In terms of web design I think about three things: 1) web domains; 2) hosting; and 3) content.  That’s to say I first focus on which domain is right for my client.  The domain I use for business may not necessarily be the right domain for a client who only wants a blog (or an eCommerce site).  Second, I need to look for a reputable service that fits my client’s tech and budget needs.  Domains and hosting are similar ideas but you need to make sure your hosting provider will be there for you when you need them.  And last but certainly not least is the site’s content.  This is the single most important thing to consider when choosing the right hosting provider.  Are you going to create a forum community, a rich media friendly site, or a bare bones blog to express your ideas to the masses.  OK, now that I’ve shared my point of view with you, lets continue our descent into the world of web hosting providers.

How much are you planning to budget for your site?  Pricing and rates can vary depending on a multitude of factors.  How much bandwidth do you need?  Don’t be lured in by price alone!  Are the hosting company’s servers located in your area or do they reside overseas?  Do you need a dedicated server for heavy eCommerce traffic or will a budget hosting plan with limited bandwidth suffice?  These are questions only you can answer depending on the site you’re looking to create.  When in doubt ask someone in the business for help.  More often than not we’ll happily guide you along in your decision process.

Reliability and speed is the most important thing to consider when narrowing your choices of hosting providers.  You can have the best site in the world, but if your visitors cannot visit your site quickly and easily, then your efforts are in vain.  Most reputable hosting providers guarantee 99% up-time.  This means your site’s server will be up and running all the time.  The better hosting providers maintain higher quality servers in order to facilitate this need.

The next thing to think about is bandwidth and space.  How much bandwidth is your hosting provider selling you at a certain rate.  Bandwidth can be defined as the amount of traffic going to and from the hosting provider’s server.  Think of bandwidth the same why you think about your cell phone minutes.  When someone visits your page the content of your site is sent to their browser.  How much bandwidth you need to allot for depends on how much content you have (a text blog is less content than a site with photos or video).  It’s always better to have a plan where you pay for more bandwidth up front than to get a bill for extra usage at a much higher rate.

How much space do you have on the server?  Think of space like you would your hard drive on your computer.  A smaller drive is fine for some, but if you have lots of digital media, you know that a larger hard drive is a necessity.  The same concept applies to your hosting provider.  Like bandwidth, it’s always better to pay for more space up front than to go over the limit and incur extra fees.

A final thing to consider is support.  Don’t overlook this crucial detail unless you want to be stuck on hold for an hour!  The better hosting providers provide 24/7 support where you can quickly reach a real person by phone or email.  I’ve called my provider on a Saturday evening and gotten the results I needed within 5 minutes.  Another important topic here is backups.  Look for providers who backup your site’s server on a nightly basis.  This way, if the server goes down for some reason, they can restore your site to its most recent state on a new server.  Otherwise, you’re stuck uploading your site to the new server!

Some other key areas for people depending on your needs are scripting languages (e.g. PHP), databases (e.g. mySQL), the server’s OS (e.g. Linux), and the Control Panel available to you.  The amount of control you have over your domain is important if you’re looking to do some development on the site.  These topics go beyond the needs for most casual users so I’ll just mention them in passing for now.

Well, there you have it!  I hope I’ve unravelled the mystery of web domains, hosting, and content.  While a 30-second commercial is much more entertaining to some, choosing the right hosting provider is a serious endeavor that should not be taken lightly.  My best advice to the beginner is to think of it like choosing a cell phone provider.  Do this, ask lots of questions,  and you should be just fine!

OK, now you’ve got your $3.99 in hand and you head over to the provider’s website.  The first thing you do is take a quick glance at the features that your $3.99/month will buy.  Hmmmm.  There are all kinds of limits imposed on a “beginner” plan.  You’re limited on your bandwidth, email accounts, etc.  That means if too many people visit your site it will get shut down for the remainder of the month.  Let’s say you’ve got videos, photos, or files on your site that you’d like others to be able to view or download.  That, my friend, is a big bandwidth sucker!  Reality is starting to set in.

