Suggestions for Creating Your Own Website!

1. Most important! Start small. Otherwise, you may never finish and you will have nothing on the Web. You may add more later. Search engines will have something with which to notice you. Start with one page. Answer these simple questions with a few bullet points each:

What are my products and/or services?
How are they unique? Why should people buy from me instead of my competitors?
How should people get in contact with me?

Upload one or two photos, and that’s it!

2. Display your contact information prominently! Display at least your telephone number toward the top of every web page. Do not expect that viewers will go to a “Contact Us” page. Make it easy for people to buy from you!

3. Learn the basics. Play with your website. You will discover almost everything you need to know. Don’t fear “breaking” anything, and, if you have trouble, call me – 205-637-8000 or help@localbusinesswebsites.com.

4. Check out a model site. To get ideas, please go to http://alabamaairshuttle.localbusinesswebsites.com/

5. Enter text. Two options to enter text: (a) Type text directly after clicking on “Edit” in a section; (b) You may copy text from Microsoft Word, for example, and paste it to your website, but the pasted text may not look the same as the original. For example, the website has pre-selected fonts, font sizes, and font colors (to make creating a website easier for you), and spacing may be different. Still, you may find it easier to copy and paste. Use the spacebar and return key on your keyboard to add spaces, and read about other options in number 8 below.

6. Incorporate images and videos. To place an image or video on your page is easy. Upload it. You will see it in the “Loading Dock” at the bottom of your web page. Click on it, and you will see the possible locations for it on your page. Simply move the selection to your chosen location and release the mouse button. If you decide you don’t like it there, click on the upper right of the image or video to remove it, or simply move another image or video on top of it.

To view a video, you must first make the page "Public," as opposed to "Private" (see buttons at the top of a page you are editing), and then you must click on "View Public Site" (see button at the top of an edit page). "View Public Site" opens a new web page or pages, so to return to the last page you were editing, simply close the new web page or pages.

7. Write for the Web. Tips for writing to help search engines find you:

Be concise. Don’t ramble but don’t sell yourself short either. This is your chance to influence people to try your business.
Use words that people will use in Google or other search engines to find a business like yours, such as “Birmingham, AL,” “flowers,” “flower shop,” “flower arrangements,” and “wedding.” Don’t forget your city, and don’t say “Birmingham” only. There is a Birmingham, England!
Use paragraph headers. We are providing section headers, and, if you don’t like the wording, edit it. You may add paragraph headers.
Use bullet point lists where appropriate. To add a bullet point, use an asterisk, or, on a Mac only, press "Option" and "8" on your keyboard at the same time.

8. Format your text. This beta version of your website does not include a text formatting facility, but there are a few tricks that you can use in edit mode:

To add a bullet point, use an asterisk or, on a Mac, press "Option" and "8" on your keyboard at the same time.
To make text bold: bold text
To make text in italics: italics text
To make text bold and in italics: bold and italics text
To insert a link to another website: <http://www.alabamaairshuttle.com> You must include the full web address as shown here.
To insert a link to a new email message of yours, put your email address in brackets: <dgentry@localbusinesswebsites.com>

9. See your website as the public will see it. To see the results of your work, first designate all pages you want to see as others will view them by selecting the "Public" button at the top of every page you want to view. Then click on "View Public Site," a button at the top of a page. "View Public Site" opens a new web page or pages, so to return to the last page you were editing simply close the new web page or pages.

Please notice that if you click on "View Public Site" while viewing a "Private" page you will not be taken to the public site. You must first make the page "Public."

10. "Private" and "Public" pages. A "Private" page is one that only you may see. A "Public" page is one that is published to the Web, and everyone may see it.