Introduction to Setting Up a Website: Basics
for Small Businesses & Communities
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Website Basics
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Agenda
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• Introduction
– What is a website?
– A little history…
– Why are websites needed?
• Website Basics
– What to include in your website
– Domain name
– Web hosts
• Options to proceed
– Design-it-yourself options
• Microsoft Word
• Free sites
• Dreamweaver / Front Page
– Outsourcing options
What is a Website?
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• A collection of web pages, images,
videos, or other digital material
– Web page: written in html (hypertext
markup language)
• Usually accessible over the Internet
• (Hopefully you already know, or this whole
Centra thing would be really challenging!)
A Little History…
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• WWW started in 1989 as a way of
transferring documents
• Graphical web browser developed in 1993
(funding came from Al Gore’s program)
• Dial-up servers begin to provide access in
1994 (AOL, Prodigy)
• 1997: 1 million websites
• 2006: 100 million websites
Source: Netcraft Web Server Survey
Why Are Websites Needed?
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• Lots of Reasons! For Businesses:
– Reach new customers
– Leverage “bricks” with “clicks”
– Sense of Legitimacy
• “What’s your website?”
– Make / save money
– Keeping up / staying ahead of the
competition
– Provide a community for your customers
Why Are Websites Needed?
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• For Communities:
– Allow potential residents / businesses to
find out more about you
– Promote local tourist attractions
– Contact information for public works /
city council / other departments
– Post job opportunities
– Give residents a source of pride
• Local pictures
Some Examples
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7 Agritourism
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• www.thetatankaranch.com
• Stroud, OK
• 1,000 acres with fishing,
kayaking, horseback rides
• Scenic pictures
• List of activities
• Reservation rates
Some Examples
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8 Services
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• www.jdapublishing.com
• Claremore, OK
• Professional website
design
• Marketing assistance
• Search engine
optimization
Some Examples
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9 Retail
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• www.allcleansupplyonline.com
• Blanchard, OK
• Janitorial supply
• Online sales leveraged
with brick & mortar
store
• Targets larger metro
market
Some Examples
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10 Community Sites
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• www.cityofaltus.org
• Altus, OK
• Rotating Images on
Front Page
• Reasons to relocate
• Departmental contact
information
Website Basics
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What do you need to start a website?
1) An idea of what you want to include
on the site
2) A domain name
3) A web host
The KEY INGREDIENT:
Someone who knows how to pull
all of these together!
What to Include in Your Website
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•
Depends on the purpose of your site
– Information only?
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•
•
Communities – info on city council,
economic development, schools, library…
Businesses – background information,
current projects
– Selling a few items?
– Selling / shipping LOTS of items?
•
Understand your audience and what
they want to see
What to Include in Your Website
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•
CONTACT INFORMATION
– Phone Number, address, email
– Nothing draws the ire of customers like
not being able to find that information!
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•
•
Background information (“about us”)
Product information
•
Pictures!
What to Include in Your Website
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•
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•
•
Check out other sites on similar
topics
What do they have that you like?
What can you offer that they don’t?
– Specials / coupons / testimonials
What is a Domain Name?
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15 • A DOMAIN NAME gets you the
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“www.mybusiness.com” name
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• Is this important? YES!
• Put some thought into what
domain name you want
• Most domain name
providers will tell you which
names are / aren’t available
What is a Domain Name?
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16 • Using FREE web page creators like
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www.geocities.com or www.pages.google.com
will NOT give distinct “www.mybusiness.com”
names
• Instead, your page will be located at
www.geocities.com/mybusiness or
www.pages.google.com/mybusiness
• Doesn’t sound quite as nice!
• To get a www.mybusiness.com name, you will
have to buy a domain name
• Can also use .net, .org, .biz
What is a Web Host?
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17 • A WEB HOST gets you the storage
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space to put up your website
• Most sources today offer BOTH
domain names and web hosting:
– www.godaddy.com
– www.register.com
– www.networksolutions.com
How Do I Get a Domain Name
/ Web Host?
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18 • There are LOTS of resources online
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that offer these services – search
around!
• Check out their ratings:
– www.webhostingratings.com (over 200
to choose from)
– Compare cost, data storage, visit some
of their sites
• Most sources today offer BOTH – buy
at one time
Typical Costs
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19 • Domain Name Registration
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– www.networksolutions.com: $35 / year
– www.godaddy.com: $10 / year
– www.bulkregister.com: $10 / year
• These companies all offer basically the
same thing - with very little difference in
service.
• It’s easiest to get a domain name and web
host from the same company
Typical Costs
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20 • Web Hosting
– Offer different levels of services (Basic,
Deluxe, Premium) based on storage
size and data transfer
– Typically you can pay by the month
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Network Solutions
GoDaddy
BulkRegister
Yearly Cost
Basic
Deluxe Premium
$120
$160
$348
$45
$75
$162
$72
$120
$288
– Service you receive will differ – who do
you call if your site goes down?
