Whether you’re a novice to the Internet-based business world or a technology expert, it’s important to understand what is needed to take your business online. This article is designed to educate business owners on how to navigate the online process and assess an accurate value to Web design services.
Website Design
Before you begin your search for the right design firm, first consider your budget. If a designer claims they can build you a fully functional site for a couple hundred dollars, you can accurately presume that your site will likely be built around a template created by a fill-in-the-blank software application. If that fits your budget, fine—but don’t expect anything original, polished or fail-safe, because such mass-produced sites litter the Web and are typically rife with problems, including deadly slow load times, text bleeding into images, sloppy alignment, dead links and frustrating error messages.
• Next take a good hard look at the company’s portfolio, both its premium designs and its lower-priced examples. If the sites in your price range look amateurish, cookie-cutter, bland or in any way unprofessional, so will your business.
• Test the company’s own Website for design, content and ease of navigation. If theirs looks slick and works well, it suggests they have the resources to create quality work.
• Find out how long the company and/or its staff have been in business. Is the firm fly-by-night, or does its workforce boast experts who have been in the business for years?
• Will they customize your site? A good company can use your current marketing materials, including your business logo, color scheme, literature and graphics to create a site that brands your business perfectly. If you have no such branding material, do they have the talent to create if for you?
• Does the company have sufficient staff to work with you directly? If you’re not satisfied with their work, will the company return to the drawing board until you are satisfied? Do they offer a no-strings money-back guarantee if they can’t please you?
The Supporting Services
In order to take your business online, let’s forget about “bells and whistles” for now and get down to the essentials needed to establish your company on the World Wide Web.
Domain Name – A domain name is your online address (URL), and the right domain name is crucial in enabling your current and prospective customers to find you. That’s why it’s vital to select a memorable, easy-to-spell domain name. Try using your business name if it’s unavailable; if not, try forming a name based on words that describe what you do or otherwise associate with your business. Untaken domain names can run from about $2-30 or more—however if the URL you want is considered a “premium domain name,” which is typically a name in high demand due to its simplicity, memorability and widespread market appeal such as homes.com, cars.com, food.com, etc., expect to pay a premium price. Web Hosting – Web hosting is the service of providing server space to Website customers so they can keep their sites up and running. The server space size required varies from site to site—if yours is large with lots of pages, graphics, traffic and/or shopping options, you will require more space than a 1-3 page brochure site.
No matter what your site’s size or ambitions, one important caveat when choosing a Web hosting provider is to make sure that it provides 99% uptime—companies with long or frequent downtimes mean your site is also down during that period, possibly costing you credibility, customers and sales. Solid companies will post it on their Websites or have a representative who can give you an exact percentage. All reputable companies have their stats available, and no company is up 100% of the time, no matter what they say.
A host offering 99% uptime allows your Website to stay up and running virtually 24/7, assuring your customers that your Internet doorway is always ready for business.
Website Content
The content of your Website is a combination of all the information and graphics on your site, most notably the text. If you feel inspired to write your own content, that’s great. All content should be proofread by an expert in grammar and punctuation before it’s published—otherwise your business will look as if it cuts corners and lacks quality. After all, if you don’t care enough to make sure your Website is professional, why would anyone trust your company to be?
Website Marketing
The first step is to figure out your action plan for overcoming the obstacles to your business growth, such as: How will your site get discovered by prospective customers? 1. Get your site listed in the top search engines – Internet surfers typically use the most popular search engines, like Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc. to find what they want using keywords specific to a service or product. 2. Place online advertising in relevant places. If you have the funds, you can pay search engines like Google to place your company at the top of certain keyword lists, so that a random search for say, “running shoes” places your site up top and in bold print. Less expensive options include placing banner or text link ads on the Web pages of companies whose products or services compliment your own. Also, don’t forget to put your URL (Website address) on everything, from your business cards to stationary to the company car, anywhere it will be seen.
