Organizing Website Content

Domain Name Registration is the first step to having a website built. If you have not already done so, register your domain name. Be sure to print out your registration information. We recommend making several copies and storing them in separate locations. DO NOT LOSE your login or password.

The second step is gathering and organizing your content. The time and effort spent before having a site designed and published makes all the difference in the end result. With a little planning and proper organization you can gather all your necessary content and Porch Puppy Online will do the rest.

If you have no idea how many pages your site will be or what information to provide, start by checking out your competitor's websites. Then outline your site using the guideline questionnaire and content formatting information provided on our website. Determine what pages you need and one by one, write the appropriate content for each. If writing is not your strong point, consider hiring a professional copywriter. If that's outside your budget, post your needs on a job board at a near by university or junior college. There are many talented up and coming writers who will appreciate the freelance work.

Once your text is written, you'll need to find some nice photos or illustrations to go along with it. Visuals are a must on a website. You may have images from printed materials such as brochures or catalogues. If not, you can take your own pictures or once again, post your needs on a university or junior college job board. Or you can always search istockphoto.com for royalty free photos at a very nominal price.

Your site may require additional functionality such as a database, custom admin tools or a shopping cart and credit card processing. Before purchasing any software or signing up for merchant services consult your website designer.

It is important to submit content to the website designer in usable format. Following the guidelines below will insure the smooth and speedy production of your website.


Text: All content materials for your website should be provided in digital format. Text can be in a Microsoft Word (.doc) or typed directly into the body of an email. Final edits must be made before submitting text. Please double check all spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Images: Images provided as digital files must be a minimum resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi). Acceptable digital file formats for images are JPG, TIFF, EPS and GIF. Images cannot be embedded in another document such as Microsoft Word, Publisher or Power Point. We will be happy to scan photographs and illustrations for you but please keep in mind- the quality of the scan is directly dependent upon the quality of the original (no slides). We can crop, resize and do minor color corrections. If an original image is blurred or in poor condition we cannot fix it. If you would like to use images from istockphoto.com, note the image ID number and we will download it for you.

Copyright: Please make sure you have copyright releases for all images and text. Do NOT assume copyright. If you are not absolutely certain, (i.e. you personally took the photograph, drew the illustration or authored the text) get a written release. A little time and effort now could save you a world of hurt later. If you have questions regarding copyright laws, visit the U.S. Copyright Office Home Page at http://www.loc.gov/copyright.

When you have all text and images collected and formatted as needed, divide and label your content according to page/section names. If you are submitting digital content on CD, please be sure to label all disks with your name, company name and a contact phone number. Create folders for each page/section containing text and corresponding images. If you are emailing your content, please be sure to label text and images according to the page for which they are intended (i.e. home.doc, homePic1.jpg, services.doc, servicesPic.jpg, etc.).

If you have reference web sites you would like us to look at, please make a list of the URLs and note what specifically appeals to you about each site. Please keep in mind that websites with 'fancy functions' can be quite costly but we will do our best to keep your site within your budget.

Contact us for a price quote, and please do not hesitate to e-mail or call us with any questions. We have answers!