This article will take you through the steps of how websites for small business owners are designed. I understand that to most folks, creating a website can be pretty scary and daunting. Several years ago I set about to design my own website, and I too was very intimidated at first – and I have degrees engineering and computer science!

I am confident that together, we can design a web site that your customers will enjoy visiting and you’ll be proud of – because we’ll design your web site to reflect your tastes and your personality. And I’ll do my best to make the entire process of designing your web site simple, straightforward and fun.
Although many of my clients are in Seattle, Washington, many live in the areas around Seattle. It doesn’t really matter whether you live in Seattle or Maine (I have clients in Maine!), only that you have access to the internet. If clients are in Seattle I can meet them face to face if they prefer, or simply converse over email or on the phone, which ever method is easiest for the client.
Here are some of the steps we’ll follow, just to give you an idea of what is involved in designing a web site from scratch:

• You’ll pick a domain name for your web site, like “YourBusiness.com”. I’ll help you select one and purchase it online from a reputable registrar, such the one I use, DreamHost.com Domain Name Registration.
• You’ll select where you want to host your web site. I’ll help you choose a hosting provider and we’ll set it up together online. I use DreamHost.com for my web site hosting service.
• Together we’ll design a framework for the structure of your web site based on the nature of your small business and its products and services offered.
• Together we’ll design a look and feel for your web site that reflects your style, your personality, and your values. We’ll use color and images to decorate your web site, just as we would the interior of your home. Below is a general guideline we’ll use:
• Based on our framework, we’ll design the web site “content”, the headings and text that will speak to your future clients.
• I’ll put the finishing touches on your web site design, such as submitting it to Google, Yahoo and MSN search engines, reviewing the content for keywords, checking the appearance of your web site on multiple browsers, etc. My mission is not only to design a web site that represents you and your business well, but is one that your potential customers can locate easily on the web.
• I’ll not only design your web site, I’ll help you maintain your web site as well, so that your web site content stays current because nothing’s worse than a web site with old outdated information. Typically my clients simply email me with their web site updates and I usually can get them uploaded within a few days.
• One your web site design is complete, we can set up a tracking system so that you can see who’s visiting your web site, where they come from, where they go, and how long they stay using Web-Stat.
• You own all of your web site content, the domain name and the hosting service plan, so if at any time you would like it transferred to another web site designer, that is your right. I have heard of web site designers claiming to own client’s files and refusing to transfer them, so if you choose to have another designer work on your web site, please make sure that you own your own web site files.

If you found this article helpful, please take a moment to share it with your friends, it will be much appreciated. Thanks! Jill