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Designs by Linda
Linda Basile, webmaster
7212 Oakley Avenue, Hudson, FL 34667
727-863-3279
nutzmomof6@earthlink.net
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If you've never had a website
and have no clue where to begin, let me give you a brief outline:
- Find a webmaster (hopefully me)
who will locate a site host for you
If your site is for
display purposes only, you can use a free hosting service such as
GeoCities, Angelfire, Crosswinds and other. If you plan to sell
something on your website, you will need a business site hosting
arrangement that generally involves a monthly fee. Your webmaster
can guide you to the signup page.
- Get a domain name (if commercial site)
A domain
name means you have a nice, short site address that is easy for
people to remember, and you can choose the name yourself. EX: www.designsbylinda.com. Your
webmaster will give you a web address where you can register your
domain name. The registration fee is usually around $70.00.
- Make a list of all the things you
want on your website
You may want several sections: Your
artwork photos, order forms, class information, show schedules,
biography, resume, a favorite links page. Get out a pad and pen and
write it all down. A seasonal page is good if there is a holiday coming.
- Decide what type of forms you will
need, and how many
If you sell products, you will need an order
form. Classes may need a registration form. Contests and challenges
also need signup forms.
- Get good photos of your work!
I can't emphasize this enough. A
dark, fuzzy, off-color photo is a sorry representation of your work,
and certainly won't leave a good impression of your talents on
people.
- Compose a list of details you want
published with each photo
The name of the work; size,
composition, price, anything relevant. It's nice to have a perky
little blurb to accompany each photo. It adds life and interest.
- Compose the text for your pages on
a word processor
This way you can email the text to the
webmaster, who can then copy it and paste it on the web page without
having to retype it. Save the text as a .txt file. This is the best
format for a webmaster's purposes. If you don't have a word
processor, then just type it all up in an email and send it.
- Decide what kind of payment
arrangements you want to use for your product
Checks and money
orders can be handled with a printable form offered as a web page on
your site and mailed directly to you by the customer. Secure credit
card services are available at a reasonable cost at several web
hosting services. Discuss this option with your webmaster.
- Make sure your webmaster backs up
your website! Sometimes, Heaven forbid, a website vanishes into
thin air for no reason at all, and if the pages were saved to disk
they can be resurrected in an hour. If there was no backup, well....
SPECIFIC TO DESIGNS BY LINDA
- Payment for services
I ask for 50% of the total price in advance as an earnest
deposit, to secure the
contract. This is due after we work out such details as how
many pages, etc. I will build a pilot page for your inspection, and
once you have approved it, you then send the deposit and I, in
return, will devote my utmost attention to your website. [ I
never work on more than one website at once; I totally immerse
myself in the one project at hand, as anyone I have built a site for
will readily attest to.] When I have finished the pages, I will offer them to you
for review. When you are satisfied with the results, you will then
send the payment in full. When I receive the payment in full I will
activate your website and do the search engine submit, if included in your package.
- Site maintenance
This seems to be a vague area with most webmasters, very difficult
to lay out in set terms, and I am still working out the details for
myself. What seems reasonable to me is this: I will, free of charge,
perform minor page alterations and updates, replace photos,
and add any free stuff that came with your site package, if you
didn't decide right away if you wanted that feature or not, such as
a guestbook. There will be a charge for drastic page changes [such a
replacing outdated workshops with newer ones] and adding extra
photos to existing pages or basic site updating that must be done on a weekly or monthly basis.
- Site promotion
Listing your website with the major search engines is all-important.
What good is this wonderful website of yours if no one can find it
or even knows about it? I will submit your website to the top ten
search engines one time only for the fee listed on the price list.
To keep your site listed with these search engines, you need to
resubmit your site once a month. To save yourself some money, you can try to submit your site yourself. However, I have found that these quick-submit services don't always get
you listed. I use
a search engine submission service that charges a small fee but
guarantees a listing.
This covers the major points. If you have
questions, please email, phone or write to me.
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