Step One

Selecting and Registering a Domain Name

Domain names are disappearing rapidly which is making it increasingly difficult to register that one "perfect" domain for your company. But don't be disheartened, there are many names still available. Although there are several selection principles to keep in mind, none of them is a sure bet. Your best choice may violate some of the guidelines below. Remember, these are guidelines, not hard and fast rules.

Guidelines for Selecting a Domain Name:

Emphasize Content - Consider selecting a name that reflects the content on your site instead of your company name. People are more likely to visit a site called scentedcandles.com before they visit connorswaxshop.com.
Contains Keywords - Using keywords will not only allow visitors to instantly identify the content on your site, but will increase your ranking with the search engines. Try to use two or three primary keywords. Make them specific and descriptive. For example, designercoffeemugs.com would be a better choice than wesellmugs.com.
Shorter Is Better - Although a domain name can be up to 63 characters long (not including the extension), strive for 20 characters or less. The less your customers have to type and remember, the better. Would you remember moyerscustomuphostryrodsanddraperies.com?
Avoid Hyphens (-) & Numbers - People may forget to type in the hyphen and numbers are confusing. Is that a 4, FOUR or FOR?
Easy To Spell & Pronounce - Consider all the ways people will be finding your site: advertisements, search engines, printed marketing materials and word-of-mouth. Imagine telling someone your domain name over the phone. Would they have any doubts on how to spell it correctly?

Selecting A Domain Extension

.com - Best choice for business / commercial sites.
.net - Originally designated for Internet service providers, this is a good second choice to .com.
.org - For non-profits.
.info / .biz / .cc / .tv / .us - No standard use has developed.

Brainstorming Ideas

Write down all the domain names you can think of that might be good for your web site. This is a brainstorming exercise so don't dismiss any possibility. Just write them down as they pop into your head. (If you need inspiration, you might try these name generating sites: nameboy.com and domainfellow.com). When you feel you've exhausted all the possibilities, narrow your list down to 2-3 good choices. Then ask family, friends and business associates which one they're most attracted to.

Something to consider

If you're really battling over two or three great names, you can register all of them. Your website address is actually a bunch of numbers called an IP address (This is Parafruit, Inc.'s actual web address: http://65.108.103.61). Since numbers are difficult for people to remember, the Internet gurus decided to link the numbered IP address to words (domain name). Consequently, you can have an unlimited number of names all pointing to the same IP address. Of course you'll have to pick only one of those domain names to put on your marketing materials but the added benefit of having multiple avenues of traffic can make it worth while.

Register Your Domain

Parafruit, Inc. will work with you on selecting a good domain name. We'll also handle the registration or transfer, management of organizational, administrative, billing, and technical contacts and your primary and secondary name server information.

Planning Your Web Site

Planning your website's structure and navigation to meet your purpose and goals is one the most important steps in creating a successful online business. If done with vision and foresight, it will save you considerable time and money down the road. We will work together to answer such questions as...

What's the purpose and goals for your website?
What's the scope of the project?
Who's your online target audience?
Who's your online competition?
How will the site be structured and how many pages do you anticipated?
What kind of first impression do you want your internet visitors to have?
Who will provide the photos and text and is it in digital format?
Will you need any special interactive features?
(e-commerce, newsletter, forms, membership, etc.)
Will you need a corporate identity and logo designed?
What are your deadlines?
What are your maintenance needs (how often do you plan on updating your site's content)?

The answers to these questions will be our guide throughout the website design and construction process. After the scope of the project is determined, I will then be able to provide you with a more accurate quote for implementing your plan.
Once we have a sound marketing plan, the next step is the design or redesign of your website .

Custom Design Template

Once I understand your design parameters, I will then create a custom template or shell design of your home page. This initial design mock-up will be posted online for you to review. We'll discuss likes, dislikes, possible changes, additions, and modifications to the initial design. It's important at this stage to get the design exactly as you want it because it will serve as the style template for the remainder of the site.
Once the design template meets your approval, it's time to move on to the construction phase of the project.

Designing or Redesigning Your Web Site

In the web design stage the goal is to create a visual representation using web graphics, color, style, web page layouts, and all the thoughts and ideas we established in the planning stage. The questions below will help me know your design preferences.

Do you already have a certain image in print that you want to maintain online to create consistency? If not, will you be needing a corporate identity and logo designed?
What type of first impression do you want to make on your visitors?
What "feel and style" best suits your business? Hard-edged? Retail? Open-warm? High-tech? Clean?
Do you have a preference so far as colors?

