In this article I will show you all the prerequisites you need to have your website.
You may not know how to start, who to hire, and you do not know the production costs, the formal aspects, etc.
Here you will know the language related to web design and the steps to follow in the development of your website.
If what you need is an online store, I suggest you also read my article Requirements to have an online store, where you will find more detailed information.
Requirements to have a website
These are the fundamental elements that you have to have to start your business on the internet:
1. Define the site name
The first thing you should do is define what your website is going to be called.
It is important that "googlees" the name chosen to verify that it does not exist, both on the web and in social networks.
Although it is very common for names to be repeated, it is not recommended that there be two identical names.
This, in addition to bringing legal problems, can harm you by taking your visitor traffic to other similar sites that are not yours.
In this case, you can add additional words that have to do with the activity you carry out, the type of company formed, etc.
The name is directly associated with the domain , which I will explain to you in the next item.
Therefore, you should also think about it strategically to favor SEO (search engine optimization like Google)
Complementary aids
If your website represents an activity, type of product or service, it is advisable that the keyword that represents it is part of the name.
Also, if your site is Developed in WordPress, it allows you to add short secondary text as a description or slogan that complements the title.
Example: FVA Packaging. Printings for gastronomy.
In the previous example, the name is “FVA” , the activity is “Packaging” and the brief description is “Printed matter for gastronomy”
And so, in a few words, 3 very important elements for online search are resolved: the name, the activity and the description.
Optimize web positioning
This favors SEO since the search engine tracks keywords in the title of the pages, in the domain name, in the headlines of the articles on each page, in the texts and in the names of the images.
The more times these keywords are repeated, the higher their search engine performance.
In this way, whoever writes the name in the search engine, will also obtain results relevant to the activity and will filter it among several similar options.
In addition, the set of the name and the description is the one that is displayed in the following places:
- Google search results.
- Web browser title bar.
- Favorite bookmarks, along with the site avatar.
Always consult your webmaster before choosing the name of your site, since it will surely know how to guide you and prevent you from making common mistakes.
This is how the name is displayed in Google search results
The name of the site is displayed in the title bar of the web browser
This displays the name in Favorite bookmarks, along with the site's avatar.
Unification of criteria
If you want to achieve a better presence of your brand on the web, I advise you to unify the name criteria, and use the same name both for your website and for your social networks.
This will make it much easier for users to locate you quickly and avoid confusion with users with similar names.
Just as the name should be unified, the design criteria and general aesthetics of your site and social networks should also be unified, helping to position your brand and strengthen your visual identity on the web.
2. Web Domain
The domain is your web address, something like your postal address.
It is what we all know as www.yourcompany.com.ar, and it is the type in browsers to access a website.
This domain is unique and unrepeatable. There cannot be two identical domains, although they are similar.
Generally, your domain will be the same or similar to the name of your website, so you should check the availability of your domain name provider (Who is).
In the example in the following image we are looking for the availability of the domain idiliocrepuscular.com.ar
A legal issue
The fact that a domain name is available for acquisition does not mean that you also have ownership of the brand or the name of the site.
They are very different things, and if you want to register your name as a brand, you should do it first in the corresponding entity, and then register the domain, to avoid third-party property claims.
It is likely that there is already a trademark with your name or similar and that it does not yet have its website.
Always consult your webmaster before registering a domain, as they will surely know how to guide you and prevent you from making common mistakes.
Locate on the map
The national domains (.com.ar) refer to Argentina, they are acquired through NIC.AR and you must previously be registered in AFIP to qualify and be the owner of a domain.
They have a valid for one year and are renewed at each expiration.
The lack of domain renewal will make your site go down and remain offline, with all the consequences that this may bring you. Therefore, I recommend that you schedule the expiration dates.
Being the owner of a domain certifies that you are a real natural or legal person, with a verifiable postal address and that you are authorized to carry out safe commercial activities protected by the legal regulations of your country.
In this way, profiles and companies are avoided "Ghosts" that abound in social networks, where users can be scammed without the possibility of claiming anything.
An international domain (.com) does not refer to any country and is acquired through companies or websites that sell domains.
You do not need to register in AFIP and they are widely used by multinational companies .
Ownership and possession
The owner of the domain must always be the client.
Never accept that someone acquires your domain in their name, since in the future you could have legal problems of ownership or commercial use.
You can ask your webmaster to advise and guide you in the acquisition and renewal of domains.
3. Graphic and Web Designer
Once you have decided to have a website, the first thing you have to do is to hire a good graphic and web designer, who is capable of developing a customized virtual business, with efficiency and responsibility.
I advise you to be your designer web is also your webmaster, since you will have a global vision of the development of your website and its correct operation.
The designer must be able to advise you at each stage of web development, content presentation, choice of images and structure of the site to do it correctly.
Never dispense with the work and professional look of a good web designer.
Very tempting offers and the myth of self-management
There are dozens of online platforms (free and paid) that allow you to build and manage a website yourself, with little knowledge and at a very low cost.
They are really very easy to use through pre-designed templates where generic elements are replaced for your own content, as if it were a puzzle.
