Timothy Reynold’s Blog

Building a website takes more than just owning (and knowing how to use) a website editor; it takes planning and strategy in order to pull off an effective design. One of the best places to learn how to build a website and what considerations are involved is an interactive workshop found on SCORE’s website. This workshop is available here: http://www.va-interactive.com/score/buildwebsite/buildwebsite.html

By viewing this workshop online, you will learn exactly what you need to consider before you begin. This knowledge will prove invaluable as you take into consideration your message, navigation, website design, content, e-commerce, customer service, and promotion. This workshop covers concepts rather than technical know-how for designing and publishing your website. Links to resources, discussions, and an “ask the expert” section round out the course.

Another helpful website covering the plan, design, building, and promotion is www.efuse.com . This site is loaded with useful articles and advice set up in a logical, easy-reading format.

For help with the actual design and deployment of your website, you can either hire a professional website developer or design it yourself. Professionals know what they are doing but they can take a big bite out of your budget. An option is to hire a web design student who is anxious to put his design skills to use in exchange for a token sum, experience, and a website credit he can add to his portfolio.

Hosting companies such as www.godaddy.com often sell a complete hosting solution including professional templates you can use to easily create a good-looking website. GoDaddy offers a variety of services to accommodate your every need including shopping cart systems and payment processing systems. GoDaddy is one of the most competitively priced hosting companies who can take care of all of your website needs from obtaining the domain name to publishing your website.