| Helpful
Resources The following tips and resources
are provided to help you better plan and maintain your Web site:
Choosing a Domain Name
The domain name or Web address that
you choose for your site will play a large role in how well your
site is used. Do your homework before making your final decision.
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Try to get the name of your
company or organization if possible.
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If a person does not know your
Web address, your YourName.com is probably the one that he
will try first.
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While .com addresses are best
for commercial sites, you might consider addresses with
endings such as .net or .biz if “YourName.com” is not
available.
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There is no limit on the
number of domain names that you can register for your site.
You may wish to register for multiple names (YourName.com,
YourName.net, YourName.biz, etc.) if you are worried about
competitors or businesses with similar names registering the
remaining versions of your address.
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You might wish to register
both your company name and the names of your key products. For
example, both Toyota.com and Camry.com access Toyota’s Web
site.
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Keep your domain name as
short as possible.
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Shorter names may be easier to
remember.
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A domain name may not exceed
67 characters.
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When entering a long address,
visitors are more likely to make spelling or typing errors.
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A short address may be better
suited for small print advertising such as phone listings and
business cards.
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Avoid domain names with the
numbers.
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You may depend on word of
mouth or radio/television advertising to get the word out
about your Web site. Using numbers in your Web address could
confuse users.
Example: Is your Web address Homes4Sale.com or
HomesForSale.com?
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Ones and zeros could look like
the letters “L” and “O.”
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Avoid hyphens and
underscores.
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An underscore is may be
difficult to see if a link to your site is underlined.
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When an address is spoken, the
speaker may neglect to mention the hyphens.
Promoting Your Web Site
While Upstate Web Works takes steps
during the design process to increase your Web site’s visibility,
there are things that you can do to increase your chances of
getting noticed online.
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Talk up your Web site to friends
and family… Word of Mouth can be a powerful thing!
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Mail or e-mail an announcement
about your site to clients, prospective clients, vendors,
business associates and employees.
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Include your Web address on all
stationery and promotional items a.s.a.p!
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Consider advertising your new
online services via print or media advertising.
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Include your Web address in your
Yellow Pages listing.
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Refer clients and potential
clients to information on your site as often as possible.
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Investigate the possibility of
getting links on professional organization Web sites.
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Offer incentives for visiting
your Web site (ex. Special discounts and promotions).
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Include
an automatic signature with all of your outgoing e-mail
messages. Be sure that it includes all contact information
—
especially your e-mail and Web addresses.
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Consider registering your site with additional search engines
—
some of which may be fee-based.
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Consider purchasing ads or
listings on Web sites that are key to your potential clients.
Search Engine Information
Now that you have a Web site, you may wish to increase its
visibility by submitting the Web address (URL) to additional
search engines or submission services. Before submitting a
site to the services listed below, please read the following:
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Due to the ever-changing nature
of search engines and their providers, Upstate Web Works does
not guarantee the
accuracy of this information or endorse particular services.
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While some services are free,
others require you to (1) display their link or logo on your
site, (2) pay fees, or (3) pay for “clicks” that originate from
their site.
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Services offering various levels
of service may be listed in multiple categories.
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Since it is common for search
services to partner with one another, take care not to overlap
services that you may have already acquired (especially
fee-based services). Determine whether a search engine finds
your site before spending time and money on unnecessary
submissions.
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Be wary of services promising
“top” search results.
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For
your convenience, the following resources are in a printable
(PDF) format:
