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Step 2: Let the Creative Juices Flow
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Once, building a Web site meant hours of laborious wrestling with HTML (hypertext markup language). But newer Web site-authoring tools are solidly "WYSIWYG," meaning "what you see is what you get," and building a page now involves little more than pointing and clicking with your mouse. However, building your own web page, depending on your skill set, can be a time consuming and costly event. If you do not elect to create you own web pages, selecting a development company is critical. Look at developers with proven track records; get estimates in writing; talk with their customers; chose developers you would not hesitate to have as partners. And above all, ensure that the developers you chose have a business perspective and creative temperament that is consistent with your goals and objectives. Which software package should you use? The top two choices are Microsoft's FrontPage (www.microsoft.com) for $150 and Claris' Home Page (www.claris.com) for $100. Both programs have loyalists, but Web novices with minimal site ambitions will likely find their needs best met by Home Page, while those with larger goals will find FrontPage can build Web sites of any size. A big plus: Both packages come bundled with an assortment of templates (forms) that need only a little tweaking before you've got your own Web site. Stick with the templates, and completing a Web page within 30 minutes is feasible. With HomePage, for instance, click Open/Templates/Small Bus/Home, and that brings up a polished page for a fictitious furniture store. The template provides thorough instructions, and you type in your own information over the template's boilerplate. FrontPage demands more hands-on involvement than Home Page--its templates are more like blueprints than polished pages--but the result you'll get is a highly customized Web site that is professionally presented. You don't need specific Web-authoring software to create a Web page. Many programs designed to fill other needs also include basic Web-authoring tools. Microsoft Word 97 and Lotus' Word Pro both include handsome templates for setting up Web pages. In Word Pro, for instance, click File/New, then select the "cohome1.mwp" Smart Master. That brings up a glossy Web page complete with wizards that lead you through the Web page-authoring process. Just follow the directions, and the result is a nearly instant Web page. The down side to 'doing it yourself' is you must develop the skill set to use the development tools, web delivery services, marketing perceptions, and be ready to maintain the pages as time marches on. For most small businesses and home bound businesses, opting to use a professional web developer is the most cost effective solution. Professional developers bring to the table experience that can transcend yours because they have 'been doing it' longer and across more organizations. Additionally, they are better able to stay 'up to date' in new technologies and emerging technologies. Also, most professional developers have business relationships with other providers in the web delivery schema (e.g., ISP, telecom providers) that offer discounts that are not available to individual businesses. Go To Next Step (3):
Adding Graphics
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