Website Development is our specialty - our primary service. It can be very complicated and there is a great learning curve even for you as you begin to discover the web from the Webmaster's side. We're here to help you every step of the way and take the burden off wherever we can, while empowering you with as much control over your website as you would like to have.
Essentially, to have a website you need:
- A Domain Name. This is the address of your website that appears in the address bar of the browser. Ours is TheDesignsmith.com as you can see in the address bar above. In effect, you rent the name from a Domain Registrar like Network Solutions or GoDaddy. There are many registrars and there is no considerable difference between them as far as acquiring a name, but their costs vary widely. GoDaddy charges ~$8/name/year while Internet Solutions charges around $35. We suggest you order your name from GoDaddy.
- A Hosting System. This is the computer where the files of your website are stored. The computer must be able to read and execute your programmed files, and it should be solidly connected to a main artery of the internet. The system farm should have backups and redundencies as well as other creative protection to make sure that your website is always available to web surfers. We can offer you a discount on the excellent services of BlueGenesis.com for all your hosting needs.
- Hyper-Text Markup files. These files describe the look and content of your website to the browser which downloads and displays it to the surfers. HTM files can be built without programming, mixed with programming, or created by programming; but in the end it is the html that your visitors see drawn into their browser. Creating these files is what we do best by integrating beautiful graphics, cascading sytles and smart programming!
In order for us to build your website we need to know what it is going to say and do. We've found the easiest way for you to tell us is by creating a flowchart or outline that names each page and describes the content. We're good at presuming the details, so a general description is good enough for us to give you a reasonable estimate. We also realize that this task is a show-stopper for many, so we offer services to work with you to put it together - call us and find out more; 225.336.5444.
Primary Elements of a Website:
- The Template. We build websites for ease of updating and expansion by using templates that are broken up and inserted into each page of the site to assure consistency across the project. The template gives you the 'look and feel' of your website, the navigation, the head and foot, and much more that is a necessary part of each page.
- The Public Area. When someone types your website name into their browser address bar they see your homepage of your public area. The public area is simply not the private area and includes any part of the site that the public can reach through navigation from another public page.
- The Administrative Area. A website that is programmed to interact with a database commonly needs an area where administrators can go to make changes to the database. This interface is the administraion area and is not connected to the public area. For example, if your website has a shopping cart with lists of items the public can browse, the administrative area would be used to keep those items updated with the correct image, price, etc. Not all websites will have an administrative area.
We have provided an outline form which indicates common pages of a website and allows you to give us a clear idea of what you are looking for so we can estimate it for you - at no cost. Alternatively you can upload your website outline here or choose from our package deals below:
