Experimenting with websites: how I developed my web-presence

Maighréad Gallagher Gambarelli (France)

We live in a global age, and for our businesses to survive we need to be "out there" with a web presence. Among the essentials for any professional is a website. But what if you're not a computer expert? Or if you don't have the funds to pay a professional web designer to develop and update your website? Let's take a leaf out of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: DON'T PANIC.
We'll find out just exactly where you can get a domain name, take a look at some free resources for web templates and page editing that require no more computer expertise than it takes to edit a Word file. But, most importantly we'll investigate WHY you need a website, WHAT you should have on it, and HOW to come out on top in a Google search. We will check out some examples of what works and what doesn't, how often you need to update your content, and what the difference is between a website and other web-based communication media. A website should benefit your business by making you more visible and easier to find, but it can only do this if you are aware of, and adhere to, some "rules of the net".

Maighread Gallagher-Gambarelli is a freelance translator and editor living near Grenoble, France. After completing her PhD in immunology in France, she worked in research laboratories in both the UK and France for a number of years. She turned her hand to translation and editing of research papers four years ago and hasn't looked back since!