Tips to Help you in the Site Building Process            

Tips on choosing the web address (URL) for your website: Choosing the web address of your website is an important step. Your web address can mean the difference between a successful website and one that gets little traffic.

~ When selecting your domain name, you can either choose a "brandable" name or use a name with keywords. A "brandable" name is usually your company name. An example of a "brandable" URL is dell.com. You know what this site is about because the name "Dell" has been branded and now the public has a general knowledge of the name. The advantage to this approach is that your url will match your website name, will match your company name. This means that people will remember the name and use it when looking for you on the web. If you choose to use the keyword approach, you would choose a name that gives the user some indication of what your site is about. For instance, the name freecoupons.com suggests that the user will find free coupons if they go to that site. The advantage to using the keyword approach is that if your company and/or site name are not branded, users can find you by searching for the type of site they want to visit.

~ Your web address should be as short as possible without being obscure. Meaning, don't choose a short name like twldn.com if you are trying to shorten it from TheWorldsLongestDomainName.com. People will be more likely to remember the longer version than the obscure initails of the first example. By the same token, I wouldn't name my domain name a.com unless your company name is "A" because people won't remember it unless they connect it to something.

~ It should be easy to remember and easy to type.

~ Try to avoid using dashes or other symbols.

~ Try to use .com or .net as more people are familiar with those extensions.

~ When looking to see if the name you want is available, do not type the name in the address bar of your browser. If the site doesn't exist this way, it could just mean that someone owns the name but has not set up their website yet or only bought it with intentions of reselling it. Instead, go to whois.net and check your name there. This will let you know if the name is available.

~ I don't usually suggest purchasing a domain name when it is already owned. However, if you are really set on the name, you can write to the owner of the site to see if they are willing to sell it. Be prepared for a much higher price though because they have been waiting for you!

Tips for writing your site's text: When you fill out the website planning worksheet, I also suggest you start writing text for each page of your site.  This text is only a rough draft and I will be editing it to make it both user friendly and search-engine friendly so don’t sweat over making it perfect.  I need you to start the process because you know your company, service, product, idea better than anyone. When writing your text keep these tips in mind:

~ Don’t make your text sound like an ad. 

~ Address your users as “you” to make it a more personal experience. 

~ Keep it simple without a lot of jargon. You want the user to feel comfortable and included. 

~ Write like you’re talking face to face to a friend.