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We provided this list of steps for you to think about and to prepare with so that when the time comes to start working on
YOUR project, you will be ready for the many questions to come! The better prepared you are the quicker the job will be.
Website Projects - Step 1: Choosing Your Domain Name & Hosting - Before anything, think of what domain name(s) you want, or what would work, for your website. Go to any Domain Name Registar and check to see if your name is available. It is your choice to purchase and reserve your domain name now, or you may wait until your website is complete but you risk losing the name of your choice. Hosting can wait until the completion of your website, but you might want to purchase both at the same time to recieve special discounts. Creatifex recommends purchasing from GoDaddy.com. They offer very affordable packages that come with plenty of space and features for the average website project. As we mentioned above, most of the time when you purchase a hosting account from GoDaddy, they will give you the option of purchasing a domain name with 1-Yr. FREE! Step 2: Design Ideas & Direction - This is where the fun part begins! Think about your business or what your website will be used for, and try to get an idea of what feel and direction you want your website to be. Colors, styles, images, logos all change the look and feel of the website. Write down any ideas you have, and be sure to get any images or photographs ready to use for the design if you want to include them. Don't worry about how many times your design changes, we'll keep experimenting until we get it right! Designing can take anywhere from 1-3 days or up to a week. It all depends on how much imput you put into the design, if you have a good idea of what you want, and how well you are able to communicate your ideas. Having trouble?..Try visiting other websites in the same field or interest of yours to get ideas and inspiration. ( No, we won't copy a design 100%..but we can give you the feel of it. ) Step 3: Implement A Logo - If you plan on using your own logo, please email it to Creatifex A.S.A.P, so that we can start touching up the image and get it ready to be used in the design. If you do not have a logo, Creatifex can create one in addition to the website. Again, write down any ideas in color, shape, style, images used for your logo. Step 4: Content - Think about and decide what pages you will need for your website. ( "About Us", "Products", "Photos", "Portfolio", etc..) Then gather the information needed to fill your pages! This includes: photos, slogans, brochure material, product pictures with information, and more. The sooner you have your material together, the sooner your website will be completed. Are you interested in selling merchandise online? If so you will need a shopping cart. We mainly use PayPal.com's shopping carts, unless you purchase your own eCommerce system. Be sure to have your product information ready for when we will need to start adding it to the website. This can be the most tedious, but most important part. The information, such as prices, sizes and colors available, are important to your business and your customers. So the information needs to be correct. Creatifex recommends using a good labeling system while getting your products and information together. Make a folder for each product catagory ("Hats", "Women's Shirts", "Men's Shirts").. Then use the product number of your products as the image name of their photos. ( Image name - "Hats_001.jpg", "WomenShirts_024.jpg") This will make it easier for Creatifex to idenify your products and to build their pages with the correct information. |