Web Business

I have a class called Web Design and Development. It's an introductory course for those who wish to become Web Designers or Web Developers, or even both.

The class actually has no influence on my major or my minor, and I took it only because I wished to know more about Web Design. Someday I'd like to create a website for myself. The only problem is I currently have no specific purpose for it. So I'm taking the class to gain ideas and information, and then pass it along to my genius brother who is majoring in computer science.

He's a fella who can create a website. I'd like to think that I'm the person who can help design and come up with ideas. Though, it would be more of a blending of ideas because, well, he's a genius.

Last Friday in class, we had a guest speaker. His name is Kent Lundin. He teaches Web Business 250.

Web Business 250 is a class with no prerequisites. It's a class where you make and build an online business for the semester. Weither you have any experience with building a website or not.

There are a few steps he spoke about:

1. Choose a Business

2. Build a Site

3. Legal

4. Searching, SEO, Google

You learn of the process and gain tools to help you choose a successful business. Once that is done you build the site. You purchase a hosting and a domain name. You learn how to work with credit cards, etc. Then you learn of the legal things, like taxes.

The last step is what I think would be the most fun.

Getting people to come to your site and to return there.

Using Search Engine Optimization can help you become one of the top sites when people are googling or searching online for something that could work with your business. Taking advantage of the social media is also a great way to get word out there. Having ads is also something to consider.

Using Google Analytics you can see information about the people who visit your site. From it you can determine why it is someone stays or leaves the site and how you can convince people to stay on your site once they have arrived. Perhaps the design of the site needs to be tweaked. Or on one internet browser the website shows up excellently, but on another it does not.

You need to ask: Is this making or losing you money? What do you want them to do at your site?

You can learn from other sites too.

Why do you return to this site? What do you like about it? Why don't you visit this site? What don't you like about it?

Learning from these questions can help you better organize your own site in a way that it is attractive to many.

Yes. Someday I'll have a website and hopefully it'll be with my brother.

First I just need to get him to take the class. Though I think it'd be a beneficial skill for him to have anyways, especially considering his interests.

:D