1. Domain Name Registration
2. Web Design
3. Graphic Design
4. Publish Web Site to Web Host Server
5. Search Engine Registration
6. Maintenance and Changes to the Site
7. Desktop Publishing

1.  Domain Name Registration

Having your own domain name is critical for a professional on-line appearance.  Your domain name is the "address" of your web site, i.e., what is typed in after http://.  It usually takes the form www.yourname.com or www.yourname.org.  Domain names can be reserved and held for you before you are ready to go live with your web site.  The cost is anywhere from free to $35 per year.  The lower cost options are generally found when you purchase the domain name through a web hosting company, with the assumption that when you are ready to have your web site hosted you will use that company.

Acacia can work with you to find and reserve a domain name that is easy to remember and reflects your business or organization.

Occasionally an organization may feel it is unnecessary to have its own domain name.  In this case, the address of your web site would be part of your web host's domain name:  www.hostname.com.yoursubdomainname.

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2.  Web Design

Your web designer will meet with you to determine what your business or organizational needs are for your site.  This can be done in person, over the phone, or through email.  Two of Acacia's client sites have been developed long distance.

Site design should be about more than the latest "cool" technology or "cutesy" animated graphics.  You have particular goals for your on-line presence, and I will assist you with those goals.  I understand that busy people want to access on-line information presented in a clear, easy-to-navigate, and attractive format.

You provide to Acacia your ideas for your web site, and any graphics and written materials you would like to include on the site.  In addition to my programming abilities, I will use my background in marketing, editing and layout, as well as research into the web sites of your competitors, to design a site that will enhance the presentation of your information.

During development, your site will reside on a test space on Acacia's host server.  You will be able to dial in from anywhere to view progress and to look at design options on-line.  I will be in touch with you regularly during the progress of your site design, to make sure there are no misunderstandings about the direction of the work.

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3.  Graphic Design

Graphic design is important to the look of a web site and also to how quickly it loads.  Photos, logos, line drawings, most headings, and background designs are all examples of graphics inserted into a web page.  Graphics load much more slowly than straight text, making a visitor to your web site wait for the page to appear.  Generally, the larger and more numerous the graphics, the slower a page will load.  Graphics that repeat (for example the same logo on every page) only have to load one time (for the first page), and thus speed up load time, as well as give a look of consistency.

Acacia will work with you to use graphics in a way that will enhance the look and feel of your site, while keeping in mind the tradeoff between large graphic files and download time.

You can provide Acacia with the graphics that you wish to use for your site.  These can be provided as digital files, or paper photos or artwork which will be scanned in.

I am also able to provide digital photography, as well as design or find online graphics for you at an additional cost.

Talk to Acacia about the look you are trying to achieve, or let me provide some ideas for your site.

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4.  Publish Web Site to Web Host Server

Once your web site is completed, Acacia will publish the site to a web server.  The web hosting company owning the server will link your domain name to your server address, and your site will be available for the world to see!  There are many web hosting packages available.  Visit our Web Hosting Page for a more in-depth look at your options.

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5.  Search Engine Registration

Your site is now out there for the world to see!  But how will the world find you?  People use search engines, such as Yahoo, to find the web sites they are interested in.  Acacia will register your site by hand with top search engines so that your customers or members can find you.

Visit the Search Engine Page for more details on Acacia's search engine package.

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6.  Maintenance and Changes to the Site

Once your site has been published, Acacia will work with you to keep your site updated throughout the year with fresh information and graphics.  Anticipated changes and maintenance should be discussed during development of the web site, since some designs are easier to update than others.

Small changes can be accumulated and billed every six months.  Larger changes will be billed as new work.  Acacia will be happy to re-design, update, or maintain sites designed by other web designers as well.

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7.  Desktop Publishing

Visit the Desktop Publishing page.

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