| All too often it can be tempting to get stuck right | | | | Your domain name should reflect your Unique Selling |
| into a new project or idea that is fresh in your mind. | | | | Position. The internet is competitive so chances are |
| Many will think they have found an easy web hosting | | | | your preferred domain name will be taken. In this |
| solution before their plan is even on the drawing | | | | case look for a similar alternative such as a domain |
| board! | | | | with dashes in it, or a .net or .info domain. |
| While it can be advantageous to move quickly on a | | | | Find a Web Host |
| small project controlled by one person, for anything | | | | As you can see this is step number 5 in the process, |
| larger in scale, moving too quickly can increase the | | | | not step number 1! Unless you have special |
| "downstream" cost of a project considerably, both in | | | | requirements, finding a web host should be easy. |
| terms of time pointlessly wasted and money blown | | | | But searching on Google is probably the worst place |
| from the budget. | | | | to find solid information on the best web host, as it's |
| Development projects tend to follow a certain | | | | littered with "top 10 review" sites which are basically |
| optimum path. Becoming aware of the appropriate | | | | run by biased affiliates who are getting paid a large |
| steps in a development project and most | | | | commission. |
| importantly, taking a big step back to look at things | | | | In practice, any shared hosting plan should be suitable |
| afresh, can greatly reduce the risk of project failure. | | | | for your needs, especially when your site is fairly |
| This can of course be counter-intuitive to follow in | | | | new. If your site starts to get a lot of traffic then |
| practice, so lets take a quick look at the phases of a | | | | you can switch to a VPS or dedicated hosting, but |
| web development project... | | | | usually it takes some time to gain traction in the |
| Brainstorm It: Coming Up With Your Idea | | | | search engines. |
| This is often the easy part. You will be driving along, | | | | Publish It |
| taking a shower, a walk or whatever, while thinking | | | | Once your website development is completed (or at |
| of nothing in particular then BAM! It will strike out of | | | | least in beta), you can publish your site. If you're |
| the blue. The brainstorming part is usually where | | | | developing in XAMPP then all you probably need to |
| most of the fun lies, where you can get your | | | | do is to transfer your files to your server using FTP |
| creative juices flowing and everything is fluid and | | | | and setup any databases your site requires. |
| evolving. | | | | Test It |
| We all need to brainstorm at times, or we | | | | Your site is now live, but it might not be ready for |
| experience creative atrophy. Yet at the same time it | | | | wider exposure yet. Get a few people to visit it and |
| is a highly charged emotional experience, and | | | | give you their feedback. If you can't find anyone to |
| emotionally driven projects that are not thoroughly | | | | help then you can set up some questionnaires and |
| balanced with rational logic, tend to be the ones that | | | | have your visitors send you feedback. Usually it is |
| "tank" half way through, or turn into never ending | | | | hard to make people comply unless you give away |
| projects of doom! | | | | free stuff, so keep this in mind. |
| Write It Down On Paper | | | | Optimize It |
| Sadly, a step that is often missed. A reasonably large | | | | Ok so people have now told you how much they |
| project should have a concept phase where you at | | | | love your site, it is time for greater exposure. This is |
| least scribble down your ideas and some basic wire | | | | where the real marketing effort starts. You will have |
| frame designs of how you envisage your website will | | | | to add new content for a while (it helps if it is |
| look like. | | | | keyword optimized) and try and get links into your |
| Even better, a written specification document should | | | | web pages. If you have a budget for pay-per-click |
| be projected and stored in a spreadsheet in a | | | | (PPC), then paying for traffic is another way of |
| location where every team member has access. | | | | bringing people in. |
| Craft Your Unique Selling Position (USP) | | | | Monetize It |
| This is perhaps THE most important step of all. Ok so | | | | Making money from your website might not be your |
| you have your brilliant idea, but who will benefit from | | | | goal. You might be a non-profit organization or a |
| it? How will you convince people to use your | | | | social site, but generally most sites of reasonable size |
| creation? Do they even want it? | | | | are aiming to generate revenue. If for no other |
| The last question can be a tough pill to swallow, but | | | | reason than to pay their running costs. |
| unfortunately the fact that you think your creation is | | | | You can monetize your website in many ways, the |
| the best thing since sliced bread doesn't cut it in the | | | | most popular is Google AdSense, which allows you to |
| real world. You should conduct some basic market | | | | place ads on your site. You get paid whenever |
| research to test the size of the market and potential | | | | someone clicks on an ad. Affiliate products are |
| demand for your site. If it looks like there is some | | | | another source of revenue, where you direct people |
| potential in the market, then you will need to | | | | to a merchants website and get paid a percentage |
| somehow convince people to use your site instead | | | | commission if someone buys a product. |
| of your competitors. | | | | So there you have it. These steps are not always in |
| If you can think of a viable marketing angle then you | | | | this order. Every project is unique and the |
| have a green light to go further with your project, if | | | | circumstances of a project might not require every |
| not, than you should stop right here. An oh so hard | | | | step listed here. If your project is a sizable one, then |
| thing to do once the momentum has started I know! | | | | having a clear, preferably written plan at each |
| Build It | | | | milestone of the project if far better in the long run |
| Ok, so your project has got the go-ahead. You have | | | | than "just diving right in". The larger the project the |
| two basic options: Develop offline or develop online. | | | | more true this is. |
| Unless you already have a hosting plan, it is usually a | | | | Boring? Yes! Tedious? Yes! Easier? You bet! Your |
| better choice to develop offline using a web | | | | project will probably seem more mundane without |
| simulation tool such as XAMPP. You don't have to | | | | the long nights of crunch time, the caffeine, adrenalin |
| pay hosting fees until your site is ready this way. | | | | and stress! |
| Register A Domain Name | | | | |