Keywords are a group of words that describe the topic of your site.

They are the words your customers would use to find you in a google search.

For example, if you sell kitchen cabinets, and you only use the words “kitchen cabinets” to describe your products but your potential customer searches for “custom cabinets” or “custom kitchens” your website will probably not be found.

Finding the best and most popular keywords and using them effectively is a vital part of driving more traffic to your site.

For best results you should use a keyword research tools like the Google Keyword Tool.  Google keyword tool can compile a list of terms people search for, indicate how often they are searched for, and even help you discover keywords you may not have considered. Developing a database of customer searched keywords will help to focus the efforts of the next step most successfully; the script.

After you have picked your domain name (the fun stuff), it’s now time to get down to work.  The next step is to create an outline.  Answer the following questions to help you get yourself organized.

1. What do you want to cover with your site?  Talk to your staff and some customers and figure out the main ideas that your site will convey about your business.
2. Look at all of the ideas and then group them into categories.  These categories will become the sections of your site.
3. Do you have some competitors that you admire?  Look at their sites and pick out some of the things that make their site good, and some that you can improve upon.  After all, isn’t business about competition.  Your site should be better than theirs when it’s finished.
4. How do you want your site to look?  Do you have some corporate colors or logos that need to be included?
5. Do you build things for your customers?  do you have some pictures or illustrations of your work. Your web site visitors will want to see this.  It will likely be the most popular area of your site.
6. Do you have some favorite web sites that you visit when you’re online?  They don’t have to be related to your business.  Just look at how they are designed.   What do you like about them?
7. Now – take all of the answers from the questions above and sort them into a finished outline.  This will be your plan for your site.

Does it seem like you are preparing a report for one of your high school classes.  it kind of is like that, but it’s fun.  Remember that this will be a project that will complement your business and make you money!!

In my family, we have often discussed what it was like before we had 3 laptops and a desktop, and always on high-speed Internet. Despite the increase in technological awareness and use within most families and homes these days, there is still a lot of confusion about the organization and design of a website. This is the first article in our new series outlining the basic steps to help you learn about what it takes to make a website.

Domain Name

You have to have your own domain name, or name for your site. The most popular domains are dot-com names (.com). There are others like dot-ca, and dot-net, but dot-com are still the most common and easiest to remember.

There is a very large likelihood that almost any combination of two words is taken. You will need to be creative and place your keywords together in a unique way. Begin searching for your domain name by going to the website of a domain registrar such as DomainsAtCost. Once you find your name and register it, you will be able to use it as long as you keep paying the annual fees.

These days you can make your domain name a little longer, but try to keep it as short as you can, and avoid using initials (unless they are as well known like CTV or CBC).

Hyphens are ok, but are harder to remember for people. The best names are memorable and easy to say.

Take your time and have some fun with this. If you shop around, you should be able to register your domain for as little at $5.00, and not more than $15.00.