Website Design and Build Considerations Many people start to build a website by choosing a domain name and web host and then decide on the website design, and in particular, the website building approach. There are many different ways of building a website and there is no single best way. It is also important to note that this doesn't just affect those who opt to build it themselves, it is also important for those who are having their site built for them. Why? Well a web designer who is Good with Dreamweaver will think that all his clients need a hand built site. One who likes Joomla will build them as Content Managements sites.. These may not be the ideal choice for his clients. Building is only the Start It is important to note that a website is probably never finished. So what happens if the site needs changing ? Who is going to do it, and how difficult is it to do. What if it requires extra functionality? Is it possible with the chosen design method, and again how difficult is it to do? Static or Dynamic Sites Static ones are HTML or more commonly Today HTML/CSS. These sites are very easy to build (There are many templates available) and are simply edited using a web page editor, and are supported on all hosts. They lack functionality e.g. How do implement a poll, comments etc. How do you change the navigation on all the web pages? Dynamic Ones use some form of scripting (e.g. PHP,ASP) are very flexible and allow for advanced features. They are however difficult for the novice to understand. Generally small sites (<20) with limited functionality can use static sites. The larger the site (regardless of extra functionality) then dynamic sites are better. So you really need to have an idea of Take for example a restaurant website. The owner elects for a simple 5 page brochure site. With just a Introduction home page a map, directions and contact, the menu and prices. Simple enough a static HTML site... But he finds that he is getting lots of people visiting his site and decides to implement an online booking. He would also like to issue special coupons, and run a monthly prize draw. This is going to require some form of programming. But does his package support it? How easy is it to implement? Who is going to do it? How websites are Built First it is important to understand that all websites are built from a site template. This is the first web page that is created and it is the starting point for all of your web pages. Therefore the first step is to decide on what type of site template you are going to be using. Using a Designer If you pay a web designer for a site you will get a few standard web pages like home, contact, Privacy policy etc, all created using a page template. This template may be one that the web designer has build him/herself from scratch or may be a free or commercial template that they have modified. The same considerations apply when you make your own site. You can design the site template yourself or you can obtain one and modify as necessary. Self Built Templates If you design your own you have far more flexibility but far more work, and you require not only design flair but also the technical knowledge. Even though I have done it several times I wouldn't recommend this approach, as unless you have an eye for design it is very difficult to get a professional looking site. Pre-Built templates There are many sources of high quality professional pre built templates both free and commercial. For a normal small business website then you should easily find a suitable one for free or low cost. The problem with them is that they will require modification and may require software tools to edit properly. Therefore I always recommend that you choose a simple html/CSS template. They are an ideal choice for small websites (1-20) pages that will be fairly static. However if you think that you will be adding new features to the site (like feedback forms, newsletters, comments etc) then you should start thinking of using a content Management type system like: Site build-it or Wordpress Site build-it is a complete hosting package that includes site templates, newsletters, blog etc. It is a favourite of mine because it enables novice webmasters with very little technical knowledge to build a successful professional website. It is however a little more expensive than standard hosting. You can find more information at the site build-it site. But what about Wordpress? Isn't it a blogging platform? Well it is, but a blog is a website, and a website can be a blog (see websites and blogs). Wordpress now has the ability to move the blog from the home page and function more like a traditional website. Wordpress also has many additional plug-ins that expand the capabilities developed by Wordpress enthusiasts and most are free. But most importantly from our standpoint it has many attractive and professional designs (themes) that you can easily change. On the negative side although you don't need to be a web designer you will still need to administer it and make the necessary changes to get it to function correctly. You will need support by your host I use 1and1 Uk for my UK Wordpress sites and the .com site by Blue Host . Recommendations If you are non technical, need first class support, and excellent documentation then Site Build-it is probably the best choice. If you are more technical, want great flexibility and are willing to do some leg work to get the site exactly as you want it then Wordpress is an excellent choice. Using either Pre-build or self made templates is probably the easiest way to start but does require more knowledge as the site expands. Making changes to the site look and feel can be very time consuming unless you have added sophisticated navigational elements using PHP, Server sites includes or similar. However for a small 1-20 page site then is is usually all you need. Related articles and Resources
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Website Design and Build Considerations
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