Last summer I decided finally to create my own website, to broaden
awareness of my advertising-slogan database and related search services
(ADSlogans Unlimited).
Now it's up and running and I'm at last very pleased with it. It's bringing
in business, just like it's supposed to. But it was a bumpy road. Let me
share some learning with you.
Time required
Creating your own website takes time - a month or two from 'go'. That's
elapsed time, not 250 hours of labor. It's for reading manuals, learning
new software, planning, making choices, not being able to move forward
until someone returns a phone call, as well as building it. Keeping it
going and updated takes at least another 5 hours a week.
Planning mandatory
Scheme out as much of your site as you can before you start putting it
together. Every hour of real planning time will save you at least one day
undoing mistakes and rethinking things later.
Money needed
Budget $500-$1000, assuming you already have an Internet-ready computer.
This covers registration fees, reference books, software and rinky dinks
like having to hire a programming maven to polish up an interactive
component you just can't get to work on your own.
How do you want your site to look and feel?
As you surf the web, ask yourself: "Does this site really knock me out? Is
there something I could emulate? Is this the kind of look I want?" If yes,
bookmark it and make a file of preferences. Then you'll have some
benchmarks to work with. But before you begin, ask yourself these
questions:
What is the site's purpose?
Mine was to:
Raise awareness of my work
Provide a reason to call/e-mail clients and prospects
Be a basis for publicity
Open the door to new business
Be easily searched for and FOUND, using obvious key words, by all
the main search engines (AOL, Alta Vista, Hot-Bot, Excite, Lycos, etc)
Provide a mechanism for doing business and ordering my books
Identify and locate allies and competitors
Link to and from allies (adds to credibility)
Enable satisfied customers to show off their knowledge by
introducing their colleagues to my services via the website
Encourage feedback on my work
Encourage frequent return visits to build confidence in what I do
Who are you aiming at?
Defined, known, named clients and prospects?
Categories of people (airline pilots, lawyers, gardeners...)?
The general public?
People who don't have computers and have never used the Internet?
Or who?
Who will be your ISP (Internet Service Provider)?
There's a lot of free stuff around, but bear in mind you get what you pay
for. I'm happy to pay $25 a month to my ISP, because I never get a busy
signal, their live telephone help line is free, and they're in business to
serve business, not force me and my visitors to read a bunch of ads that
don't interest us.
What would you like as your domain name?
My domain is adslogans.co.uk, but adslogans.com had already gone when I
started looking (it's still perenially 'under construction'). You can
reserve an available name in advance if needed by paying a modest fee
(check with your ISP).
Test it with users
I must have changed the website more than 100 times since I launched it.
It's my belief that you have no more than three clicks to engage the
interest of a visitor. And loading times in excess of 30 seconds on an
early visit will send your potential client off in search of faster
pastures. On your first page, only have clicks that move the visitor
forward to where you want them to go. Don't waste their time with
irrelevant choices or meaningless spinning logos (Look, ma! Just like
television must have been when you were a little girl!).
Never miss an opportunity to watch a person going through your site for the
first time (you can even do this on the phone). Note the (to you) wrong
turnings and false starts and ruthlessly deal with them. Don't tell them
where to go when you're testing... find out where they are inclined to go
and figure out what you have to do to get them to take your desired journey
to your intended destination. Refine and retest. Continuously improve.
I hope this has given you a bit of a feel for DIYing your home page. I'm
glad I did it! Check it out at
. Give me some
feedback!
About the Author
Timothy R V Foster < fostair@adslogans.co.uk > created and operates
ADSlogans Unlimited [Hyperlink < http://www.adslogans.co.uk > ], a service
for advertising agencies that checks ad slogans for prior or competitive
use.