This is one of the most common questions I hear – and one of the most basic when planning a site. With all the choices out there today, it can be intimidating. It can feel like staring at a blank canvas and not knowing where to start.

The short answer is that what’s right for you is what you like.

Of course there are some practical guidelines, but above all else, a website is a marketing tool – and it should represent you (or your company).

Here are some tips and guidelines to help you make the decisions that will make your website do its job effectively.

Starting Design

Places to start looking for ideas and elements:

A website, as one of your marketing materials, should coordinate with the others. (Not match, necessarily, but they should have the same look and feel so that viewers recognize them as your “brand.”)
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If you’ve been around the Web much lately, you’ve probably at least heard of WordPress. It’s been around since 2005 – quite a while in internet time – and is (to the best of my knowledge) the most widely used software for bloggers.

WordPress (yes, the ‘P’ is supposed to be capitalized) is what is called “open source” software. This means that the software is not encrypted, is available for free, and anyone is welcome to add to it, modify it, and use it for whatever they wish. It was originally written to help people easily create and update online diaries or journals – called web logs. (Which were then shortened to ‘blogs’.)

If you can remember a password and fill out a form, you can create a blog using WordPress. Seriously. No investment in dollars or learning a programming language. To try for yourself, simply head over to www.wordpress.com and set up a (free) account. Within a few minutes, you will have your own little place to say whatever is on your mind.

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Talk about choices! When you’re looking for a place to host your website, you have more options than you have time to consider! (For the basics on what is a host, see What Exactly IS a Website.)

So, where to start, and how to decide? Do your research, and ask lots of questions – it’s an important decision.

Number One is RELIABILITY! If you consider a hosting company you’ve never heard of before, do a little research. Most reputable hosting companies will guarantee 99+% up-time. (This means that their servers – and your website – will be available when people look for it.) No one can guarantee 100% – because sometimes things just happen, especially with computers. So look for the “up-time guarantee.”

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How important is your domain name?

If you want people to be able to find your website, it’s VERY important.

And the guidelines for a good domain name are pretty straightforward. It should be easy to spell, easy to say, and end with .com. And, of course, it should be relevant to what your website will offer.

So, the first thing to do when thinking about a domain name is to make a list of names you like. Your name or the name of your business are good starting places. This creative thinking process is similar to the one you use when you are deciding on a name for a business – in fact, it might be the same one! More . . .

You know what they look like, some of the things they can do and can find lots of them.

Beyond that, though, the whole Internet thing is a big unknown. And you can’t imagine finding the time (or maybe even the motivation) to learn all that techie stuff!

Good news – here’s a quick, simple, non-techie overview of what makes up a website.

There are three things you need in order to have a website: a Domain Name, a Host, and the Website itself.
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In this day and time, that may sound like a trick question. We’ve all pretty much accepted that “everyone needs a website.” But why?

Or, more specifically, What’s the Purpose of Your Website? Just like any other marketing activity, your website should have a clearly defined purpose. And, it’s not the same for everyone!
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