So, How Do I Build a Website?
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• Microsoft Word
• Free sites
– www.geocities.com
– www.pages.google.com
• Dedicated Software
– Frontpage
– Dreamweaver
• Outsource!
Build It Yourself With Microsoft Word!
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22 • Can be done in simple programs like Microsoft Word
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– Put in text, pictures, etc.
– File -> Save as-> Web page (Word basically converts to html)
– Save several pages and link them together
Build It Yourself With Microsoft Word!
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23 • Make sure you save your “Home” page as “index.htm”
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– This ensures that this page opens when someone browses to
your site
Build It Yourself With Microsoft Word!
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• Make a few pages (Home, Background, Products) and save
as web pages
• Link them together
– Highlight words
– Insert: Hyperlink
– Can also link to other webpages
Build It Yourself With Microsoft Word!
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25 • Keep all files used (pictures, pages, any
logos) in the SAME FOLDER
• This will save a lot of time when you
“upload” your files to the Internet
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Build It Yourself With Microsoft Word!
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26 • STILL REQUIRES purchasing a domain
name and web space in order to upload
• Uploading instructions will be sent by Web
host
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– Typically involve logging onto your account and
selecting which files are involved
– Most sites use FTP: File Transfer Protocol
• Similar to Windows Explorer: Click & Drag which files
you want to upload
Build It Yourself With Microsoft Word!
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27 • Uploading Files Example:
– File Transfer Protocol as part of GoDaddy.com
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FREE Sites
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28 • Can also be done online - free sites like
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www.geocities.com
www.pages.google.com
www.bravenet.com
FREE Sites
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29 • Free sites offer step-by-step instructions,
and use general templates for their design
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Pros and Cons
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30 Microsoft Word
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• Pros
Free Sites
• Pros
– Most people have general
knowledge
– Simple to use / create
• Cons
– They’re FREE!
– Allow for experimentation
with different layouts, fonts,
etc.
• Cons
– Lacks sophisticated
techniques other software
allows
– Still requires domain name
/ web host purchase
– Limited choices
– Most serious businesses
will want a dedicated
“.com” or “.org” name
Dedicated Software Packages
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31 • Most professional websites will be built with
“fancier” software packages:
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– Microsoft Frontpage (~$150)
– Adobe Dreamweaver (~$420)
• These give much more control to the designer and
allow for more complex designs / features
Dedicated Software Packages
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• Frontpage is being phased out – Microsoft now offering
“SharePoint Designer”
• Dreamweaver seems to be what most professionals use
– Uses split screens to show how your text turns into HTML code
• Full, semester-long classes on Dreamweaver are offered
• Check your local technology center!
Outsourcing
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• Most people are NOT website designers
• Putting together a website that reflects highly on your
business requires a significant amount of time and money
• Lots of businesses pay others to design websites for them
– Can look at several different layouts / styles
– Review the website before it goes “live”
– They are probably more artistic than you!
• Costs
– Can be all over the place!
– Some ballpark estimates: $300 for a home page, $100 for each
additional page
Outsourcing
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34 • Who are you hiring?
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– Evaluate sites they’ve worked on
– Speak to clients and see how they were to work with
– Is it worth it to hire your nephew, cousin, etc.? They can
probably do the job fairly cheaply, but will they be around
when you need to update the site TODAY?
• A good web developer can save you time and
money – and headaches!
SUMMARY
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35 • 3 things you need to have a working website:
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– Basic layout of a site (at least 2-3 different pages)
– Domain Name
– Web Host
• Design options
–
–
–
–
Microsoft Word
Online Do-it-yourself’ers: geocities, google pages
Dedicated Software: Dreamweaver, Frontpage
Pay someone else to do it
SUMMARY
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36 • What you should be able to tell people who
ask about websites (I hope!):
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– What they need to get started (an idea, a domain
name, and a web host)
• Get their plan nailed down BEFORE buying a domain
name
– Typical costs they will encounter
– Options for proceeding
• Pros and cons of each
– List of resources: free pages, web hosts,
examples
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Any Questions?
Additional Training
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• E-commerce Workshops
• 3 Topics (~1.5 hours each)
– Introduction to e-commerce
– Planning your website
– Marketing your website
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Coming to Southeastern OK in early 2008
Feb 13 – Idabel
Feb 21 – Ada
Mar 5 – Antlers
Mar 11 – Seminole
Mar 25 - Ardmore
May 21 – Sulphur
Contact Information
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Department of Agricultural Economics
Rural Development
504 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078
http://agecon.okstate.edu/broadband/
Brian Whitacre
brian.whitacre@okstate.edu
(405) 744-9825