 RETURN TO CUSTOMER SUPPORT
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 GETTING STARTED ON YOUR WEBSITE
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Knowing full well that we simply cannot be all things to all people, our targeted customers are those who need a professionally designed
website, a reliable hosting plan, and customer support for maintenance issues - all at an affordable cost. To that end,
Taylor Applications, LLC may or may not be right for you.
When you find an existing website that you think is phenomenal, keep in mind that the price to design it probably was too. We don't design such websites that will run you thousands of dollars. Instead, we invite you to look over our portfolio and see examples of what we can do for you - usually for less than $1 per day. We won't bore you with cusotmer testimonials; just know that the best way to check up on us is to contact any client of ours. You can certainly find other companies who offer better rates than us. But, don't let price be the only factor in choosing your web designer & host. At Taylor Applications, LLC you will not be sold a website template and hosting plan and left to build your website and configure your hosting plan yourself. That's OUR job. It's a responsibility we don't take lightly because creating a website, managing the hosting of a website, maintaining a website, and setting up e-mail and other web applications demand technical and creative skills as well as computer experience. If you feel that we can be of service to you, please give us a call at 609.443.3085 or send us an e-mail at sales@taylorapp.com - We'll be happy to help you determine if we are indeed, right for your company or organization. GETTING STARTED STEP 1: Securing a domain name A domain name is a unique name [e.g. mycompanyname.com] which people use to access your website. Having your own domain name is highly recommended as it helps to raise your organization's profile. You can use it for your website and email (e.g. me@mycompanyname.com), regardless of who your ISP [Internet Service Provider] or website hosting company is, either now or in the future. A domain name can be purchased through countless numbers of companies that offer it. You can purchase the domain name yourself, or we can do this for you. The domain name that you purchase should always be in YOUR NAME. When you purchase a domain name, you will get a user name [a.k.a. user id] and a password from the company you register with. Be sure to keep this information in a secure place as it will be needed later to set up your hosting account. The bottom line about domain names is this: If you want a domain name, the time to get it is NOW [if it is available] even if you don't want a website at this time. If you wait it may not be available at a later time. Domain Name Guidelines are available to you by clicking here If you already have purchased a domain name you can have your website hosted with any hosting company you choose. Sometimes you may not get the results you had hoped from your host and you may want to switch hosts. When switching to a new host, the domain name simply has to be pointed to the new hosting site; it does NOT need to be transfered to the hosting company. The domain name can be pointed to the new host by you or us by logging into your domain name account and inputting the correct DNS [Domain Name Servers] information. A 'propagation' period of 24-72 hours is required before the switch becomes official. STEP 2: Design the Website At Taylor Applications, LLC we know that a website defines you and your small business or organization. That's why we take the time to design a site that you customize. We can build you a website that includes a balance of graphics, text, and color that will help you promote your business or cause. We build your website with three things in mind - Organization, Content, and Appearance. Organization Your site's organization is important because it can make it easier or more difficult for your visitors to find what they're looking for. A common mistake is for people to know what they want the site to do for them, but not for their visitors. Sites like this are useless unless just making yourself happy is enough. If your site is for a company or group, and you need it to actually do something, then you must figure out what you want it to do for both you and your visitors. Once you know what you want your site to accomplish, it's simple to start to create an organization for your site that helps you accomplish that goal. Content Creating effective content which includes text, graphics, and other information for your site requires that you've already figured out the purpose of your site, and perhaps even the organization of your site. To this end, your website should Most people use the web to find information that they can actually use. Unless your site is for entertainment purposes, make sure that your readers will find your information useful. This means useful for them instead of just useful for you. The more specific, the more useful. General overview information is fine, and can be extremely helpful. But when people want to act on the information you provide don't just give them a hint, give them all the information they require in order to act, right then and there. Make sure people know what your site and each page will do for them. Keep it short so that people can see what they'll get from you without scrolling. People will scroll, but only if they think there's something of interest to them on your page. Appearance It doesn't matter how dazzling your Website looks if you don't have good, clear copy that appeals to your readers' basic desires and is easy to read. If your site doesn't have good text, then you don't really have a Web site. Websites are about saying something that's important to you and to your site's visitors. Keep in mind that the way you say something can be as important as what you say. The tone and style of your writing can say as much about you as the topics you cover. Navigation is such an important part of any good Web site that you need to think about it from the start. Your site visitors need to know how to get to the information they're looking for and how to get from one part of your site to another. Navigation should be consistent from page to page, so your visitors don't have to figure out how to get places every time they encounter a new page. STEP 3: Set up the Hosting Account Taylor Applications, LLC is NOT a web hosting company. Rather, we manage your hosting. We handle all the logistics of having and maintaining a website for you. When your website is ready to be launched, we set up your hosting account, upload your files, set up your e-mail accounts, create form mail and much more - all at a very affordable price. As part of your hosting account, the setup of e-mail addresses using your domain name is configured. In addition, if you require e-commerce, your website's shopping cart is configured so that you can sell and accept credit cards online. NEXT STEP [ongoing]: Maintain the website as needed Once your website is up and running, you have the option of hiring us to maintain your site or you will be able to use your Control Panel to update the text of your website. Along with a step-by-step tutorial, we provide you with a User Name and Password to login and make the desired changes. If you have any trouble, we'll be there to walk you through it. For changes to your website other than simple text, it is highly recommended that you allow us to handle it for you. We can add photos, additional web pages, etc. for a nominal fee. |