06 January 2009Community and volunteer groups can set up free websites through the following links:
Having a web presence, or website, is a cost effective way to reach not only Sevenoaks District residents, but also millions of people world wide.
The following page may help you consider some of the issues you need to think about and some practical tips and advice for setting up a simple website.
Set your objectives
The starting point for all websites is to set clear objectives. You may need to consider:
Register your domain name
The domain name is your web address or (also known as the URL). Try to register a name that describes your organisation or service. A good name will be easily remembered and descriptive. It could also be the same as your organisation name, if it is available. You can check if a name is available quickly and easily online by using a domain management complany. (You can find them on the Internet by using a search engine).
It is reasonably inexpensive to register a name and many hosting companies will include this service for you as part of your hosting package.
Prepare the content
The content - the information on the site, should be carefully considered.
Website users don't read web pages - they scan them. Keep your content simple - tell users what they want to know quickly and concisely, using headlines, bullet points, tables, and links to other site. Most importantly, write in plain English and avoid jargon. The Plain English Campaign has excellent guidelines for writing and for web design generally. For more information visit its website www.plainenglish.co.uk.
If you are not responsible for information, do not put it on your site, but include a link to the relevant site. And do not put the same information on your site twice or more as this can result on inconsistencies, link to it from within your site.
Regularly review your the site for information that could quickly date or become inaccurate.
Website design
Getting the design of your website right is crucial to its success. A poorly designed site is likely to cause people to switch off and look elsewhere and create a negative impression.
Consider the following points:
Hyperlinks should be clearly identifiable and your site should also reflect your organisation's branding by using its colours and typefaces.
Build the site
The cost of building a website varies enormously.
Most Internet Service Providers may allow you to develop a basic site on site as well as well as offering free or cheap hosting.
Basic websites can be built in standard software packages such as Microsoft Front Page. Other packages such as Director, Flash and Shockwave are professional design tools that add increased multimedia features such as sound, video and animation.
You can also hire a contractor to build you a site.
Hosting the site
In order for your website to be available, it needs to be 'hosted' on a computer that's permanently connected to the internet.
There are many web server hosting options, and the best choice for you will depend on what kind of website you want to have, and how much you are prepared to pay for hosting.
If you are planning a relatively simple website, you could use what's known as a 'virtual host'. What that means is that your website will run on a computer belonging to a hosting company. The computer will be shared with many other websites. This type of hosting is cheap and easy to arrange. Most Internet Service Providers will offer the service at little or no extra charge: it is usually advertised as 'free web space'.
If your website is more complex you will probably need a specialist web hosting solution.
You could also buy a dedicated computer and web server and host your own website. This option is usually only taken by large organisations with considerable technical skills and expertise.
Test your site
Before your site goes live, test it for speed and ease of use and that the links work. It may also be worth getting a third party to check your content for clarity.
Tell people about it
Never miss an opportunity to promote your site. Make sure your web address appears on all your correspondence and other printed material, such as:
You can also maximise awareness of your website by:
Don't forget customer service
You will also need to consider how you will deal with requests for information. If you have a website, you must be prepared to respond to contacts via e-mail.
For more information, contact Daniel Whitmarsh.
Call 01732 227414
e-mail communications@sevenoaks.gov.uk
