Step by Step guide to make your own Optometry Practice Website.

1. Register a domain name.

This means registering the name of the website, eg. optomforum.com.au  It is wise to ensure that the Domain name registrar you use is an auDA accredited registrar.  Alternatively, you could buy the domain name from a website developer or webhost, but it may be better to buy from an auDA accredited registrar. For .com.au  domain names, the domain name needs to be the same as your business name or company name. A couple of the main registrars in Australia are  Melbourne IT and  NetRegistry

2. Find a Web Host.

The website needs to be hosted on a server somewhere so that it is always available to people surfing the net.

Comcen provides webhosting appropriate for an optometry practice website for approximately $13 per month. optomforum.com.au is hosted with Comcen.

Another good webhost is Servers Australia which offers free hosting for low use websites - perfect to get your website started. Hosting for an average optometrist practice website would cost about $10 per month.

3. Delegate the Domain Name.

Once you have your domain name and your hosting account it is necessary to set things up so that your server is found through your domain name. To do this, follow the steps below. (If your registrar is the same company as your host then this step may not be necessary.)

1. Ensure that your webhost knows your domain name.  You have probably entered your domain name when you set up your hosting account, so your webhost knows your domain name.
2. Log into your Domain Registrar account and change the Domain Name Server (DNS) details to the Domain Name Server of the Webhost. For example, if you are hosting with Servers Australia, then you need to ensure that the name servers specified in your Domain Name Registration account are as follows;

ns1.serversaustralia.com.au
ns2.serversaustralia.com.au
ns3.serversaustralia.com.au

Delete existing name servers that do not point to your host.

If you want more than one domain name to point to the same hosting account, then set up a parked domain on your hosting account, and point the Registrar of the other Domain name to the Name Servers of your web host.

4. Install the Software.

You will need the following software - or something equivalent - on your computer.  The software listed below is free and it will do the job. - Professional software is also available but it can cost thousands.

KompoZer  HTML editor which allows you to edit the site without viewing all the HTML coding. Also allows you to edit the HTML coding directly.
AlleyCode   HTML editor which can also edit formats other than HTML. Allows you to add META tags, edit your sitemap.xml file,  create 404.shtml files, edit php  etc. (does not yet work with Vista)
FileZilla this is an ftp client  for uploading your files from your computer to the server.
Paint.NET  Image editor for creating and modifying images.

5. Choose your Website Template.

The easiest way to design a website layout is to use a ready made HTML Template. Templates set out the graphical appearance of the site. Some website developers pay graphic designers to create a template, some do it themselves.

To get a template;

1. Commission a graphic designer to create one,  or
2. Buy a ready made template online. or
3. Download a free template from a site such as Free Layouts. The only condition with most free templates is that the link to the template designer stays on your site. Ensure you read the conditions of each template to make sure that it is really free.

6. Create Your Own Website from a Template

Unzip the template you downloaded into a new directory on you hard disk.

Use Filezilla to upload all the contents of the directory containing your template to the public html directory on your server.

Test it out by typing your domain name into your web browser - the template should show up.

Use the HTML editors to get get the home page to look how you want it. Do this by editing the index.html  file on your hard disk. Upload the new index.html file to your server, replacing the original one.

Create other pages by saving the index.html file as other filenames, and then edit the new pages. Upload them when ready.

Basic HTML knowledge is required. It is easy to learn the basics as you go. There are many internet resources available to help with this.

7.  Images

You could take your own photos and edit them yourself with software such as Photoshop or Paint.NET or you can download images from sites such as;

iStockphoto  Cheap photos.  Often you may see these photos on many sites made by professional web-designers.

Flickr Creative Commons  free original photos, make sure you read the conditions of use.


By applying the information above it should be possible to create a professional looking website for the cost of domain registration and hosting. There is no excuse for any optometry practice to not have a website. When your site goes online make sure you list your site on optomforum.com.au    If you want further information, feel free to join the forum to ask.

What to be Careful of if using Web Developers.

1. Intellectual Property: be very aware that if a web designer creates your site then they own the content. You may argue that you own the text if you created it, but legally you cannot make modifications to the site yourself - even if you have access to the server. Be careful that the developer does not use images or content that is owned by others - you could be billed for royalties by the legal owner of the content. If you use a web designer make sure there is a written intellectual property agreement assigning copyright to you.

2. Webhosting: Often the webdesigner will arrange the web hosting. They will pay for it, and then bill you for it themselves (with mark-up).   This way you cannot access your site to make changes yourself. Regular modifications are a good earner for them.  Because you cannot access the server, you do not have access to useful traffic information.  In the event of disputes with the web designer, they have the power to take your site offline, or worse-still, put a note on the home page saying you have not paid your bill. Because you do not have access to the webhost and you do not own the copyright to the website (unless you have it in writing), you cannot just move the site to another webhost, or get another web developer to modify the site.  In the worst case you may have to create a whole new site.  If you plan to use a webdeveloper, then make sure you organise hosting yourself directly with a hosting company. Your developer can then upload the site to your webhost. Do not allow the webdesigner to host the site. Do not host the site on an overseas server if you want to show up as an Australian site -  the server IP address is one of the things that tells google which country the site is in.

3. Search Results: Some web designers have no idea about how to make a site show up on internet searches. If you have any doubts about this, try to type a suburb and the word "optometrist", and see if the relevant optometry practice websites show up. If Optom Forum shows up before the expected optometry practice website, then there may be a problem. The site may look good but maybe Google cannot work out what the site is about.  Before commissioning a web developer, have a look at their portfolio of websites. Then search for these sites by using search terms that their potential clients would use - if the sites don't show up, there may be a problem.

4. Domain Name:  It is probably safe to buy a domain name from anyone. However, problems can occur if your domain registrar goes broke, fails to remind you to renew your name, etc. Instead of selling you a domain name, it is conceivable that some businesses may sell you a licence to use the domain name whilst holding onto ownership themselves. Beware if it looks like you are renting the domain name.  Also, do not use a sub-domain as your website name. A subdomain looks like this:   subdomain.domain.com.au    The domain owner owns the name if you are on a sub-domain. Some optometric buying groups have set up websites for their members on subdomains of their domain.  This may be suitable as long as you ealise that you don't own the domain name.  If you are on a subdomain and you wish to leave the buying group or make your own new site, you will lose your web address (URL) which is known to clients and search engines.




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