Launching a Website

My next tasks are to identify snowman ornaments and other products that I want to market and launch a website on which to do so.  Now, I have an extensive background in computer programming and web development.  With time running short before the holidays I knew I didn't have the time to develop a website from the ground up.  So, I went about looking for a website template that would meet my needs and be easily modifiable.  I simply googled the phrase "free website templates" and starting perusing the results.  A few hours later I ended up choosing a free template that I really liked and had the benefit of keeping my start up costs down.

I needed snowman and holiday graphics to include on the website.  Unfortunately, I don't have much experience working with graphics and little, if any, artistic abilities so I went about the business of finding graphics on the internet.  I wanted quality graphics with high resolution and that fit the red, green and white color scheme of my template.  It is important to use quality graphics as the web site is the primary interface to my market and first impressions are important.  I don't want the site to look cheesy or amateurish.

It is important to honor copyright and trademark laws.  Whenever possible I select images and graphics that are in the public domain to keep expenses down.  An image in the public domain is free for everyone to use without asking for permission or paying royalties.  Google is a great way to find these images and graphics.  It may take a little time and patience but it is well worth it.  You don't want to infringe on anyone's copyright rights and have to respond to a cease and desist order later.  If you can't find an acceptable public domain image, you can always buy them from one of the many stock photo site like Fotolia.com.

More on launching the website next.