2. First thing’s first: Can you afford it? $5.95 per month for a web host (a company that sells you space on their server – we will use Bluehost) x 24 months + extra security options = ~$150 … by next week You can do it for free, but …
3. Advantages of owning a domain name Easy to remember website address No popups or banners Easier to get listed in search engines More control of the look and feel of your site Multiple branded email addresses Plenty of web space for site expansion No worries of being removed unexpectedly Looks more professional More flexibility for design and functionality Help is readily available www.2createawebsite.com
5. Domain name Your url (uniform resource locator) should be the name of your site, or the other way around It should be meaningful and easy to remember, no weird spellings Generally, the shorter the better .com? .org? .net? .co.uk? 12 rules for choosing the right domain name
6. What’s your purpose? What’s the point of your website? Professional portfolio Niche topic Blog/forum Who is your audience? How often will you update them? Will you have a motto or a logo?
7. What will your site to look like? Where do you want the navigation? What pages do you need? Contact me My videos What belongs on the homepage? Keep a hierarchy in mind. Most important things should be higher, bigger, bolder. Chose a color scheme with a purpose Colors have meanings. ColourLovers Kuler
8. Clean and professional This is bad This is worse I’m going blind Eliminate all unnecessary elements. Don’t use long blocks of text. Make the text you do use easy to read. Dividing your site into sections can help make it cleaner. Don’t forget – users don’t read, they scan.
9. Ready to join the web? We will be using WordPress, a popular, free software used to create websites or blogs. Search for free WordPress templates.
10. And that’s all …for now. This PowerPoint presentation can be reproduced as long as credit is given to Karen McIntyre.
