Small Business Web Sites: Can They Really Be DIY

By Alissa Rothstein

It’s hard to take that first step and start a small business. It’s even harder to promote that business with a limited (or nonexistent) marketing budget. What’s the answer to this dilemma? A web site! It’s the perfect vehicle to promote your business to potential customers in your geographical area, as well as the world. But where do you start?

Here is a checklist of some basic elements that need to be in place.

• Internet Connection. You need to have a connection to the internet, high speed (cable, DSL) would be best. Very basic necessity, but definitely merits a mention.

• URL and Hosting Company. The URL is your web site name. Think about this very carefully. A name that is too long or difficult to spell can hinder your promotion efforts and frustrate potential clients. Once you decide on a name, you must check its availability and register it. You can do that at web sites such as www.register.com or www.godaddy.com, or your hosting company may even include register services. A hosting company stores your web site files for viewing on the world wide web. Some even offer other services such as web marketing and email.

• Content. What do you want to say? This is the part where you sit down, roll up your sleeves and write the pages for your site. A little stuck? To better understand what you want from your site, visit other sites that you really like, competitor’s sites, and even sites you don’t like. Think about what you like (and don’t like) about them, and try to incorporate those ideas. Other things to think about:

• What do you want to accomplish with your site?

• Who are your customers (present and future) and what do you think they want to see? When in doubt, ask them.

• What are your short term and long term goals? How can this web site help you meet or exceed your goals?

• Hardware and Software. For hardware, you will obviously need a computer. But you will also may need a digital camera or scanner if you intend to add pictures. For software, you will need a HTML editor (such as Dreamweaver or Microsoft Front Page) and an image editor (such as Photoshop). Do you need to learn how to use them? Many communities offer these classes at local community centers, colleges and independent trade schools. Check your local newspaper or yellow pages.

• Site Map. Now that you have your URL name, learned how to use the software and have your content written, you have to develop a site map. A site map is a basic layout of your website. It contains your pages and a basic plan of where they will link to and from. Try not to skip this step. Take the extra few minutes to plan this out in order to avoid the headache of missing or broken links later.

• Upload and Test. Now that you have completed your site and added your links, its time to upload your site. HTML editors may offer this feature, or you can use separate FTP (that stands for file transfer protocol) software, such as Fetch. The next step is very crucial: test, test, test. See how your site looks in different browsers. What may look fine in Internet Explorer could look like gobbled-gook in Netscape. Make sure that your site is optimized for all browsers. If a customer can’t view your site, then they will leave and go to your competitor. Test all of your pages and links. Fix any that are wrong.

Everything working correctly? Good. What now? Have your friends and family view your site. Ask for their honest opinion. You need to know if something is confusing, doesn’t work or is inappropriate for your business web site. As tough as it may be to take, feedback is an important tool and should be taken seriously.

That’s really all there is to the process of a basic web site. Take your time and learn all you can. Building your web site can be exciting and stressful, but it is also fun to watch it grow into its own entity. Good luck.

About the Author
Alissa Rothstein is a marketing, graphic and web design expert who uses her expertise to effectively help people and small businesses market themselves more strategically by offering complete communication services that include, but are not limited to graphic design, web design, SEO/web marketing and Public Relations.