Domains, Web Hosting and Web Design

Learning about domains, web hosting and web design can be overwhelming at first so I've tried to break it down a bit. Here I shall try to explain, generically, what web design is, what input will be expected from you and what I offer with Cavalry Development

To do this I will also cover some common points that can cause great consternation between web companies and their beloved clients by asking... who does what?

The domain name

example: www.cavalrydevelopment.co.uk

The domain is the 'virtual address' of your website and is nothing more than the registration of that name. You merely own that name like you might register a company name at companies house. Approximate prices (including VAT) between £10 and £30

The hosting

This is often purchased alongside the domain and is a rent of disk space to hold the files that form your website, any databases required and emails. Hosting generally comes in packages offering different functions and time spans – For Cavalry clients the cost is between £9.95 - £49.95 / month depending on functionality and complexity

If you are just starting you may well find it easier for your web designer to purchase and host the website for you. Cavalry Development can help here as well

Designing and building the website

We now have an address and we have rented our virtual building for our online business, now we need to hire some interior designers and shop fitters to make it look nice – here we build the website

Cavalry Development uses a process that fulfils a niche whereby small independent companies can achieve an online presence without spending thousands of pounds and you can so easily do that

Most of the sites I develop come in at the £3500 mark on first release and this falls well short of the tens of thousand pounds asked for by other local agencies. Why this price... I work from home, don't have permanent staff, outsource if required and so have few overheads. I also use an industry standard content management system used by names such as Porsche and Jetstar. A necessary amount of coordination of ideas is especially important in the early phase so be prepared for this brain storming

Where do I start?

Firstly check out some of my work and see if the type of websites I have created suit your business, I shall be adding a gallery later but for now here are a few

http://www.turners75.co.uk

Home

http://www.speech-works.co.uk

Budget

Do you have a budget... do you know how much websites cost? Its down to look and feel so have examples and compare against cost. Have a discussion with me first then work the numbers

What you should look at first?

My clients always ask me how much is a website going to cost me? My question back is what’s your business, who are you targeting, what's the competition, are you going to sell rain making equipment to the UK? At least have the beginnings of a business plan. You wouldn't go to a prospective architect or builder without some idea of what you want so why would you approach the person that is going to create a major part of your marketing front end without one

Know that a website doesn't cost £300 and know you don't say 'just one page will do' because it won't, it will look aweful and wastes the money you could have spent on the lottery.. so have a realistic budget

Are you ready for a proper conversation?

Tell me about your business, tell me what sites you love and those that make you vomit – what do you think is a good show piece for your product. Talk about prospective target markets in terms of geographics and demographics, if it's art it's probably not teenagers. Show me what you've done already, write it down, fag packet stuff – I don't care just make me get on board. There's nothing more infectious and successful than raw enthusiasm. There's nothing more I love then helping plant the acorn and then shouting at it to grow (with a little watering as well). Just give me a really good feel for what you want – I can then help you

In summary

What’s your budget? Are you going to say I only have £50 but want one page? If so go to https://www.123-reg.co.uk and start there. You can however call me for advice – that's free
Know the sites you like and dislike – at least look at the example sites I have created
What’s the main objective of your website? Do you want people to sign up? More sales? Or just loads of visitors?
Will this be a brochure or a shop? Will you want payment systems like paypal or worldpay credit card facilities
Communicate, communicate, communicate – buzz, buzz, buzz – enthusiasm

Marketing the Website

You may well have heard of the term seo or search engine optimisation and terms like online marketing. When you hear that your website doesn't have meta tags or descriptions or hasn't been optimised for search engines DO NOT shout at the web designer. What you are doing is shouting at the interior designers and shop fitters for not including your marketing plan

Welcome to the world of SEO. If you want to know more click SEO Services for Berkshire