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Why do you have a website anyway & what will be its goal ?
You have got a website. It's got some cool graphics and information about your company and maybe even a shopping cart for selling
your products. I would like to design and build it for you. But the question is very important. You need to be absolutely sure of the purpose of your web site - before you get involved with any designer.
Web sites can have many purposes. Some sites are designed to actively secure further business by offering on-line trading. Others are purely a method of enabling potential clients to see what a company can offer. The aim is to keep existing clients informed of new products or services and to give potential clients or customers sufficient information in order for them to contact your company.
Many sites exist to promote a particular cause or campaign. The sites are full of information and content to attract and retain visitors.
"We had to have a website - everybody does!" This is the mentality of many business sites.
Perhaps you feel that you should have a web site for your business because everyone else seems to have one? But what if you are a small company, like a plumber or electrician, and most of your business is done locally? To be honest, it may not be cost effective marketing to have a web site. You might get more for your money by investing in a larger advert in Yellow
Pages or local news papers/magazines.
The problem is that many sites are built without a clear goal in mind. It sounds silly, but it's true. It's time to take two steps back and take a big-picture look at your website and why it
exists.
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What's the goal of your website?
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To
inform
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To build a
community
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To gain valuable market
research
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To reduce support and customer service
costs
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To reach a broad audience with a
message
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To find sales
leads
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To conduct
e-commerce
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To gain advertising
revenue
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To brand your
company
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To build
trust
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To reduce printing and mailing
costs
These are just some of the many possibilities. Remember, the web is not just a marketing tool - it's a business tool as well. While it is perfectly okay to have an Internet billboard that simply contains contact information, why settle for that when your site can do so much more? Even the smallest local business can utilize the power of the Internet to be more efficient and to build revenue. Once you start thinking about it, it's easy to get excited about the potential for your site.
I don't think a website will do anything for me, am I right?
No, many people overlook the various products, services, or business processes they can include on a website. Any communication or interactions that happen within your business can be made easier and more
efficient by the web. Your business will save money and time while appealing to a much greater audience, the world.
While most businesses view the Internet as an opportunity to expand their sales through traditional e-commerce, few people are aware of the opportunities of increasing efficiency and reducing expenses. Placing business processes, especially those done daily, on the internet is possible for all types of businesses.
What
can a web site do for me?
The answer to this question is neither short nor easy. With a little research and thought you can find hundreds of reasons, but there are a few general statements that may help you realize your needs. First a website can reach millions of people that might not otherwise be available. Second, customers can view products, services, or whatever you want to share from the comfort of their own home. No matter what type of business you are in, their are ways to grow and make money on the web for you.
Is
it matter how it looks as long as it works?
When you
receive a visitor to your site, they will instantly perceive the quality of your services or products. The first impression a customer or potential customer gets depends on the appearance of your website. A visitor will be interested and explore your site if it is appealing and easy to navigate. You are marketing yourself and your business to the world over the Internet and it is important to show your best.
"How much do you charge for a web site?"
That is usually the first question I am asked. But it is the hardest question to answer.
Have you visited the web sites of other web design agencies? How many of them tell you their rates and charges? Some will just say "£299 per day" - not very helpful for you. I do try to be as open and honest as I can.
We differ from many other design companies. We prefer to agree the price with you before
we start the work, and then we stick to it.
As a potential Client, you need to know that your available budget will be sufficient.
We recognize that apart from the cost of developing a web site, you will also need to pay for web space,
domain name and perhaps other facilities, plus the potential cost of marketing your web presence in more traditional manners. So
we do understand and appreciate your need to know and to have a rough idea of the costs of developing a web site.
We encourage you to contact us and discuss your requirements.
Talk to me about your requirements, then you can go away and decide whether you like my ideas and proposals or not.
The total cost will depend on the complexity of the pages, whether they are based on a similar template or radically different and other variables such as the number of new graphics that I need to create.
We discuss with you your website requirements and then price accordingly and once you have placed an order for your website design with us, that price is strictly adhered to.
I
have decided to have a web site, so now what things to consider?
So, I want to establish a strong presence on the Web. But where do I start?
The four easy steps we provide below will guide you in the direction of a professionally designed, developed and marketed Web site.
Step One: Domain Name (URL) Registration -- This is the address people will use to access your Web site (www.yourcompany.com). Once you have determined that the URL you wish to use is available, the cost to register a name is anywhere from $8.00 to $35.00 per year. A domain name needs to be renewed every year.
Step Two: Design of the Web Site -- This is where the look, feel, and content of the Web site are determined and created.
Step Three: Hosting Your Web Site on a Web Server -- This is basically where you rent space on a computer that is always connected to the Internet. Price will vary, depending on the amount of disk space you will have and the connection to the Internet.
Step Four: Marketing Your Web Site -- You should be thinking about the marketing of your Web site as it is being designed. The content of the site needs to reflex the search terms if you want your site to appear on search engines.
What
about Web Site Maintenance and Updating?
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Keep your Web site content fresh and alive
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Provide reasons for new visitors and for them to return to your site
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Add new information as appropriate and update existing information regularly
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Check search engine rankings and tweak pages and/or meta tags if needed
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Continue to promote your Web site regularly
How
to make my web site presence known to all?
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Web site registration with several major search engines
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Other means of bringing in visitors.
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Add Web site and email address to all correspondence, all advertising
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Consider sending announcements or commencing other advertising of your new, redesigned, or improved Web site
How long will it take for my web site to be designed?
The timescale of a website design project is generally dictated by the client. If you have a deadline in mind we will
endeavor to meet it for you. The most common delay in the creation of a site is waiting for content (text/images) to be sent to us by the client.
In the majority of cases a meeting isn't necessary and 90% of our websites are generally completed with contact via email and
chat only. We place suggested website designs onto the Internet in a private place where only yourselves and us can view the content. We then liaise with you regularly to discuss the web designs in order that the final result is exactly as you wish.
Once my website design is completed -what
after sales service do you offer?
We fully support any website we design and are always available should you encounter any problems or require any enhancements. We offer web site maintenance so that your website need never get out of date
In what format should I supply words and photographs about my business for my new website?
It is helpful to us if you are able to provide text and photographs in electronic form - for example, the files output by a digital camera and the words in MS word or similar format. If this is not possible, we can help get your information ready for use on the website.
Do you guarantee that my site will always be available?
No web hosting service can guarantees 100% uptime. However we can say that our servers have had 100% up time for many years. Should our servers have any problems we do have the necessary backups in place to deal with this issue very speedily.
How many pages can I have on my site?
As many as you like. From a search engines point a view - The more the better!
I already have a website and I need it updating, can you help me?
Yes, we would be happy to look at you existing website and give you a quote for updating it.
We can redesign, retaining your company corporate style or we can redesign to give you a complete new image. Is your website up to date - let us provide you a Free of Charge Website Evaluation - we can redesign your website to take advantage of the latest web technologies.
What if I do not like the design?
If you do not like the design which we have suggested for you, we will discuss further with a view to ascertaining what type of design you would like to see and then place another "suggested design" in your web area for you to view. We would not like to think that you are not happy with the final website design. Our aim is to design for you a website specific to your requirements
and taste which you are completely happy with.
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