Website Creation for Businesses and Organizations
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WEBSITE CREATION FOR BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS AUGUST 24, 2017 WITC - SUPERIOR Offered by: James R. Anderson III, PhD UW-Extension Douglas County 1313 Belknap Street, Room 107 Sponsored by: Superior, WI 54880 Facebook: UWEXDouglas Website: Douglas.UWEX.edu (715) 395-1547 UW-Extension, Douglas County - 2 - Ver. 1, 8/21/17 CONTENTS Website Creation Options ............................................................................................................................. 5 Development options ............................................................................................................................... 5 Website vs. Facebook Fan Page Presence ................................................................................................ 5 Facebook vs. Webpages ........................................................................................................................ 6 Create Your Webpage ................................................................................................................................... 7 Getting Started .......................................................................................................................................... 7 What Kind of website? .......................................................................................................................... 7 Pick a Template ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Wix Editor .............................................................................................................................................. 9 File Types ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Working with Colors ............................................................................................................................ 12 Action: Complete All Placeholders ...................................................................................................... 12 Additional Usability Information ............................................................................................................. 12 Manage Website Pages ....................................................................................................................... 12 Headers and Footers ........................................................................................................................... 13 Using the Toolbar ................................................................................................................................ 13 Working with Images .......................................................................................................................... 14 Social Links .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Search Engine Optimization ................................................................................................................ 15 Share Your Site for Feedback .............................................................................................................. 15 Manage Your Website................................................................................................................................. 16 Appendix: Plan Your Web Page .................................................................................................................. 17 Site .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Design ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 Pages ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 Call to Action ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Search Engine Optimization .................................................................................................................... 18 SEO for Pages ...................................................................................................................................... 18 UW-Extension, Douglas County - 3 - Ver. 1, 8/21/17 UW-Extension, Douglas County - 4 - Ver. 1, 8/21/17 WEBSITE CREATION OPTIONS There are a number of options available to individuals, businesses, and organizations for creating a website. Some of the options from most expensive to least expensive: • Hire someone to develop a website from the ground up (using all custom HTML and other Internet programming languages), not using a content management system (CMS). • Hire someone to create a website using a website building platform. • Hire someone to create a website using a content management system. • Develop your own website with a content management system. • Develop your own website using a website building platform. • Develop your own website from the ground up. DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS Website Building Content Management Platform Systems Programming Wix, Weebly, WordPress, Drupal, HTML, Javascript, XML, Squarespace, Jimdo Joomla, MediaWiki PHP, etc. Least Flexibility & Control Most Easiest Ease of Use Most Complex WEBSITE VS. FACEBOOK FAN PAGE PRESENCE The question for our age: which do I need, a Facebook page or a web page? The short answer is both. Your website allows you to interact with customers in a way that you cannot on Facebook. Your website allows you to provide much more detailed information to your customers. It is the difference between USA Today and the New York Times – one is fast paced and superficial, the other more detail oriented. Also, a website allows you total control of your branding image. UW-Extension, Douglas County - 5 - Ver. 1, 8/21/17 FACEBOOK VS. WEBPAGES Facebook Webpage Facebook sets to the terms of You own your website, and URL (if service (TOS), monitors your usage, you set a custom URL, which is and sells your usage data in the recommended). You maintain aggregate, complete control. Control Some exceptions, if you use a web- based website builder or content management system. Facebook has a unique look, with You have full design control to no way to change that look. You communicate and align your brand. Design differentiate yourself with your profile photo and cover photo, and posts. You are putting information where Your customers need to come to your customers are organically, you, in the digital world. A although you may need to pay for customer needs to be motivated to Information some of those impressions. visit your website. If they are, you better be delivering what they are looking for. No special skills required. Posting Training might be required; special is easy, the skill is in software may be needed Updating communicating effectively with (depending on design). your brand voice. Your post updates appear on your Users can subscribe to your page page timeline, and push to via RSS feeds, so they can receive followers newsfeeds (in an ideal notifications of changes/updates. Pushing Content world). Use email and social channels to push people to your website. • You cannot sell ads on • You can sell ads or ad an your Facebook page. advertising service. Revenue • You can sell items on • You can integrate Facebook, depending on ecommerce tools on many how your page is set-up. platforms. Track page likes/follows, post likes, Most flexible and detailed. Many post shares, and other interactions. CMS platforms include, and Google Statistics Some demographic and user data Analytics can be incorporated into provided. most any site at no charge. You can do on Facebook, and can You can do on your own site, and drive traffic… however, you are are only limited to laws governing Contests and Promotions limited by Facebook terms of contests in your state, or contest service and rules. provider platform (if used). Facebook encourages relationship Websites lack meaningful ways to building and interaction with your engage with your users. followers. Facebook Messenger for Comments is the most common User Interaction one-on-one communication. interaction, but the process feels old and stale. Email and webchat for one-on-one communication UW-Extension, Douglas County - 6 - Ver. 1, 8/21/17 CREATE YOUR WEBPAGE Let’s get to building your web page (site). The platform we will use in this workshop is called Wix. Why does UW-Extension use Wix in its broadband utilization classes? • The free version is robust. • Easy to use. • Templates and desktop and mobile friendly. • Advanced tools are available for more advanced users. UW-Extension is ultimately brand agnostic, does not endorse one brand over another, nor do we have a financial relationship with any provider. GETTING STARTED Visit www.Wix.com Click the “Start Now” button. If you already have an account, login. If you need to create an account, click “Sign Up.” Enter your name, email address, and set a password. WHAT KIND OF WEBSITE? Making the right decision here will help in guiding your website development process. WIX – ADI VS. EDITOR You will next be asked if you want to use the Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) tool, or the Wix Editor. For this workshop we will use the Editor. The ADI