Building a website is like opening a new store location, it takes a lot of planing, a lot of work & is very rewarding when you do it right.  We are going to cover some of the basics of pre-planning your site.  This way when you contact your web developer, whether us or someone else, you already know what you want & have a good idea how you want it displayed.  Lets get right into it.

Domain Names, what are they & how to pick one

A domain name is your www.your_company_name.ca, picking it can be trickier then it sounds. It's hard to pick a name that is not already taken, over 90% of the English spoken words are already a domain name in one form or another.

• DON'T use unusual spelling of words.  Most users are going to spell website addresses the proper way.
• Pick a name that is catchy, easy to remember, and short.
• Pick a common top level domain (.com .ca .org .net in order of preference)
• Using the domain name search at www.godaddy.com (One of the largest domain registrars) will help you in picking names for your new site.
• Try to pick out 3 or 4 different options.

We will be happy to go through these domain names with you and weigh out the pro's and con's of using them to come up with the name that works best for your company.

Web hosts and what to look for

There is a huge number of web hosts out there, all eager to take your money.  Spending the time to find the right one will save you many headaches in the long run.  Looking at their technical specs, most people will find this information rather confusing.  This is what your looking for:

• Redundant power supplies
• Redundant internet connections
• 24/7 technical staff

Look for good customer reviews, not on their site.  There are many sites out there that rate hosting providers, look up what real people have to say about this host.  We have had good experience with Host Gator and godaddy.  But beware, godaddy will try to sell you everything under the sun.

Your hosting account should include:

• Multiple databases
• Ample data space (1 gigabyte or more)
• Ample bandwidth (300 gigabytes or more)
• Included e-mail addresses
• Linux Servers

Again once you have made your pick, feel free to review it with us, and we will be happy to go over the pro's and con's with you.

Online payment processors

If you plan on selling items online you will need a payment processor.  These are secure outlets that will allow your clients to buy items from your website safely.  There are really only two that we would suggest using:

• Paypal
  
• 2Checkout

Either of these options will work well for selling one or thousands of items online.  Review both their terms and find the one that best suits you and your company.

Selling items Online & Carting software

Selling items online is a hard business to get into.  Yes almost all carting software (Software that manages products and payment processing) include software to import your product list from spreadsheets.  However I may be able to import thousands of items names and prices from a document, the time consuming part is adding images and product descriptions to all those thousands of items.  You will likely find that it is more effective to select your top selling items and showcase them on your website, than it will be to spend weeks inputting product images and descriptions.

The goal of any website is to highlight the products & services that you offer, and entice your potential clients into visiting you in person.  Unless your business is exclusively online.

There are many carting software systems on the market, some are free others require payment.  Our top carting software options are:

• osCommerce
• xcart
• VirtueMart

Search Engine Rankings

Some developers and companies will try to tell you that they can get you to the top of the search engines within weeks.  Most of these are scams, not all but many of them.  There is a lot involved in getting to the top of the search engine ranks.  Silvergateway will design your site in such a way that you will do very well.  But it takes time to make it to the top, and a lot of tweaking that we will not get into here.

Most clients that come to your site have already heard about your company, either by word of mouth or some other form of advertising.  Your goal should be to focus on these potential clients by providing them a website that is as well thought out as your physical storefront.  Making sure that the products that you're offering are easily distinguishable from the main page.  That its easy to navigate your site, and find the important information about what you offer and how to get more details.  Think of it as an virtual doorstep, you want your clients to feel as welcome and comfortable on your virtual doorstep as they do face to face with you.

Ad's and banners on your site

It's very easy to setup an Adsense account with Google, and its highly recommended.  Its an easy way of making a little extra cash from your site.  The most important thing to remember is that you don't want these ads, or any other type of ads, to be intrusive to your clients.  The odd banner here and there is great but you don't want your company site to be a walking billboard for other people's products.  Keep it to a minimum, off to the side and non-intrusive.

Having a links page on your site that you can add companies to that you are affiliated with, or are involved in banner sharing with is a great option, and is highly recommended.  This is a great free way of advertising online and is non-intrusive to your clients.  Just make sure that the companies that your linking to return the favor.

All the little extras

The web applications that we build at Silvergateway have the ability to expand exponentially.  We can setup user accounts for staff members that have access to sections that help them do their job.  User accounts for clients that buy products and services from you, so they can check on their account details and make changes, allowing them access to different areas of the site that others would not see.

Photo galleries that are administered by you (product photos or job showcases) or even user photo galleries that allow users to share in a more community type setting.

RSS feeds that bring in news from external news services that can give an extra dimension to your site.  RSS feeds are a great way of keeping fresh content on your site without writing them all yourself.

Forums are one way of dealing with customer service, and adding more of a community type of feel to your site. The downside with online forums like phpBB and others, is that any user that has permission to post can put up anything they want.  Forums that get ignored often find themselves the victim of ad spammers that will use your site as a launching point for a new ad campaign.  Don't get me wrong, I personally love forums and we use them on Silvergateway, but they are an item you need to keep an eye on if you choose to go that route.

Another route of dealing with customer service is using software such as osTicket. This type of system works great for companies that need to keep a degree of privacy with their clients.  And provides a great way of company to client communication.  A client will submit an issue (A ticket) that will be sent to your support staff.  Your support staff will be emailed directly and be able to respond via the website to your clients.

Designing your website

Like I have stated above, building your site is like setting up your store front.  A lot of work will go into it, and it will change as the times do.  Spending some time thinking about how this should be presented to your clients will only work to serve them better.  Here are a few closing points to consider.

• The look and design of your website should match that of your company as a whole.
• Having your products and services available to us from the outset will save us time and you money in developing.
• Spend some time looking at websites you like, your competitors sites, and sites you can't stand.
  • Having a general list of design elements you would like incorporated into your new site will help us create a site you and your clients will be ecstatic with.
• Be ready to have some fun with your new site.  There are many options available to you with a site from Silvergateway, and we will be sure to cover them with you in the design process.  You can be confident that you're in good hands, and this will be an exciting experience for you.