Introduction to Website Design & Google Sites
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The document provides an overview of essential web concepts, including definitions of a website, web servers, clients, browsers, and URLs. It emphasizes the importance of having a business website for professionalism, visibility, and increased customer engagement, alongside tips for choosing a domain name. Additionally, it introduces website builders and Google Sites as accessible tools for creating websites without coding experience.
Introduction to Website Design & Google Sites
- 1. Komaa Nancy Martha BSc. Computer Science Makerere University • Affiliated to: • Digital African Library • Glare Group Company Limited
- 2. Key Terms • Website: Is a collection of web pages identified by a common domain name and published on a web server (hosting). • Web Servers/hosting : Actual place where your files are stored. They store and transfer web pages or information to user's computers on the network when requested by the users. • Client: The computer of a user who requests documents from a server is known as a client. • Browser, software which is installed on the user’s computer, allows users to view the retrieved documents. • All publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the WWW (World Wide Web) • World Wide Web (WWW)/web the collection of different websites around the world, containing different information shared via local servers(or computers).http://www
- 3. Components of the Web •Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a type of address used on the World Wide Web to identify HTML pages, files, and other sources of information. •HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP): specifies communication of browser and server. •File:Identifies a resource on a computer system. •Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML): HTML is a standard markup language which is used for creating web pages.
- 6. • Prefix: This is the foundation of the internet. It is used to load and connect to the website of your choice and indicates a protocol—for example, “https://” shows the site uses SSL security to encrypt data, making it safer for website visitors. • Domain, or domain name: This identifies which website or brand a site visitor is currently visiting (e.g., fitsmallbusiness). • Domain extension: This is usually chosen based on the entity type of the business or organization (e.g., .com for commercial businesses, .org for nonprofits, .store for retail sellers, .me for personal sites, and so on).
- 7. Examples • https://excellencefoundationss.wordpress.com/ • https://211check.org/fact-check-is-soursop-very-effective-in-killing- cancer-this-claim-is-unproven/ • https://sawamotionmedia.com/ • http://www.messiah.edu:5080/ • www.digitalafricanlibrary.com
- 8. Types of Domain Names Top-level domains” (TLDs) aka domain name extensions is the formal term for the suffix that appears at the end of a domain name e.g .com, .org, .edu and .net. www.dreamhost.com You can choose from dozens of options, such as .net, .blog, or .io(which was initially a country code but has since been co-opted for the tech community). .gov, only government websites can use Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) are restricted to use in specific countries. .ie for Ireland, UK (.co.uk), Canada with .ca, and even the USA with .us. These can all be great options if the .com version of the domain you had set your heart on has already been taken. new TLDs: .blog and .io, For instance, if you run a yoga studio, you might opt for the new .yoga in place of .com. There are also options such as .tech, .space, .shop, and even .art. Second-level domains :.club, .info, and .store.
- 9. Why should your business have a website? • Today many people are spending most of their time over the internet…With the amount of time being spent on the internet, business owners have realized the importance of being online and have started moving their businesses and services online. If a business does not have a website, it is missing several business opportunities and potential customers.
- 10. Why should your business have a website? 1. A Business Website Makes You Look Professional. 2. Having a website will attract new customers to your business and make you more money. 3. A Website Increases Your Visibility There are over 4.5 billion active internet users worldwide, and over 90% of them accessed the Internet via mobile devices. 4. It’s Essential For Local Businesses The following statistics show how important a website is for a local business: 46% of search on Google include local intent 97% of users use search to find local businesses 28% of users purchased an item after a local search 70% of users will visit a store because of what they found online
- 11. 5. It Offers Social Proof. Your website is the best place for people to get more information about your business. 6. A Business Website Gives Lasting Value. One of the best things about investing in a business website is how it continues to generate value for you even years after you’ve created it. 7. Creating a Business Website is Easier and Cheaper Than You Think. Many business owners refuse to create a website because they believe it’s difficult and expensive to create an effective website. 8. A Business Website Lets You Sell Online. Ecommerce sales are exploding and are projected to hit over $5.4 trillion in 2022. Surely, none of these sales happen with businesses that don’t own websites. 9. You Have Complete Control Over Your Website. Since your website is your property, you get absolute design freedom — unlike with social media platforms. You can share user reviews, videos, images, and whatever else you desire. 10. A Business Website is Easy to Manage. Using a content management system like WordPress, it’s now easier than ever to manage a website. In addition, you don’t need any technical skills to keep your website up to date. 11. Websites Improve Customer Service An effective website will contain plenty of important information your customers need. Therefore, there’s no need for them to call about location, hours of operation, and other simple questions. By helping customers, a website improves the overall customer experience. 12. A Website Helps You Edge Out The Competition
- 12. How To Choose a Domain Name for a Business Keep it short and recognizable: The domain name for a business should be easily identifiable by prospects and customers. Ideally, your domain name will be short and simple, while still unique enough to be memorable. Tie it to your brand: Using your brand name as your domain name is the easiest way to ensure it’s unique. By doing so, you separate yourself from the competition while adding professional credibility to your business and website. The domain name also helps to build your brand, as it’s directly associated with your business. Try alternatives with your location or keywords: It’s common to find that a desired domain name is already registered, or even in use. With so much competition, be sure you have a backup plan. For example, using your location in your business domain name can both indicate your service area and further delineate your brand from the rest. Likewise, keywords representational of your services (e.g., plumber, electrician, legal, real estate, and so on) can help you get a close match to your first pick. Consider impact on SEO: Search engines use domain names in coming up with their search rankings. Keywords are used to increase the accuracy and relevancy of the search results. If your domain name includes a keyword related to the services your business offers, it could help your site rank higher on Google. Reduce spam through private domain registration: When registering a domain, you are required to provide your contact information. Without private domain registration, this immediately puts your information out onto the web where anyone can use it to send you unwanted spam.
- 14. Top Ways To Get a Business Domain Name at a Glance
- 15. Website Builders • A website builder is a tool that allows you to build a website without coding experience. • It’s a convenient solution for freelancers, small business owners or anyone who wants to put up a website quickly without investing too much time or money. These use a drag-and-drop interface that is intuitive to use and offers plenty of flexibility and customisation. Examples • Ecwid, Shopify, Wix, Weebly, Hostgator, GoDaddy, Squarespace, Google sites, Zyro, Wordpress.org
- 16. What is Google Sites? • Google Sites is a free web application for creating websites. You can develop the website by yourself or collaborate with others to create the content of the pages.
- 17. Why Use Google Sites? ● It’s free and it’s easy to create. You don’t need to know any web coding. ● You can collaborate with other users or create the website solely. ● It is integrated with other Google Apps and tools so you can easily share video, photos,presentations, or calendars. ● Your site is stored on Google’s server. ● 100 MB of free online storage. ● Faculty and students can use Google Sites to create a professional ePortfolio.
- 18. Examples of Google sites developed by students last year https://sites.google.com/view/sswim-women-in-medicine- summit/home https://sites.google.com/view/eco-shoes-africa/team https://sites.google.com/view/zionprintsdesign/home https://sites.google.com/view/jabencafeteriajuba/home https://sites.google.com/view/thebellbusinessschool/home https://sites.google.com/view/wakandawild/left?authuser=0 https://sites.google.com/view/ryanconsultingsouthsudan/home https://sites.google.com/view/smartseedsco-ssd/home
Editor's Notes
- #8: What is a port number? A port number is a way to identify a specific process to which an internet or other network message is to be forwarded when it arrives at a server. All network-connected devices come equipped with standardized ports that have an assigned number. FTP uses ports 20 and 21 to transfer files between a client and a server.