A good way to convey what style you want, is to provide the web addresses or URLs of other websites you like. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. What websites do you find attractive? Are there any you would like to visually emulate? Of course these websites won't be copied, but are a great source for me to see the styles that appeal to you most.

Custom Design Template

The first pages to be constructed after the home page are your top-tiered link pages. As each page is completed, I'll be posting them online for you to review to assure we're continually heading in the direction you envisioned. This is also the step where we'll incorporate any functionality you might have on your site such as links and scripting functions such as mouse-over's, animation, newsletter subscription, forms, etc.

I consider the site temporary until you have given your final stamp of approval. Before "officially" launching the site, I will do a thorough testing of your links, spelling, browser compatibility, and load times.

If we haven't already established where you will be hosting your pages, we will need to find your site a home on the web.

Constructing Your Web Site

The construction phase encompasses the merging of your copy and image content with the approved design template.
The first pages to be constructed after the home page are your top-tiered link pages. As each page is completed, I'll be posting them online for you to review to assure we're continually heading in the direction you envisioned. This is also the step where we'll incorporate any functionality you might have on your site such as links and scripting functions such as mouse-over's, animation, newsletter subscription, forms, etc.
I consider the site temporary until you have given your final stamp of approval. Before "officially" launching the site, I will do a thorough testing of your links, spelling, browser compatibility, and load times.
If we haven't already established where you will be hosting your pages, we will need to find your site a home on the web.

Hosting Your Website

Web hosting is like Internet real-estate. If you want to build a house, you need a place to build it and roads to get to it. Similarly, if you want to build a website, you need server space to store your files and bandwidth to access your site. As an added benefit to clients, I offer web hosting to make the creation and implementation process smoother.
Parafruit, Inc. Web Hosting Is...

Fast: All servers have a superior connection to the Internet backbone - your site will publish faster than with nearly any other servers available.
Reliable: 99.9% Uptime
User Friendly: Parafruit, Inc. will manage your site features (such as adding or changing an email address) for you or if you prefer to do it yourself, we offer an Intuitive web-based control panel that allows you to easily make changes.

Site Maintenance IS INCLUDED

Most hosting companies only offer server space. They will not help you manage your web pages or content. Parafruit, Inc. is unique in that we will keep your site up-to-date by making copy changes to your site at no additional charge. This service is particularly valuable to clients who don't have the time or interest in learning how to edit HTML code themselves.
More detailed information and pricing on web hosting

Optimizing & Promoting Your Website

Promoting your site must be done once it has been officially launched. Search engines are the primary method people use to find information on the web. Not optimizing and submitting your site to the top search engines would be like building a brand-new store then not telling anyone about it.
Basic Search Engine Promotion Plan:
The Basic Plan includes minimal optimization and submission to some of the top search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, All The Web, Alta Vista, and AOL. Although your site will be submitted, this plan can not guarantee that your site will be listed.

Keyword Selection
Analysis of Keywords using WordTracker, Overture's Search Term Suggestion Tool, and input from you.
Incorporate Keywords Throughout Site. Look at the main page of the website in the same way as the Search Engine spiders look at the page, then optimize the Title Tag, Meta Tags, and the placement / frequency of keywords.
Register Your Site Manually with Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, All The Web, Alta Vista, and AOL.

Maintaining Your Web Site's Content

It's always a good idea to keep your content as fresh as possible. If you are going to have Parafruit, Inc. host your website, site maintenance such as copy additions and changes are included in the hosting fee.
If you are not going to have Parafruit, Inc. host your site, we can either quote you a monthly fee for site updates or depending on your needs, provide a quote on a case-by-case basis.

Full Service Web Design Company

From selecting and registering your domain through promoting your site, Parafruit, Inc. Design offers all the services you'll need to create a successful website.

Domain Registration
Get your own mycompany.com domain name and get online.
Web Site Planning
Plan your site's structure to meet your goals and purpose.
Web Site Design and Redesign
Create a design layout and style appropriate for your company.
Web Development & Construction
Marry your site content with your custom designed layout.
Web Hosting
Rent space on a server where your site can live on the web.
Search Engine Optimization & Promotion
Promote / advertise your new site on the Internet.
Website Maintenance
Keep your content current. Update your information.
Corporate Logo Design
Design company logos, business logos, and custom logo design.
Photo Enhancement
Scan and spruce up your existing photos.
Print Design (web customers only)