What these platforms do not tell you is that you need to have knowledge of web content, digital image editing, web positioning, etc.
You also do not have a personalized and human support to resolve your queries and concerns.
Surely you have already tried and carried it out and you will feel very happy about it ... at first ...
Things do not usually work very well in "automatic pilot" mode, at least for a long time, much less when you involve your customers in your online business.
Making an analogy with everyday life, a site with these characteristics would be like a prefabricated house .
On the outside it seems a house, but the living experience is very different from one designed by an architect and built with materials that will last over time.
The professional glance of the graphic designer
A website is much more than what is seen online.
A good site must be functional and effective, compatible with mobile devices, social networks and must answer all the technical questions of the Internet.
The contents must be strategic and original, the images must be optimized for quick download.
The texts must be relevant to be found in search engines, the internal organization of the site must be pleasant and dynamic, etc.
In addition, there are many elements Internal that are not visible, but are essential for the proper functioning and security of the online site, and that only a professional and experienced designer knows.
A good designer must have a perfect knowledge of graphic design, web design, WordPress, Photoshop, HTML5 and CCS3 programming, databases, hosting servers, web security protocols and, above all, must know how the site works online from the user experience and know in advance what the user expects from your website.
These are vitally important factors that make your site effective and avoid complications that surely you will not know how to solve and lead you to the failure or abandonment of your online venture.
4. Webhosting
Webhosting is an outsourced service.
It is a virtual space that is contracted on a server to host (host) a website and it is who allows this site to be active.
It is generally paid in advance and periodically (annually, semester, monthly , etc.) depending on the company.
The web hosting provider also provides you with various tools related to your domain: create custom email boxes (eg info@yourcompany.com.ar) , create sub domains, databases, obtain statistics on your website traffic, technical service, etc.
Magic solutions
NEVER choose a free web hosting service if you want to have a professional, reputable and secure website.
These sites offer you very large spaces (in megabytes) where you can upload whatever you want without paying anything.
In exchange for That, they bombard you with advertising banners, which in addition to being very annoying and unprofessional, take you to unknown sites, unsafe and vulnerable to viruses.
In addition, they will obtain private information both from you and from your followers that favor spam, hacker attack, identity theft and many other computer crimes.
All this is considered a terrible Internet practice and Google will block your site from their search engines.
Going back to the prefab analogy, web hosting represents the terrain where you will build your house, and you wouldn't want to do it on a swamp or unstable ground.
Other tempting options
Many telephone companies, TV or Internet providers offer an "additional" web hosting service.
In my professional experience I have had clients who opted for this, but they have never been effective, since it is not a "dedicated" service but "additional" to the company that offers it.
The problem arises at the time of technical inquiries due to malfunctioning of the site, server crashes, etc.
These are not answered as soon as possible by qualified personnel, and the client does not understand what they are talking about since they do not understand the terminology.
In addition, these companies only offer the web hosting service and not the webmaster service, and the client does not know that, and when it comes to adding costs, it is much more expensive than hiring a professional dedicated web hosting service.
Always prioritize quality
It is very important to hire a "dedicated" webhosting service that is of very good quality, compatible with WordPress, and that provides SSL (https) security protocols that will allow you to carry out commercial transactions safely through your website.
Secure sites that comply with these standards are identified with a padlock icon and the “https” protocol in the web browser.
You can always trust them sites that meet these characteristics.
The following image shows what the servers of the web hosting providers look like.
Unify maintenance tasks
I suggest that your webmaster is also the one who provides you the webhosting service, since he will surely have experience working with such a company and there is a communion of teamwork between the two endorsed by years of experience.
5. Webmaster
A webmaster is a graphic and web designer who designs your site or your store, manages the contents, updates the templates and plugins so that your site is always safe and solves technical problems that may arise.
Never think that your designer is a multi-tasking kiosk that solves everything, and although we have global knowledge on many topics, we are not competent in all areas. In design there are also specific tasks for each need.
In design there are also specific tasks for each need.
Seguramente no le pedirías a tu médico cardiólogo que te recete gafas para ver mejor. ¿Verdad?
Do not confuse Webmaster and Community Manager, since they are two totally different tasks.
The first handles the design of your site and all the administrative and technical issues, while the second creates content for your social networks and serves your followers.
Once you have met all the requirements, your designer is ready to start working on the design of your website.
I also advise you to read my article How to start designing a website? to know all the stages of design and what information you have to provide to your webmaster to design your site.
Final conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this article and that it was useful to you.
Starting a project on the Internet for the first time implies having a basic knowledge of the web design language and multiple technical and functional aspects.
If you wanted to have your website and you consider that I am a suitable professional, do not hesitate to contact me and I will advise you with great pleasure.
In the Related Articles section below, you will find many articles with specific topics that complement the one you just read. Thank you!
Adrián Pablo Conti
I am a Graphic and Web Designer graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (FADU-UBA)
Since 1993 I have run Web4, my own freelance graphic and web design creative studio, located in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Me I specialize in the development of visual identity, institutional communication, web sites and online stores, editorial design, catalogs, magazines and packaging design, among others.
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