Website Design

Websites do not just happen.  They need to be carefully planned and implemented so that the right message gets to those visiting your site.

 At CNP Services, we work with you to understand your business objectives and any web ideas you might have, to put together a striking and cost effective website to enhance your business.  But we don’t stop there, we will arrange a Domain Name if necessary and the hosting of your site.  We will also maintain your website for you so that information remains current.  All up, CNP Services gives you a complete turn-key solution.

At CNP Services, we know that the essential steps in getting your website up and working correctly are :-

Websites must be simple, easy to use and catch the attention of the visitor to the site.  After all, you want the visitor to gain information and hopefully use your business, not click off and go elsewhere.

At CNP Services, we pride ourselves in offering website design that meets all the above criteria.  Check out some of the sites we have already designed, including testimonials, under Links.

Remember the golden rule – ‘Keep it simple’.  Do not be persuaded by web designers that you need a website with complex graphics, video or sound.  These websites take a long time to load and it is well known that website visitors often turn off such websites before they have finished loading. 

For more information on website design, click on the bullet point steps above.  

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Planning phase

Planning is the most critical of all stages in getting your website up and running.  It is here that you need to consider such things as

We will discuss each of the above steps with you.  We will make suggestions and help you all the way, however it is your site and we will build it as you instruct.

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Design/Build phase

Once the planning phase is completed, we will design and build the site. We install any hyperlinks required for the site to function successfully, plus we will embed any photographs you require on the site

Along the way, we will place each page on a ‘testing site’ which you will be able to access from your computer.  It will be just as if you are accessing the real website on the internet, only that you will be the only one with the address to access it.  We can then discuss each page via phone or email and make changes BEFORE the site goes ‘live’.

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Obtaining a Domain name

Choosing a domain name is an important part of the overall marketing process.  If you make sure your domain name represents your company, product and image, you'll be setting a great foundation for future sales.

Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Also, domain names are not case sensitive

There are three levels to consider for a domain name:

.(name).(extension). (country)

A domain name is basically a Web site address. For example, "theage.com.au" is the address of the Melbourne Age site; it's also the site's domain name.

Note: The entire Web address, i.e., http://www.theage.com.au, is known as the URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
 

Name :

It is a good idea if the name incorporates either the business name or an indication of the type of business.  You really need to put yourself in others shoes and think about what you would type into a web address to reach your business website. 

Extension:

There are a number of extensions you can consider, some of which have specific functions.

 
A domain name "extension" is called a "top-level domain (TLD)." These are divided into three different categories: generic top-level domains (gTLD), country code top-level domains (ccTLD) and infrastructure top-level domains.

 
Generic top-level domains are the ones most frequently seen on the Web: .

Country:

Country code top-level domains are two letter codes representing a country. And are an optional extension.  For example:-

Select a country code if you wish to be identified as being in that country. (NOTE: In Australia you will require an ABN in order to get an .au extension).   If your business is such that it can operate irrespective of country, and you want to do business outside your country, then it is best not to include the country code

We would be happy to discuss this further with you and to obtain your domain name for you.  As a guide, prices as at 2010 are around $13.00 per year for a .com. .net and .org.  Prices for domain names which include the country code are slightly more expensive for usually a 2 year minimum period)

One last important point.  Make sure the domain name is registered to you and not to a hosting company.  Don’t sign for a hosting package unless you have control of your domain name.  This is essential if, at a later stage, you want to change your web host.

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Selecting Hosting platform

Again, hosting is something that CNP services can help with.  You need a web host who has a good track record, provides excellent 24/7 service and who has very little, if any, downtime.  There are many companies offering hosting services but remember, cheaper is not always better.

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Uploading files to Web Host

Once all the web pages have been written and approved, we will upload them to the web hosting server.  This is a fairly quick process using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). 

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Testing

When all the files have been uploaded to the web hosting server, we will carry out thorough testing to make sure all the pages and links work as planned.  We will test the site using a variety of web browsers, so that you can be confident that those who access your website, will be able to see it as you intended.

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Submitting site to Search Engines

When all the above have been completed, we will submit your site to a number of search engines, in order to get your website listed.

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Ongoing maintenance

It is essential to keep a website up to date - everything from services, prices, dates, news, phone numbers etc.  Usually this is a fairly quick process but you need to have confidence that when you ask for something to be altered on your site – that it is done and done quickly.  This is where CNP Services can help. 

You will find us to be fast and reliable…….after all, we want happy clients and we want your recommendation to others.

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