Website Development for Farms

January 23, 2005

Presenter

• Debbie Roos
  NC Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center
  Pittsboro, NC
  919-542-8202
  debbie_roos@ncsu.edu
  Growing Small Farms website
  
  Listing your Farm on National Databases

• Local Harvest
• New Farm Locator

Web Publishing Do’s

• Do think about your target audience
• Do use good sites as models
• Do put the good stuff first and make it easy to find
• Do create a comfortable site (consistent layout, easy to navigate, etc.)
• Do use text bites
• Do get permission for content
• Do use links to outside sites
• Do use graphics
• Do think about download times (optimize all graphics)
• Do think before you create
• Do ask for feedback
• Do test your pages
• Do publicize your site
• Do update your site

Web Publishing Don’ts

• Don’t “overdesign”; keep it simple
• Don’t break Netiquette rules (spamming, flaming, etc.)
• Don’t abuse graphics and multimedia
• Don’t forget ALT text and text versions of menus
• Don’t forget the basics (contact info, email address, copyright notice, site map, etc.)
• Don’t make your site hard to navigate

Examples of Farm Websites

North Carolina

• Baldwin Charolais Beef - Yanceyville, North Carolina
• Maple Springs Garden - Cedar Grove, NC
• Harland's Creek Farm - Pittsboro, NC
• Goat Lady Dairy - Climax, NC
• Nu Horizons Farm - Pittsboro, NC
• Shiloh Farm and Retreat - Louisburg, NC

National

• Sho-Me Farms - Missouri
• Terra Bella Farm - Missouri
• Tuscaloosa CSA - Alabama
• Peaceful Pastures Farm - Tennessee
• Homestead Healthy Foods - Texas

Web Basics

• The web is defined by two specifications:
  1. HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol
     
  2. HTML – HyperText Markup Language - text that can contain links to other pieces of text stored on the Internet; the web got its name from the way all the links connect the pieces of text together like a huge spider web
     

• Web browser – you look at web pages with a program called a web browser; a web browser uses HTTP to request a web page from a web server, and the web page uses HTTP to request any other files, such as graphics, that are part of the web page; the most popular web browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape

Website Design 101

• Tools for building and editing a webpage:
  1. plain text - you actually write HTML code; show example in Notepad
  2. WYSIWYG web page editor (Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage, Netscape Composer, etc.); show Dreamweaver example

  Each has its advantages and disadvantages. You will most likely be using some type of html (WYSIWYG) editor but it is good to learn some HTML code for troubleshooting

  
  

• Key Principles of Design
  • Simplicity
  • Predictability
  • Consistency

 

• Optimize Graphics
  
  • 2 ways to optimize:
    1. can reduce file size
    2. can reduce resolution or quality
  • can use Adobe Photoshop or other programs
    
  • Microsoft Photo Editor will reduce file size
  • demo using Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Photo Editor

1. Use a free html editor and then find a host server
   • download Netscape 7.2
     
     

   • Resources for learning to use Netscape Composer
     • Basic Web Resource Site - an On-line Guide to Using Netscape Composer
       
     • Web Design Basics: Composer - on-line guide
       
     • Netscape Composer for Dummies, by Deborah and Eric Ray
       

   • other free software
     
     

   • Once you complete your website, you will need to choose a host server and domain name
   • Demo of Netscape Composer

   
   
2. Use a Company that Provides On-line Website Building and Hosting

• Best to pick one that has a trial period because you may have to pay for a year at the time

• Not all are created equal - you need to find one that you can use comfortably
  

• You may experience some frustrations getting the proper software downloaded (I did!), but use their tech support and stick with it; once it is installed properly, you won't have to worry about it again

• Homestead
  • One-stop shopping for on-line website building, domain name, and hosting
    
  • Includes Site Builder software that has over 100 templates that you can customize
    
  • Pick a plan that suits your needs, including E-commerce (package prices range from $9.99/month to $49.99/month, depending on what features you want)
    
