Study Web Site Development Online
A good website can be used to advertise and sell goods and services, or, it can be used to advertise and sell goods and services. Not all web sites are effective though. A complicated, flashy website will not necessarily achieve the effect you want.
Many web developers get jobs because they create web sites that look good on the surface; but very few designers are able to create web sites that are effective, actually making money for the client. To be a successful designer, you need to learn to create these effective sites. This then builds a reputation, earning you return business from old clients and referrals to new clients.
Lots of web development courses teach you how to be creative, others teach you the mechanics of programming. To be a successful designer you need both of these things; but also a very solid understanding of the world of business and marketing.
Writing a Web Site (HTML)
- Introduction to the Internet and HTML
- The most important HTML Tags
- Simplification through HTML Construction Software
- Creating Links
- Loading a Site onto the Internet
- Adding Graphics
- Designing a Web Site that Works
- Advanced Features
- Introduction - what is e-commerce (more than the internet)
- Success and failure - what makes the difference
- Promotional strategies - are different on the internet
- Optimizing web site potential
- Increasing web site exposure
- Automating supply of goods, services and cash flow
- Managing constant change
- Dealing with e-commerce problems
- Introduction To Digital Technology
- Digital Technology - Colour, resolution, sensors
- Digital Cameras
- Taking Photographs
- Uploading Images
- The Digital Darkroom
- Compositing & Imaging - Production & manipulation of images
- Special Effects
- Outputs & Applications- Printers, The Internet
Managing the security of any web site is a critical part of the job for any web programmer; making this module particularly important in today's internet environment. The module has 11 lessons as follows:
- Introduction to Cyber Security and cyber attacks/defences
- Vulnerability Assessment
- Securing the facilities and networks
- Securing your online digital footprint
- Internet Security and Digital Certificates
- Wireless Network Vulnerabilities, Attacks and Security
- Firewalls, IDS and IPS
- Access Control and Authentication
- Cyber attack Disaster Recovery strategies
- Ongoing Security Management
ASP.net is a program used to develop web sites. It has very real advantages over HTML (which is more widely used) and other web site programs (eg. It will download sites much faster, and search engines are likely to rank ASP.net programs higher than others). There are 11 lessons as follows:
- VB.NET Essentials
- Web Forms
- Web Server Controls
- Form Validation
- Classes and Namespaces
- Creating ASP.NET Applications
- Error Handling
- Email from your Applications
- Project: Creating an Online Store
Visual Basic Programming.Net
- Understanding conditional statements
- I/O handling
- Controls and Objects – An Introduction
- Structured Programming using Modules
- Properties, methods, events & classes
- Using controls
- Developing a complete VB.NET application
Registering a domain name
A domain name is area in the URL that defines the company. For ACS our domain name is acs, this is the acs in http://www.acs.edu.au. The .edu refers to the fact that ACS is an educational organisation, the .au refers to Australia. It is important that the domain name registered for the business should be:
Reflecting the business name or interests;
- Shorter names are better than longer ones;
- If you are selling internationally then a .com name is more appropriate, if you are only able to sell locally then the local URLs like .com.au or .co.uk etc are more appropriate;
- Make sure your website name is not too similar to any well known registered trademark name so that you avoid infringing the trademark owner’s rights.
Your Internet service provider (ISP) can help you register a domain name. Costs vary from country to country but are relatively small compared with the cost of developing a site. Many ISP’s will have a domain name search engine on their websites. You can use this to search for the availability of domain names before you apply for one. With your domain name you will also be able set up email addresses using the domain name specific to your business.
Email is sent through the intranet and through the Internet. Email is faster and more efficient than regular mail, and can send messages within minutes to anywhere in the world. Messages can be stored and sent when phone rates are lower, or can be sent at any time. They save paper, and can include attachments (other documents or files), as well as pictures and diagrams. They can be sent to several or many people at once, and can be easily sent around within an office to be edited or added to before being sent. These benefits make email the most widely used Internet service, and in today’s business world, every office worker needs to know how to use email correctly.
You can use email in either of these two ways:
- Send a message to someone within the intranet directly via the network server
- Send a message to anyone via the Internet by connecting to your ISP.
To send an email, you must use a net address. Net addresses are made up of different parts that communicate specific information. While you can keep your email address very simple, it can be helpful to include parts that help the reader quickly identify you. The net address can be written in upper or lower case, though lower case is more common. However, it is very important to type it accurately, as one wrong digit will prevent the email from being sent to the correct location.
A net address contains a user name or ID (either the person’s real name or another), the name of the domain, or organisation running the site and the kind of site. An organisation suffix at the end of the address identifies the kind of organisation, and another suffix may be added to denote country.
[email protected] or [email protected]
In the above examples, com and gov indicate that the organisations are, respectively, a commercial and a government organisation; au and za indicate that the countries in which these organisations exist are, respectively, Australia and Zambia.
The essential parts of an email message are, and often in this order:
- receiver’s name
- sender’s name
- body of message
- senders email address
- senders other contact details
When using emails in your business it is a good idea to be aware of the implications of local law with regard to email, both with other businesses and the rights of employees and employers.
Setting up your e-commerce website
Plan what you want your website to do. Who will be looking at it? Identify your market. Design the website accordingly.
What information and functions do you want to provide. Ask yourself do I find it easy to find a product and purchase it on the website? Are the offers attractive for me to purchase? If you have answered no to either of these questions you need to rethink the way you want your website projected.
You need to find a server to host your website. Normally ISPs offer this service. Shop around to find the best service for the best price. It should cost you anywhere from $20.00 to $100.00 per month to host a website. The price will reflect many factors, some of these may affect the speed at which your website will operate. Most ISP’s will also support a variety of software and it is important to check that they will be able to support your website.
Have a basic structure for the website. Provide contact information, product and service information, inquiry form etc.
If you want to sell your products directly on the website you should have shopping trolley system in place where people can purchase a product and pay by credit card or an alternate method.
If you want to accept credit cards you have to create a merchant account with a bank that is providing this service.
Finally you need to find a good web design company who can build your website according to your specifications, optimise it and submit it to the search engines. This might one of the most expensive part, but it is recommended you outsource it to a good company initially and once the site is built and established you can learn to maintain it yourself or in-house.
Why Choose This Course
- Course notes and materials are unique (written by our staff) and up to date (most revised annually) –our graduates are more up to date with what they learn than many other institutions.
- We don’t just present you with information; we also work to help you understand and remember it, develop an ability to apply it in the real world, and build networks with others who work in this field.
- Start any time, study at your own pace, study from anywhere
- Don’t waste time and money traveling to and from classes
- More choices in your assignment work –courses are written to allow you more options to focus on parts of the subject that are of more interest to you.
- Tutors more accessible than many colleges – academics are hard at work in both the UK and Australia, 5 days a week, 16 hours a day, and answering individual queries from students are top priority and always attended to within a day –often within an hour.
- Be treated like an individual –don’t get lost in a crowd of other students. Our tutors interact with you one to one.
- Extra help at no extra cost where needed.. If you find a task you can’t do, we will help you through it or give you another option.
- Support after graduation –We will advise on getting work, starting a business, putting a CV together. We will promote students and their businesses through our extensive profile on the internet. Any graduate who asks will be helped.
- Ensure your skills are up to date, by pursuing further studies or attending professional development activities.
- Keep up to date with what's happening in the field. Where is there likely to be more work? And what skills are
most desirable at present?
- Join a networking group to meet people who are working in the field.
- Get some experience. Whether paid or unpaid, experience will
always make your CV look more impressive and give you some practical
knowledge to apply in your interview.