Good morning friends! I realized today that this article didn’t make it over when I redesigned the blog and website, and some of my clients seem to have found it pretty helpful when they are considering their website projects. So I thought I would re-publish it on the blog today….
Anymore, it’s hard to have any kind of business without having a website – whether it’s purely informational or full-service e-commerce, more and more people are going straight to the web to find information about a particular company or product.
So, what does that mean for the small business owner?
…the basics
First thing’s first, you’ll probably need a domain (web address – “.com”). You can go without it, but most domain names are relatively inexpensive at $10/year or so, and will help you a lot when you’re trying to tell people to go to your website. So, plan on spending that cost annually to maintain your domain name.
Next up, you have to “rent space” on the web to HOST the domain. Buying the web address is like buying just a street address without the actual house or land. Plan on spending anywhere from $5/month to $50/month or more on hosting for your website.
Keep in mind that these costs are ongoing for the length of time that you keep up your website.
If you haven’t set up any of these things yet, we can help you do that when you work with us to create your website. If you already have purchased a domain and/or hosting, just make sure you have the information ready so that we can set up your website.
now what?
Next, you’ll need to consider what kind of function you want the website to have.
Basic functionality would be a few pages with content (pictures & text), a contact form, and maybe a photo gallery. If you want something a little “fancier,” such as Flash or a slider, or any number of other things, then let your potential web designer / developer know that now.
You may want to sell your products on your website, so if that’s the case, think about how you would like the store to be set up, how it will integrate with your current business, what kind of payments you want to accept, how you want to price shipping (flat rate?), etc. All of these considerations will influence how the website will be built.
design
Now that you know what you want the website to DO, browse the webs for some websites that have a similar look, feel, or layout to what you would like for your own online presence.
It’s important to consider when you hire a web person what kind of skillset they have. A lot of people are able to code, but not all web coders / developers have graphics abilities. By the same token, not all web designers have the ability to code their own sites.
maintenance
Yup, you should think about this part NOW. Do you want to be able to make simple changes to the website yourself? Too busy and would rather call the designer when changes need to be made?
This decision affects how the website will be constructed. Make sure you consider it now and relay that information to the web designer.
create it!
If you have all of that together, then you’re well on your way to having a fantastic website. The more prepared you are in the process, the better the results will be!
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