Newcomers are welcome. Internet needs brand new sites . If you think, you need a website then you need to prepare for it.
However there is no such things like “I need a website now! It is an emergency”.
You need to accept the fact that there are things in the life which qualify for emergency. But a new website is not one of them. You have a traffic accident, you need a truck to pull the badly damaged car, count that as an emergency.
You are bleeding all over next to your car, definitely you need an ambulance. That is also emergency. The police said that you had Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.90 . You are drunk, you need a good lawyer. That is urgent. Maybe it is time to go to AA meeting. But if you decide to have a website while you are drinking your 5th tequila, and you think you have to do this first thing in the morning. Probably that is not a good idea.
Making a website is actually an ongoing process for the site owner and for the web designer.

Before visiting a web designer for the first time you need to do some homework about your new site.
Take your time, prepare all the documents and search online.
Do not hurry to meet your designer, first collect all your materials that you want to publish online.
Think about the content , what you want to tell your visitors?
You can get some ideas if you search online other web sites, that are similar content to yours.
When you look at websites online, try to focus on sites that have same line of business. If you are planning to have a brochure type website and saying to your new web designer I want something like apple.com, is totally meaningless. Apple spends millions of dollars for their site. Lots of people working on their content. There is a good chance you have limited budget for your first website.

• A brochure type portfolio site usually has 1-6 web pages such as; about me, contact, gallery, artist statement, home, etc. Portfolio websites are popular among young artists.
• A small business brochure type website can contain similar pages and introduction for their service and goods.
• A personal website usually contains information about the person, photos and videos ( in most cases youtube videos ) .
• Brochure type websites language generally would written in HTML.
• If your goal is to reach success from your web advertising / web site, then plan well.
• Prepare all your content, bring your articles, photos, logo, flyer, brochure that might be useful for web site.
• Do not plan to put a lot of info on each page, stay focus on your subject
• Have a realistic expectation from your web site, you can not be number one in search engines in a day
• Be aware colors and fonts are limited on the web

Custom fonts can be used online as an image, flash or embedding the site. All these three options has problems with page downloading, inconsistent look on every browser.
It is better to use safe web fonts for the websites. For more font types information please reference font articles

• Think about color and layouts, choose a style of web site
• Describe what you want to your designer, make a draft, a sketch, or even better show sample sites online
• Think about your web site * keywords, share with your designer
• Buy a domain name and hosting under your name
• What is your budget for a beginner site? Building a business online takes time, so spend your money carefully.

The web designer can buy a domain name and hosting for you. But if you are a business owner, you should seriously consider purchase it yourself. Especially the domain name. If a person buy a domain name, it will be belong to that person. If you do not get along with your designer, you might end up facing some problems.

Choosing a domain name is important. Try to get a name short and easy to remember. If you bought your domain name and your hosting package, keep your account information the url name, password and customer ID safe.
Your designer will need the hosting information and also domain info.

Check availability of a domain name here:
http://www.designbynur.com/whois/whois.php
or see your domain name creation date.

Here are definitions of the extensions you can choose from:

* .com represents the word “commercial,” and it is an unrestricted global domain name extension. Many businesses prefer a .com domain name because it is a highly recognized symbol for having a business presence on the Internet. But, the number of available .com domain names is shrinking as more and more businesses go online.
* .net represents the word “network,” and is an unrestricted global domain name extension most commonly used by Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies, or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, some businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet web sites.
* .org represents the word “organization,” and is an unrestricted global domain name extension that is primarily used for non-commercial sites. However, many commercial entities register the .org extensions corresponding to their .com domain names in order to protect their brands.
* .biz is a restricted-use global domain name extension used for business web sites. As a relatively new type of domain, .biz offers a company the opportunity to get the domain name it really wants and enhance its presence on the Web with a domain name that means business.
* .info is an unrestricted domain name extension that creates an opportunity to reach a worldwide audience with information about your business and ideas. .info is growing in popularity, but still has many great names available.
* .us is a restricted-use country code that may be used by any individual or organization with residence in the US or its territories, including foreign organizations that do business in the US.

After you decide your domain name, if you feel ready, work on your web site project you may call a designer.
Good luck with new adventure.

* Keywords: The basis of all search engine rankings is keywords. Users enter keyphrases in Search Engines to get information they need. It’s not just a single word, but can be 2 or 3 words in combination that answers the question “affordable custom web design”.

References:

FONTS

• What do you need to know about Font Types?
• Common Font Types
• Windows Fonts List
• Web browsers and font types
• How to use special characters?
• How to install a font to PC?

COLORS

WEB PAGE LAYOUT

WEBSITE DESIGN