Designed by Krista
Web Design

A search engine, on the internet, is just a computer program that retrieves web pages based on keywords typed in by the user. The most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. The hot topic today is “Search Engine Optimization,” in which you try to structure your website to be the first web page in the list of results, so that more people will click on your website.

Key Point: Search Engine Optimization is vital, and there are many ways to improve your rankings.

1. How to create a free website
2. Adding content to your website
3. Making your website user-friendly
4. What is a search engine?

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Popularity: 100% [?]

Part 2 of 4: In the first article, I covered how to find a place for your pages (web-hosting) and get them set up. Now, let’s talk about the “content” – anything you publish on your site is called “content”, including images, videos, text, etc. So, what should you put on your website and how?

Key Points: Keep it short. Keep it real.

1. How to create a free website
2. Adding content to your website
3. Making your website user-friendly
4. What is a search engine?

(more…)

Popularity: 22% [?]

Part 1 of 4: The first question you might ask me is, “Why would you tell people how to make your own website? Isn’t that your business?” Good question! I got into web design because I want to perpetuate good websites, usually by doing quality web design and development.

However, there are times when you don’t want to hire a web designer – your business may be just starting out and you need to invest in other things, or maybe you are a non-profit and need to have zero overhead, or maybe this site is just for fun. I can get you started with some recommendations, and you can always let me know if you want to ‘take it to the next level’ and have a professionally designed site. Shall we begin?

Key Points: Don’t recreate the wheel – use a social media site if you can. If you can’t, paid hosting is affordable and beneficial.

1. How to create a free website
2. Adding content to your website
3. Making your website user-friendly
4. What is a search engine?

(more…)

Popularity: 31% [?]

How do you know when it’s “time” to get a website? Is it really worth it? Your return on investment (ROI) for a website will vary based on how well the site is constructed, how competitive your industry is within the online community, and how much profit you gain from a single customer.

Ultimately, the decision regarding if and when to get a website is a decision that each business has to make individually. There is no hard and fast rule, such as “every business should get a website if they are 10 years old” or “every business should get a website if they are this size.”

Some businesses do not need a website. For example, if you already have as many customers as you can handle and you do not want to grow your business to accommodate more, you would not want to have a website. Alternately, you may be certain that your potential customers won’t use the internet to find you. For example, no one will use the web to find a “7-11” – convenience store traffic is always based on customers driving by the store.

On the other extreme, there are some businesses who require a website, such as when their product or service is only sold online.
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Popularity: 59% [?]