Getting a website designed and online
Nicecube design is a web design and development company based in Ballinasloe on the Galway / Roscommon border. We offer web & graphic design solutions to small and medium sized businesses. Getting a website designed and online is not a complicated process but we understand that it can appear daunting, we believe in talking to people in a language that they can understand and breaking down the process into stages.
Most of the people we work with do not have a website so the stages listed below are catered towards them. We also work with customers who already have a website but would like to update certain aspects of it or go with a complete overhaul. Read more about getting your website redesigned…
Applying for Enterprise Board Grant
Few people are aware that the various Enterprise Boards offer a website development grant. The terms and conditions differ from county to county and not every business type will qualify, however it is well worth the phone call to the local enterprise board to see if the grant is available or if any other assistance can be availed of. Click here for a list of Enterprise Boards…
Domain name registration
The first step in getting your website online is deciding on a suitable domain name, the domain name is the url or web address of your website. Nicecube can run through the various domain name options that are available to you when you are looking to get a website designed. Traditionally the most common domain name extension used in Ireland would be either the .com or the .ie, but recently there has been an influx of new domain extensions which may be suitable for your business name.
If you would prefer, Nicecube will register your domain name for you or alternatively point you in the direction of a recommended domain name registrar. *
Website & Email Hosting
Once you have decided on and have registered your domain name the next step is purchasing website hosting. This is required so that your website can be uploaded and made accessible on the internet. Having website hosting will also allow you to have email addresses associated to your domain, e.g. [email protected] or [email protected] **
Website Design & Development
Once the domain name is registered and the appropriate web hosting is in place, the next stage is to work out what you want the customer wants their website to do and how they want it to look. We sit down with the customer in order to get a feel for their business; we look at what the customer wants and we give options on how their requirements can be best achieved.
Once we are clear on the brief we start on the initial design, generally we mock up a static homepage and inner page layout graphic, upload it to our staging server and email the customer the link. The design is reviewed and tweaked until the customer is happy to progress to the next phase.
Once the design is approved, we start building the page templates and, if applicable, start constructing the Content Management System (CMS). Once the website is ready we hand it over to the customer to add content and provide on site CMS training if needed.
Social Media
Social media has become very popular over the last couple of years, and if used correctly, can be a great way to improve traffic to your website. As the majority of social media software is free, it’s an innovative and cost effective way to gain advantage over competitors. However, in order for social media to work it requires time and effort.
Facebook, Flickr, Wordpress, YouTube, Blogger, Twitter and LinkedIn are just some examples of the social media that Nicecube are currently integrating into customers websites.
Content Management System or Maintenance Contract?
Before we build the website the customer must decide how often they plan to update the website content, if the website is to be updated quite often we recommend that a Content Management System or CMS is added…
A Content Management System or ‘CMS’ is custom designed software that allows customers to easily access and maintain their websites content. They can login to a password protected administrator area from any browser and edit the content e.g add/edit text, add new images to a gallery, add new products, add new articles etc. Read more about Content Management Systems...
If the website is more of an online brochure which will not be updated frequently enough to warrant a CMS then a website maintenance contract may be more appropriate. We offer blocks of 6 and 12 hours, any updates that are subsequently carried out are simply deducted from the block of hours. We also provide a per hour rate for one off requests. Read more about website maintenance contract options…
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is an essential part of the process when getting your website designed. Basically, Search Engine Optimisation is the science of equipping a website with relevant keywords & phrases so that the website will be visible in search engines. Our CMS features a SEO module which allows the customer to access and edit the metatags for each page. This means that the customer has more control and can keep their metatags current and relevant. Read more about Search Engine Optimisation…
Ready to sell online?
Shopping carts can be a great addition to a website and have the potential to offer a new source of revenue to a business. People are much more comfortable with buying online now, and by having a cart on your website you are offering a facility that makes it easy for people to buy your product.
Want to find out more?
If you would like to find out more about getting a website designed, call us on 085 732 5296, skype us on nicecubedesign or email us on [email protected]
* Domain name registration is a reoccurring annual charge.
** Website/email hosting is a reoccurring annual charge. | 
