any order Why do I need a web site ? What functions will the web site perform ? What will the web site content be ? Who is my target audience ? How will the web site be publicised to my target audience ? What domain name will I use ? Do I need webmail ?
	Telephone us for a free chat to talk things through.
	Domain name registration
	Decide upon a domain name that is suitable and available, the shorter the better. Go to one of the many domain name registration/hosting companies to ascertain that the domain name is available and to register it.
	We recommend NAMESCO - click on this logo to visit their website.
	You will find that most domain registration companies, including NAMESCO, also offer web site hosting services which you can purchase if you wish. Their products are generally perfectly adequate for customers with time to spare and technical expertise. We distinguish our WEBSREETEC product by offering you personal help and guidance at all stages of your project. You must have FULL DNS CONTROL and EMAIL FORWARDING facilities as part of the basic domain name registration package that you purchase.
	Email And Webmail
	Email is a general term and emails are usually processed using a client email application installed on a PC - the most common ones are MICROSOFT OUTLOOK and OUTLOOK EXPRESS. Webmail refers to email processing using a web browser to navigate to a web site where emails are stored and processed. The basic differences between these 2 methods of dealing with emails is that a local client application such as OUTLOOK will include facilities to store an unlimited number of emails sent and received in local files for reference but you generally have to work on the PC or network where they are stored. Webmail on the other hand will offer you limited storage space for filing emails but you can access your webmail account from any computer connected to the internet. It is also possible to combine both systems so that when you are at home or in your office you can use your client storage system whilst keeping in touch through webmail when you are away in which case the webmail and client email systems must be configured to work hand-in-hand.
	Web Site Preparatory Work
	Given that you have decided what your web site content will be you will have to consider what pictures, photographs, images, videos, logos, documents and links to other web sites will be included. Then you must collect these together in one place on your computer. Give some thought to the general look and feel that you want in the web site and what web pages might be appropriate. If you look at some of the web sites that we host you will see that most of them follow an orderly pattern which is easy to understand and navigate through.
	Web Design And Setup
	This is the detailed plan of the web site incorporating specified pages, content and images, etc.> Most pictures and photographs have to be edited before being uploaded to the site to improve definition and minimise the time it takes for a page containing them to refresh. Exact layouts are often a personal preference. We are happy to talk this through with you and give you our suggestions. If you want us to design and set up the web site then we will take your working brief, make suggestions and discuss it with you and work from that. Our web sites include facilities for news announcements and feedback messages which in turn enable you, if you wish, to build up a list of email subscribers for news releases. You have to decide if these facilities would be useful. Your domain name registration records are amended to direct all web traffic to our web server and we create a web hosting subsystem for your domain name together with a password-protected editor log-in for the site. Give some thought to how your web content should be structured and worded to increase its ratings in search engines. This is a subject all on its own which, whilst important, can be kept under review whilst the web site develops. We can discuss ways and means of improving your search engine ratings. Then the site is created by you or us. If necessary we allocate it to a temporary domain name such as 'www.test.websreetec.com' whilst the site is built. This enables the designer to use different browsers to view the website as it develops before switching the completed site to your domain name. By the end of this process we will have trained you to use the basic web site maintenance procedures - uploading photographs, changing prices, adding pages and news.
	Web Site Maintenance And Updating
	Once the web site is up and running you will almost certainly want to make minor amendments plus updates such as news items. You can do this at any time with your editor login and we are available to help you if get stuck. The sites can be backed up with a single button click and we recommend that you do this before making changes in case of unintended consequences.