Our Beginner's Guide to Websites
What is a website?
What type of website do I need?
Simple brochure websites / Bespoke websites / E-commerce websites
What is Self-management, and do I need it?
What else do I need to consider?
Domain names / Hosting & E-mail / Search engines
What is a website?
A website is a group of files put on the internet for other people to view. The term website can cover everything from a single page with basic information about a company, to a large and complex site which allows people to book hotels, buy goods, or join as a member and add their own information or comments.
All websites have a domain name. This is the internet address at which the website can be found. For example add-websites.co.uk is our domain name, and www.add-websites.co.uk is our web address. Most web addresses start with www. and end with a .co.uk, .com, .net, .org or other country specific ending. Any website can have more than one domain name pointing to it, so for example www.tesco.co.uk / tesco.com / tesco.net will all take you to exactly the same website.
What type of website do I need?
There are no official classifications for different types of websites. However at Add Websites, we have created the following categories to make it easier for our customers to understand the different options available.
Simple Brochure Website
This is most suitable for those looking for a cost-effective way to put straight-forward company and product information on the internet for potential customers to find. All of our simple brochure websites are designed to look the business, but they don’t have the clever stuff which our more complex bespoke websites have such as animated or changing images, log-in areas and buy-online options.
Most of the Simple Brochure Websites we create for customers have less than 8 pages (Homepage / About Us / Services Page etc.) and are designed to show potential customers what exactly you offer and encourage them to contact you or visit you to purchase it. For more information on this type of website – click here.
Bespoke Website
Our Bespoke Website category covers a very wide variety of different websites – from small slick websites with moving imagery, to large websites with log-in areas for members or databases of information which can be searched. The only thing it doesn’t include is websites where people can purchase goods online (see E-commerce Websites below)
The list of things we can include in a Bespoke Website is almost endless, but popular features which customers ask us for include;
Flash. Flash is the software which creates the slick-moving images you see on lots of modern websites. It can be used to just fade one image into another, or to create a larger presentation-style movie. Used correctly, Flash can make your website more eye-catching, engaging and innovative.
Videos & Photo-galleries. The internet is an increasingly visual place, and many businesses are replacing text-based content with videos and images. ‘Streaming Videos’ (videos which automatically start playing when viewed) and Photogalleries can help you present your information more effectively and show real-life examples of your work.
Log-in Areas. This allows you to put some of your website information behind a registration page where visitors have to submit information about themselves and select a username and password to give them access. Log-in areas have several different uses which can transform your website into a useful and permanent resource for users.
Databases. You may want to give your website visitors access to information which is complex and always changing – such as which hotel rooms are available, what the latest job vacancies are, or which is the right screw to use with widget x. By incorporating an active database of information into the website and creating the right interface, potentially complex information can be presented to customers simply and easily.
These are just a few examples of features which can be included in a Bespoke Website. You may need just one (a video for example), or all of them. For more information on Bespoke Websites – click here.
Alternatively, contact us with what you want to achieve, and we can advise on the best and most cost-effective way to achieve it.
E-Commerce Website
E-commerce websites allow you to sell things online. This may just be a single DVD or book with a single ‘Buy Now’ button, or could be many thousands of different products which can be added to a Shopping Cart and purchased together. Most e-commerce websites are connected to a secure online payment system (supplied by the bank, or a payment processing company) which allows customers to pay on their credit card. There is a large range of e-commerce options and payment systems available, so getting the best professional advice is essential.
For more information on our E-commerce Websites – click here.
What is Self Management (CMS), and do I need it?
Traditionally, if you wanted to change the information on your website you would need a professional to do it for you. However, with a Content Management System (CMS) you can easily update the information yourself from your own secure administration area. This administration area is especially designed to be simple to use and usually takes just 1 to 2 hours of tuition to fully understand.
The advantage of Self-management is that it gives you much greater flexibility with your website content. You can easily put in new pages, special offers, and change pictures at any time – keeping your website fresh and up-to-date without any additional costs. The disadvantage of self-management is that the design we create for your website has to be much simpler in appearance to accommodate the self-management system. This means that you may need to sacrifice the beautiful curves and innovative navigation structures we love to use in bespoke designs. There is also the danger that without a professional web designer completing the updates for you, the website can start to look messy over time.
If you need to constantly update the information on your website, are comfortable with computers and have the time to do it, then a self-management option would suit your perfectly. However, if the information isn’t going to change much, or you have limited time then it may be best to take advantage of a fully bespoke website which we can look after for you.
What else do I need to consider?
Domain names
The domain name is the address people type in to find your website. For example - www.add-websites.co.uk. Choosing something logical, easy to remember, and easy to type is important. If you are searching for a suitable address then remember that just because it doesn’t have a website on it, it doesn’t mean that somebody does not own it. We can conduct a domain name search and let you know which are available, and which will work best for your website.
The cost of your domain name is included in our design price.
Hosting & E-mail
Every website needs to be hosted. Put very simply, hosting is renting a space on an internet server so people can view your website online at anytime. To have a website you must have hosting, and we can provide this on a monthly basis as part of our hosting packages, or use your existing hosting arrangements if you have some.
Whoever provides your hosting will also usually provide an email service linked to your website address. In terms of professionalism, having an email linked to your web address (e.g. info@yourcompany.co.uk) is essential and can be provided in a number of different ways depending on your needs. Additional e-mail addresses can also be set-up for individual employees or specific purposes.
Search Engine Performance
Search engines are websites such as google, yahoo, bing and ask.co.uk which people use to find the information they are looking for. Having a great website is one thing, but it needs to perform on search engines if it is going to be a success. During the design of a website there are many things which we can do to help search engines categorise and list your website correctly. We also offer a Website Launch Package and free Google guide which further increases the chances of the website ranking highly.
However, for businesses where high rankings are essential to the marketing strategy a dedicated search engine optimisation service is usually required.
For more information on search engine optimisation options - click here
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