  • On-line guide walks you through web page development
    
  • Technical support through phone and email
    
  • Look at some websites built with Homestead
    

  Demo of Homestead and Site Builder
  

• Register.com - domain names, on-line website building, and hosting
  
• GoDaddy.com - domain names, on-line website building, and hosting
  
• Bigstep - on-line website building and hosting

3. Purchase and use a web design software like Dreamweaver or FrontPage

• Can buy new or used (try Amazon.com or eBay for used) - $30-$350

• Demo of Dreamweaver

Finding a Domain Name

• You can purchase a domain name at a number of different sites; make sure you own the name and not the host server so you can transfer it later if needed
• Pick a name that is easy to remember and makes sense for your farm business; this is a big decision so take some time to pick it

• Select an appropriate domain extension: .com for a commercial farm operation

• You might want to register variations of your domain name to include common misspellings and other extensions

• Find a domain name
  • Register.com - domain names, web hosting, and on-line website building
    
  • GoDaddy.com - domain names, web hosting, and on-line website building

Publishing your Website

• Finding a Host Server
  • Choose carefully - make sure you know what you are getting in terms of space, features, cost, etc.

  • Free host servers are not recommended - annoying ads

  • Consider a local provider
  • Some Web Hosting Servers
    • Blast Internet Services
      Web Hosting, Web Development, Internet Access
      Pittsboro, NC
      800-24-BLAST

    • Millennium Systems, Inc.
      Web Hosting, Domain Names, Web Design
      
      

    • On-line Guide to Small Business Web Hosting - I tried 123BuildaSite.com and do not recommend it because it is a poorly organized site in my opinion

   

• Transferring your Files
  • File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is an Internet service for transferring files between different machines
  • Lots of different FTP programs are available
    • Core FTP - free download
    • Search for FTP on Download.com - free to try, then have to buy
  • The host server will set up a web host and send you an email with the info you need to upload files (FTP username and password, etc.)
  • Demo of FTP
    




• Testing your Site
  • As soon as you get your site up, log onto the web and see if it works. Check all links to make sure they go where they should. Make sure you can move easily between pages. Try looking at your site on a computer with a slow modem speed to see how usable it is at slower speeds. Look at your website in both Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers.

  • Try and look at your site as a new user would. Keep an open-minded approach. Does it work?

  • Print all the pages on your website and make notes of any changes that need to be made.
    

 

• Getting Feedback on your Site

• Ask for feedback! You can request feedback right on your website. You can also ask colleagues and friends to try it out and give you their honest opinions. As them these questions:
  • What do you think the site is for?
  • How does it compare with other sites you've seen?
  • What's the one thing you'd change about the site if you could?

Working with a Web Designer

• Hiring a Designer

• Try and get a personal referral from someone you know if possible

• If this is not possible, look at some local websites and find out who designed them
• Use the phone book as a last resort!
• Look at a portfolio of their work to see if you like their designs
• You may want to ask for references so you can talk with previous clients

 

• The Design Process

• The designer may ask the client to first think about what the major sections will be, how big of a site she wants, basic site navigation, etc.
  
  

• Initial meeting with designer to talk about needs and expectations; designer will want to know if the client has any preconceived ideas about design, color scheme, logo, etc.
  
  

• After initial meeting, designer will mock-up 1-2 designs for the home page and email to client and then discuss
• The designer will then create a home page and an interior page and ask for feedback again
• The designer starts building the site, and may provide the URL to the client so they can see progress
• Once the site is complete, the designer can suggest a host server
• The client signs up for the host service and sends info to designer so he can upload the site
  
  

Website Maintenance

• The designer will provide you with all the files and should show you how to do simple maintenance

• You can open and edit files from Dreamweaver and FrontPage in the free Netscape Composer!

• Demo of website maintenance using Dreamweaver
  
  

Publicizing your Website

• The amount and type of publicity depends on your goals for the site

• Can promote through business cards, flyers, paid advertisements in relevant publications, signs at farmers' markets, produce bags, links from other sites, press releases, email announcements, etc.

• Make sure you have created META tags for your website so search engines can find it

• Many businesses pay money to get their website ranked high with the major search engines

• Tips for Marketing your Website

• For more info, go to searchengines.com
  

Resources

• AllProfitAllFree.com - Tools and resources for business websites
  • Web design tools
  • Guide to host servers
  • Website tools and content
  • Payment processing
  • Website promotion

• Creating Web Pages for Dummies, by Bud Smith and Arthur Bebak

• Building a Website for Dummies, by David Crowder

• Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Dummies, by Janine Warner and Susannah Gardner

• The Big Red Fez: How to Make any Website Better, by Seth Godin