Creating+a+Professional+Website

Having a website has become almost a requirement for businesses. However, when it comes to setting up a website, there are so many options, chosing what to do is often confusing for a business owner. Your task will be to create a simple, yet professional website for either a small business or school. The website will have a home page (index) and possibly two linked pages.

What is the importance of having a website? For a small business, a website can advertise your services, mission statement and anything else necessary for potential customers. The Web is your virtual salesman. The Internet is visited by billions of people every day, and the importance of having a website for communicating is to catch some of the users. The same is for a school. The website can "sell" the district. The website can communicate and inform parents and community.

You will design your website using four different methods: (1) PowerPoint; (2) a wikispace; (3) a Google site; and (4) a Microsoft Office Live Small Business website.

**#1: Explore**
Whether your website is for a small business or a school, it's a good idea to explore what other sites include. Check out some small business websites or [|K-12 school links].

**#2: Plan**
Planning is an essentail part of developing a website. Identify the purpose of the site. Why does the business or school need a website? Who is the audience? Why will they want to revisit the site?

**#3: Design**
Identify the content for the website. How will information be used? Sometimes it's hard to think of all the things that might be included in a website. Below is a list of things to consider:
 * Contact Information
 * Mission, Logo
 * Virtual Tour (?)
 * News/Announcements/Information
 * Community Information (?)
 * Photographs

**#4: Create**
Develop the structure for your website. This can be computer-generated or hand-drawn. Think about how pages and files will be named. You don't have to start from scratch. There are many templates available for use. The home page/index page provides users with their first impression of the business/school. It should reflect the image you want to portray. For example, what pictures will be included on the home page? Is the home page attractive and easy to use? Does it provide easy access to the site including menus and other tolls? Is the page updated regularly? Make the website interactive. For example, you might want to include email contact, forms, discussion forums, and other elements.

**#5: Revise**
Once the pages have been posted, they need to be maintained. Look for ease of use, accuracy, technical quality, and effective links. Maintaining the website can be a challenge. Try to update the website periodically. A new project each month will draw return visitors.

Project #1: [|Creating a Website Using PowerPoint] Project #2: Creating a Website Using Wikispaces Project #3: [|Creating a Website Using Google Sites] Project #4: [|Creating a Website Using Microsoft Office Live Small Business]