Small Business Web Site, template websites, UK

WebLaunch FAQ

• How do I get a WebLaunch site?
• What are web page templates?
• What should I do first?
• How can I supply my logo, images, text etc.?
• What format should I supply my logo in?
• How do I choose my colours?
• What fonts can I use?
• Can I choose my own domain name?
• Can I use my existing domain name?
• What are Meta Tags and does WebLaunch support them?
• How should I name my pages?
• How should I write my pages?
• What tips do you have for using images?
• What contact details should I include?

How do I get a WebLaunch site?

1. You can call us on 01483 740800 and we’ll take your order over the phone
2. You can apply for your WebLaunch business template site online.

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What are web page templates?

WebLaunch is based on web page templates. These are pre-designed pages we can simply slot your content into. Tell us what colours to use, which fonts and so on. You don’t need to know anything about the Internet or how to build a web page – we do everything for you.

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What should I do first?

Before you even start to think about your website, consider the following:

• Who is your target audience?
  Give some thought to your target market. Who do you want to attract to your website? Why? The answer to that is more than likely to sell them something. So how are you going to do that?
• Don’t just tell them what you do/sell. Tell them why they want it (yes, want – not need). Offer incentives, freebies, discounts – anything to get that dialogue started.
• How will they find you?
  Consider what keywords people might type into a search engine to find you. Actually do the searches yourself. Who comes up in the top 30? Because that’s where you need to be. Are your competitors there? Look at their sites. Do they work? How can you improve on them? Those keywords – or keyphrases to be more accurate – need to be incorporated into your site. You may have to localise or specialise to get in that top 30. Identify something unique about your business that sets it apart from the rest.

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How can I supply my logo, images, text etc.?

• On-line: submit your small business website content online
• By email:
• By post:
  Business Starter Website
  The Marvellous Media Company
  1 GMS House
  Boundary Road
  Woking
  Surrey
  GU21 5BX

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What format should I supply my logo in?

There are a number of different ways you can supply this to us. In order of preference they are:

1. Illustrator or other vector artwork file (.ai, .eps, .wmf, .emf)
2. High resolution image (.tif, .jpg, .png, .bmp)
3. Low resolution image (.tif, .jpg, .png, .bmp)
4. Letterhead

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How do I choose my colours?

These are the colours you use on a regular basis in your print or advertising work. These can be given in a number of different ways:

• Use the simple colour selector when you register your WebLaunch small business website online
• Pantone Colour Reference (eg P618)
• RGB (eg 255,128,56)
• Hex (eg FF7733)
• CMYK (eg 15,100,50,0)
• Printed brochure or letterhead
• You may not know what the colours are, in which case you can supply us with something that is the right colour (either electronically such as an Acrobat PDF or physically such as a brochure or piece of cloth) and we’ll sample it.

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What fonts can I use?

The choice of fonts available is restricted by what the internet-surfing public have installed on their computers, so it’s a case of going for the lowest common denominator. These are:

• Arial
• Times New Roman
• Courier
• Georgia
• Verdana
• Geneva

You can choose a font for your headings and links, and another for your copy. This can all be done simply when you buy your WebLaunch small business website online.

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Can I choose my own domain name?

Yes, as long as no one else has already registered it. You can follow one of two schools of thought on choosing a domain name:

1. My Company Name
   Choose a name that includes your company name. This may be a problem if your company name is a common one or consists of three or four letters (such as ABC). There are millions of companies already on the internet and chances are someone has already registered your company name. If they’re a bona fide company there’s nothing you can do about it. If they’re not there may be some legal angle but unless you have money to throw at it we strongly advise you come up with an alternative!
2. My Company Activity
   The alternative to choosing a domain name based on your company name is to choose one based on your company activity. For example, our home page is multimedia-production-services.co.uk. The other benefit of going this route is search engines like your keywords being in your domain name!

When you’ve decided on a domain name use our domain checker to see if it is available. Tell us what it is when you buy your WebLaunch small business website and we’ll do the rest.

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Can I use my existing domain name?

Yes. It must be transferred to us, though:

• Transferring .co.uk domain names.
  Ask the people who currently host your site to change the IPS TAG to FASTHOSTS. This request must come from the contact they have on file, otherwise we’d do it for you. Tell us when you’ve done that and we’ll do the rest.
• Transferring .com, .net etc domain names
  Ask the people who host your current site to unlock your domain name for transfer. This request must come from the contact they have on file, otherwise we’d do it for you. Tell us when you’ve done that and we’ll do the rest.

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What are Meta Tags and does WebLaunch support them?

Yes. WebLaunch supports Meta Tags.
Hidden in your website – inside meta tags – will be a list of keywords and a description of your business. Whilst this won’t necessarily improve your search engine ranking (contrary to popular belief) it may help people make better informed decisions on whether to click on your link from a search engine. The description appears in the results list immediately under the link to your website (see below).

We will include:

• A list of 10 keywords
• A short description (400 characters)

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How should I name my pages?

Think about what you’re going to say on your website. Break it down into logical sections to make it easier for your visitors to find what they want. Here are some suggestions:

1. Home Page OR Welcome Page
2. Company Profile OR Company History OR About Us
3. Products OR Services OR Menu
4. Testimonials OR Client List OR References

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How should I write my pages?

Here’s the most important bit of all – make it short, make it snappy, make it relevant.

• Make it relevant
  What is your target audience? What do they want to hear? You may be especially proud of certain aspects of your business but unless it’s a selling point leave it out! Focus on what your customers need to know to decide to buy from you instead of your competitors. Offer guarantees that only you can make – on price, on service, on whatever your unique selling point is.
• Make it snappy
  You have to make an impression on your visitor within the first few seconds if they are to spend any time on your website. You need to grab their attention and then hold it.
  Use attention-grabbing headlines. Make outlandish claims. Be bold.
  Write in a manner that is engaging. Involve your audience. Appeal to their desires. Paint pictures in their head of dreams and aspirations and then offer it all to them.
• Make it short
  If you present people with too much text they simply won’t read it.
  Try to break what you have to say into easily digestible morsels using short paragraphs.
• And one more thing
  Include your keyphrases in your text wherever possible to improve your search engine ranking. This does not mean a list of your keyphrases 50 times – you’ll get penalised for that. Just use them in a natural manner, because once the search engines have done their job it’s your prospective customers that will be reading it.

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What tips do you have for using images?

A picture is worth a thousand words. And it’s much easier on the eye.

Do

• Include relevant images
• Use images that are properly lit and well composed
• Use images that build aspiration and desire for your products/services
• Use images that demonstrate your products/services

Don’t

• Use fuzzy, blurred or pixelated images
• Take mugshots of your staff – they may be a beautiful bunch but you need a professional to do this
• Use images that don’t belong to you
• Use images with messy, untidy, cluttered backgrounds

We’d like your images supplied in one of the following formats:

• jpeg/jpg
• tif
• bmp
• png
• psd

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What contact details should I include?

You should state:

1. Your address
2. Your telephone number
3. Your fax number
4. A generic email address (eg sales@abc.com or info@xyz.co.uk)

People like to deal with people, so it’s a good idea to have a contact name. If you have different departments (such as sales, service and spares) you could list them all, but be wary of overloading the visitor with too much choice. People may choose not to contact you at all rather than contacting the wrong person.

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