The Computer Revolution/E commerce/Web Site Development

Web site development is one of the steps involved in creating your own websites for your purposes. It lets you gather all your data and put it into a way that makes sense and is efficient in getting information out through different multimedia spectrum.

There are a couple of basic steps to developing the site, and basic tools you can use to help you along the way. First, you need to create any multimedia elements you might need. These such elements include things like, GIF, PNG, JPEG, or video files that project images of a product or service you're trying to promote. To much of these on one page will result in the site being loaded lower. To ensure that the site runs smoothly, you can use as less of these items as possible, or create a thumbnail image to show a smaller version.

Next you need to create the code that will create the website. There are several different types of codes you can use to create the website. Some examples of these codes are JavaScript, AJAX, Microsoft Silverlight, and Flash by Adobe. You can do this either manually by writing the HTML code (or other language) for the site, or you can use a specialized software package with a graphical user interface that will create the code for you. You can think of the HTML coding process as DOS (text based commands) and the graphical user interface as Windows (using menus and toolbars). Two popular programs for developing websites are Microsoft Expression Web and Adobe Dreamweaver.



Once the code is created, it need to be completely tested to ensure that all links lead to the appropriate content, and all content displays appropriately. Then, you need to find a hosting server that will hold your websites information, preferably one that is on a static IP address so you can access it from anywhere.

Once the website has been created, promotion of the website is key to making sure consumers can find your site. The best way to do this is to make sure your site can be found through popular search sites (i.e. Google, Yahoo!). The way that this is done is by using meta tags on your website. Meta tags are keywords used on your webpage that the search sites use to identify a page. Some search sites also take submissions and require that a form be filled out for consideration. Another method that might be used is the use of search site optimization (SSO) which is an ongoing process used to increase the visibility of your website. Many companies will pay money for an SSO company to help with this process. Parker, D. M. (2011). Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow. Boston, MA: Course Technology. Cengage Learning.