The next obstacle you’re likely to encounter is the fact that no provider actually lets you “pay as you go.”  No sir!  You’ve got to sign up for a one or two-year plan on the spot!  Hang on a ‘sec while I get my calculator.  That $3.99 deal is actually for the two-year plan.  So $3.99 x 24 months = $95.76.  If you only want the site for 12 months the plan is more like $5.99.  So $5.99 x 12 months = $71.88.  Don’t forget to add the cost of registering your domain (www.your-domain-name.com) which is usually $7.99.  Let’s not forget that this is all for the “limited” plan that you’re sure to outgrow if you actually want people to visit your site!

Before you click on the “Purchase” button have you researched this particular provider?  There are plenty of places that offer free reviews on the various providers.  They rank things like service, up-time, support, etc.  These crucial details are important.  It’s the difference between an awesome site and a headache.

Here’s where I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I’ve got an account with a premiere provider that allows me to manage multiple domains (i.e. YOUR DOMAIN) for a group rate.  Know what that means?  That means I can have your domain hosted, and manage it, for about the same cost that you’d have paid to get your own “budget” domain.  Seriously.

Once you’ve navigated your way through all of those obstacles here’s comes the grand behemoth.  You’re presented with a blank slate, a few dime-a-dozen templates, and the reality that’s it’s time to create your site.  I can guarantee you that your image of a site is not what the designer’s of these templates had in mind.  Nope.  More like cookie cutter web design that your average three year-old could have come up with.  Using two crayons.  In the dark.  Yep, that’s more like it.  You are not going to have a glamorous website going this way.  Nope.  Not even close.  That old adage “you get what you pay for” could not be any truer.  At best you’re going to be able to present your static text on a page.  Oooh.  Aaah.  That should hold your visitors attention span for about 0.10 seconds.  Give or take.

To be fair let’s assume that a basic text only website will suffice for 20% of you.  Maybe you don’t need nice graphics, custom logos, or flash animations to captivate your visitors.  That’s great!  More than likely you won’t need the services of a web designer.  Fair enough.

Now we’re going to spin off on a bit of a tangent while we get back to the majority of you.  Odds are good you want to sell a brand, service, or image.  That requires some form of marketing.  From here on out let’s think in terms of brand identity regardless of what it is you’re actually trying to sell.  By brand identity we’re talking about giving your potential visitors (i.e. customers and clients) an image that will stick in their mind.

Take a moment to visualize your pantry, refrigerator, closet, or even bathroom.  There’s sure to be brand images that you identify with throughout your home.  Big bucks are spent to make sure you identify with that a particular product.  In order to separate yourself from the pack you’re going to need to create a brand identity.  It’s this identity that will stick in the minds of your visitors long after they’ve left the site.

You’d be surprised how inexpensive it is to have someone design a logo for your company.  I personally can create a logo in an hour or two.  So we’re talking $25-50 to have a logo that people associate with your brand identity.  That’s not a lot of money in the grand scheme of your internet marketing plan and it’s something you should definitely consider.  Having a consistent image in print (e.g. letterheads, business cards) and digital media (e.g. email signatures, your website) will help present you in a professional manner.

Want to know something?  If you were a potential client the first thing I’d ask you is what your image is.  That is the most important thing to understand when creating your site.  I need to know what it is that you want to convey to the masses.  Since we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel we’re using tried and true, proven strategies to effectively market your image.  Then, after you’ve painted me a clear picture of your image, we’ll start talking about content.  Content is the most important thing to consider when designing a website.  In its simplest terms your site is nothing more than content you present.  So we need to figure out what it is that you want to put on your site.  Whether we’re talking about videos, photos, lesson plans, recital photos, community calendars, or forums, your site revolves around your content.

Then, after I leave from our initial consultation, I should have a clear idea of your image and the content you want to share with your visitors.  The next thing I’d do is design a site mockup for your review.  Again, if we’ve covered the basics this part should be fairly straightforward.  I come up with some ideas and present you with a fully interactive mockup.  You get to offer changes, ideas and suggestions until we’ve created a site that you’re happy with.  So far we’ve spent a few hours together.  Your total bill…….. $0.

That’s the way it should be done.  No bait and switch.  And no hanging you out to dry.