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Are you looking
for web solutions that will bring you results? Digucom is your
answer. No matter if you are a small business owner, head of an
association, or involved in a non-profit organization, you have
unique needs. We are here to help you produce results. All successful
web sites are built on solid planning. It all begins here and
Digucom will guide you through the process. Simply answer the
following questions, then give us your name, E-Mail address, etc.
The system will send you an E-Mail with your answers. In addition,
we will also receive an E-Mail so that we may provide further
assistance.
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| Together
we'll examine these decisions: |
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| objective
for your web site |
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Be
honest with yourself and it will save you a lot of time and money.
Just why are you doing this? What do you hope to achieve? What
is your purpose?
I currently have a web site.
If so, what is the URL (address)?
Which of the following most accurately fits your purpose for developing
a web site.
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"The Internet
is hot. It seems like everyone is on the web. I'd better do
it, too, or be left behind."
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This
may be true in some cases, but you need more focus.
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We
want potential customers to learn about our company and gain
a favorable impression of us.
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We
want to develop a qualified list of prospects for our goods
and services.
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We
want to sell products/services directly from our web site.
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We
want to provide a collection of useful links to other web
sites and services.
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Other,
specifically: |
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How does this project promote one or more of your oganization's
major objectives?
Be patient
and have a long-term view of your site. Your business results
from the World Wide Web may be immediate and spectacular. Then
again, you may not make much of an impact right away. Talk to
us. Let us know about your plans. Ask us how businesses similar
to yours are using their web sites.
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| audience |
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Your web site
will be used by someone. Users can be customers and clients, employees,
trainees, etc. Recognizing your audience is essential to the success
of your web site. Your site will need to be organized and constructed
to meet your audience's needs.
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| site
and domain name |
Now
you need to determine a tentative name for your web site. You may
just want to use your existing business name. But your website focus
may be broader or narrower than your organization name implies.
In that case, look for a name that is descriptive, unique, short,
and memorable.
My tentative web site name is
It is time
to give thought to your domain name. Your domain name is the address
which you would type into your browser to go to your site
(i.e. www.yourcompany.com). You may presently be using your Internet
Service Provider's chosen domain name. You should select a name
which describes your company/organization, yet easy to remember
and communicate to your clients; try to avoid hyphens and other
special characters. You can find out which names are available
by trying your proposed domain name here.
Try the name that you would like to use to see if it is available.
You may have to try several variations until you find the right
domain name.
It is not
necessary to have you own domain name, but it gives your site
its own identity. Currently, Digucom is offering domain names
for $25 per year. Click here to
register your domain.
Another advantage
of selecting a unique domain name for your organization is that
you aren't so dependent upon your Internet Service Provider. Suppose
your ISP raises prices too high, or goes out of business? If you
have your own domain name, all you will have to do is find another
ISP and have them send notification that they are now assuming
the address from their server. Your viewer base and links are
protected.
I do not plan to get a special domain name.
I want
the following domain name or one similar to it:
You need to
plan on four weeks lead time to register a domain name, so get
started with that right away if you're going to do it.
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| graphics |
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Graphics are
an essential part to your web site. The first thing your user
will notice is the look of your web site, and you want to make
a good first impression. Photographs and other forms of images
entice the users eye to keep them on your web site.
What overall
look would you like? What do you want to convey about your company?
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| site
content |
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A web site
cannot depend on graphics alone. You must provide information
about your products/services to your customers.
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| site
elements |
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Page
Title: Your web pages have titles that are displayed in
the title bar (the very top) of your web browser. These titles
are very important because they identify your site and frequently
show up in search engines such as WebCrawler®, Infoseek®, AskJeeves®,
and AltaVista® . The company name and/or the web site address
or company tagline are commonly used as page titles (i.e. digucom
| innovative solutions at their best); however, you may include
any title you wish. Another option is to name each page according
to its content. For example, if you were to create a page containing
order information, you may wish to title the page "Order
Information."
I want each
page title to be
I want each page title to be based upon the content of the page.
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Content
Areas: A web site is divided into areas of content. For
example, this web site is divided into "About Us," "Contact
Us," "The Internet?," "Web Hosting,"
"Web Development," etc.
The major
areas of my proposed web site are:
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E-Mail
Address: Since you are planning to create a web site,
you will need to have an E-Mail address for your customers and
clients to reach you. Although you may include your phone number
and other contact information, some web users prefer the convenience
of E-Mail. You may already have an E-Mail address through your
Internet Service Provider. If not, Digucom provides web
hosting for you site, which includes E-Mail accounts.*
*See web
hosting services for details.
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Site
Copyright: It is a good idea to copyright your web site
and each of its pages in order to protect your information. The
standard copyright is in the format of: "Site Copyright © year company
name" and is placed on the bottom of every page.
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Last
Modified: If your products/services change frequently,
or if any of the information on your web site is date sensitive,
you may want to include a "last modified" date in your
web site.
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| user
interaction |
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Communication
is vital to the success of any business -- particularly between
you and your customers. The following are options to encourage
and facilitate interaction with your customers.
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Forms
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A
form is a page which asks the user for designated information
such as a name, phone number, E-Mail address, etc. Forms can
be used by your customers to place orders, provide feedback,
register for a service, request services, and more. Digucom
can have the form send you an E-Mail with the information
your customers have entered.
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Search
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If
your web site contains a large amount of information, or wish
to be able to provide your customers with an easy way to find
information, a search tool would be ideal. The user can find
information by simply typing keywords into a search box.
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Discussion
Groups |
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Providing
an area where your customers can ask questions to each other
or even a representative from your company is a great way
to increase interaction and provide information.
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I
want to incorporate the following user interaction features
on my web site:
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| features |
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The features
you employ on your web site will set it apart from competitor
sites. You may have an idea of some features you would like to
see; if not, Digucom can help. Together, we will evaluate ideas
and analize competitor sites to see how we can help you to improve
yours.
I wish to
incorporate the following features into my web site:
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| timing |
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Now that
you know what you want and how your site is to be laid out, you
need to set a timeline for when you wish to build your web site.
| I will
require a presence
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| I want
the following features to be present on the launch date:
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If you
chose "some," which features will be necessary?
How
do you prioritize roll-out of the remaining features?
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| budget |
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Every web
site is different; so is every company. You will need to look
at cost and determine your budget for the construction of your
web site.
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| submit |
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Please complete
the following form, then click on the "submit" button
below to have our system E-Mail you with your answers to all of
the above questions. A copy will also be sent to us to inform
us of your interest in web development. All information will be
used strictly by Digucom, Inc and will not be issued to third
parties.
We hope that
this guide has helped you along the process of building a web
site.
Fields denoted
in bold are required.
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