Web Design Tips for Starting a New Nonprofit or Small Business Web Site // Dream Seed Multimedia, Lancaster, PA

A simple guide to starting a new website

Starting a new website is an exciting proposition, but it can also be a scary one. SEO? Domain names? PHP? Web hosts? DNS settings? These can be confusing terms! This page breaks down the process in a simple overview so that you can get a general idea of what to expect. A good web designer will guide you through each step so that starting a small business website or one for your nonprofit will be easy. Dream Seed’s new clients receive a packet of information that provides helpful hints and good web design tips for each of these steps. Contact Dream Seed to get started on your new website!

Register a domain name

When you’re ready to start your own website, one of the first things you should do is to select and register your domain name. Domain names are simply the “addresses” of websites. For example, our domain name is dreamseedmultimedia.com. Like mailing addresses, domain names are unique so that only one website is associated with each domain name. So it’s important to name and claim your website’s “address” early on!

Once you’ve chosen a domain name, you then need to register it with a domain registrar. This doesn’t get you a website or even a place to host your website; it’s just a way to reserve your domain name for you. You will pay an annual fee to use the domain name, and you usually need to pay for it up front. Your registrar will remind you when it’s time to renew or will do that automatically for you. Your web designer can help you select and register your domain name or recommend registrars for you. Dream Seed registers and renews domain names for our clients’ convenience. Contact us to register your domain name!

Sign up with a web host

When you have a domain name selected, it’s time to choose a web host. A web host has many computers, called servers, always hooked up to the internet. These servers store, or host, website files so that when people are looking for a website, they actually connect with these servers and look at the files they need. You will pay monthly or annual fees to keep your website with your web host.

There are many different types of web hosts available. Some have different capabilities and technologies than others. Some offer more space than others. And still some manage your site for you while others offer a “do-it-yourself” experience. Your web designer will tell you what kind of web host you need and can make some recommendations. Dream Seed hosts websites, but exclusively for the sites we design.

Design your website

This is, of course, the most crucial step. It can take a lot of time to do it right. This involves not only the physical appearance of the website but also the content (text, photos, and other graphics) as well. To have a successful website, you’ll need to consider what you need your website to do, who your site needs to target, and how your site will meet your target’s needs.

While you may have some great ideas of what your website’s content should be and how it should look, you also need to consider how to plan it so that it will attract your target audience. An unfortunate myth is that just by having a website, you will increase your business. However, the truth is if you do not have a plan for how to attract people to your website, your website will do very little for you. Take a look at some ways you can successfully market your website. A skilled web designer or online marketer can help you with good web design tips and tricks for this process. See what Dream Seed’s nonprofit and small business web design services can do for you.

Dream Seed is ready to build your website; contact us today!

Maintain your website

Once your website is launched and is live for people to see, now comes the maintenance phase. To keep your website in peak condition, you need to regularly care for it. Keep it frequently updated, and use an analytics program, such as Google Analytics, to see how visitors are using your website. (Check out these articles on Google Analytics.) You will need to make changes if you notice problems that your visitors are having. Also, as your organization (and the competition) changes, so should your website. Regular care will help your website work harder for you.

Dream Seed offers maintenance and update services so you don’t have to worry about it. Talk to Dream Seed today about setting up your website!