Setting up a Website

Setting up a website involves 4 key aspects:

• 1 Domain name
• 2 Web Hosting
• 3 Content
• 4 Web Design

Domain Name

One common mistake many people make when trying to find a domain – is they type in the domain in their browser, and if they don’t reach a website, they assume the domain is available. Unfortunately, this is not conclusive evidence that a domain is available for registration. To find out if a domain is available, a search needs to be conducted with a domain registrar. Virvo’s preferred domain registrar is Moniker. Although we have no affiliation with Moniker, we have used their services for many years, and have been more than satisfied with their level of service, security and pricing.

To find out if a domain is available, go to www.moniker.com and do a search for your domain name. Moniker will show if your domain is available, and if so, allow you to register it.

Domains based on english words are difficult to find because most of them are already registered, if you struggle to find a domain, various tools such as wordiod can help you generate a domain.

Web Hosting

Web Hosting is a critical part of any website, as it provides a means for end users to access your website. Virvo doesn’t act as a webhost – however we can arrange hosting through one of our partners.

There are 3 issues to keep in mind when looking for hosting:

• Hosting can affect your web development budget. If you dont have a dedicated server ( or general root access), many web development companies will charge an extra fee for deploying your website. This is because some basic tasks such as moving files, changing file permissions or changing server settings cannot be performed – instead, the hosting company needs to be contacted, often delaying web development or deployment.
• Hosting plays a role in SEO. If your target market is almost exclusively in the UK, you should ensure your webhost provides servers based in the UK. Google and other search engines give priority to locally hosted websites, for searches associated with a location.
• Hosting problems can make your website inaccessible. If your web host experiences technical issues, it could lead to downtime for your website. Make sure you choose a webhost with a good reputation and a proper Service Level Agreement (SLA).




Content

The content of your website plays an important role for ranking in search engines, and also makes the sales pitch to your customers. As such, it is critical that your website content is written clearly, and communicates to your target audience.

We normally advise client to write their own website content for two reasons:

1. You know your products and services better than anyone else – so the content you write will communicate the most important aspects of your product or service.
2. Hiring copywriters can be very expensive. Quality copy writers often charge £300 or more for a 500 word article. For large websites, this can become a significant expense.




Web Design

There are two ways to get your website designed – use a template or get a custom design.

Using a template design provides a big advantage – cost. A professionally designed website template costs around £50. Compare this to a custom website design which costs around £3,000 and you can quickly see why many small businesses opt for a website template.

The disadvantage of using a template is that your website design will not be unique. Website templates are often sold many times, meaning there will be other websites with the same design as yours.
One way to keep your web design costs low, but also have a unique website design is to take a template and modify the design to provide the branding and look-and-feel of your company. This can vary in cost depending on how much alteration of the template is required.

If you are looking to setup a website, contact us today – we can provide all the services to get your website launched, as well as provide ongoing maintenance.

If you would like advice or further information, dont hesitate to call us on 0203 286 8478. Our staff are friendly and always ready to help.