If you’re not a writer, hire a professional to write this content for you. Take advantage of people’s love of sending forwards to generate some free publicity for your company.
Maintenance
For example, you might find a Web design service that touts its low prices, but always inquire what that low price includes. Ask up front if your design company offers everything you might need, such as search engine submission, hosting services, marketing consultation services, ad campaign creation, copywriting services, tech support and other elements your company may require to launch your online business. One company may give you a break on your Website design, then charge you a whopping $50 a month for hosting. Does their bargain-priced Website include any other services, like customization, graphics, branding elements or Flash animation if you want them? Will they allow updates to your site when you need them?
A. Build a Website for Your Business in 7 Easy Steps
You are obviously reading this article for a reason, you need a website for your business. In my personal opinion, every small business, large corporation, non-profit organization should have their own website online.
Why doesn't every business nationwide have a website?
1) Layout & Design
Now that you have a feel for what your competitors are up to on their websites, you can start to get together ideas for the layout and design of your website.
2) Find a Professional Website Designer
I would prefer to stay local, but like myself, I have clients nationwide that desire my website design services.
3) Request a Price Quote Estimate
Just like me, many other website designers (atleast the professional ones) will have some way to request a total cost estimate for your website project. This is normally a free service in the form of a web form that will ask you for basic information about your project such as number of pages, timeline, budget, design specifics, etc.
4) Decide on a Website Designer
Once you have received responses back from website designers look over all of them (there may be a lot depending on your area) and choose a designer that gives you the fairest price and expresses and understanding in the result you are going for. Like I said, I suggest staying local and requesting a face-to-face interview. Typical small business websites should only take 5 to 7 business days max from design to publish and should range in cost from $250.00 to $2,000.00 based on specific needs, turn around time, features and other factors.
Make sure your Website Designer offers the following:
Free Quote Request
Is capable of custom website designs
Previews of the work
Design revisions/changes to previews
Satisfaction Guarantee/Money Back Guarantee
Transfer of full ownership once work is completed
Provides a professional invoice for work completed
Offers multiple file delivery options, CD-ROM, uploading to server or zipped file attachment
5) Working With Your Website Designer
Feel free to be open and express your design needs and requirements. Remember, this is your website and you have hired the designer to do the work for you. This is similar to ordering business cards, you will need to tell the designer specifics like layout, page/category names, the goal your website is trying to accomplish and what info you would like on the site. Being specific will help get the design idea across to the designer which will allow him to be more productive and efficient in the design process. In turn, resulting in a more accurate design with a fast turn around.
6) Previewing the Designer's Work
During the website design process, you will be interested to see how far along the designer has come. I call these previews which are emailed to the client for approval of the work. The client can review and refine my work. Once the website design meets the client's requirements and the designer gets final approval, we can move on to the next step which is finalizing the entire website and publishing.
7) Finalizing and Publishing
Finally, once you have given the designer the final approval he/she will create the entire website. It is very time consuming for designers to create entire websites and this avoids investing time and money incase the client backs out. Be prepared with the text (also called copy) and information, prices, descriptions, paragraphs, etc. that you want to display on your website. Some web designers will charge extra to create copy for you, but you can save a lot if you write it out in a Word document or email and send it to the designer. Once the site is complete, the designer may require payment before uploading or sending you the files he/she created. Make sure you get an Invoice for your records and request a hard copy back up if the designer is uploading the files for you.
B. The Plastic Web of Ecommerce Website Design
Ecommerce website design embraces the idea of the Internet storefront. Cash, checks, credit cards, and debit cards are all viable means to handle paying for services, goods or other. When it comes to ecommerce website design, this is an issue that acquires paramount importance.
The importance is highlighted when you acknowledge there are no cash registers or night deposit-drops on an ecommerce website design. Many ecommerce website designs do not limit their payment acceptance to just credit or debit cards, but also feature a way that customers can pay by check or money order. So what goes into the ecommerce website design to increase the functionality of accepting payments over the Internet? A merchant account can be a tough call because unless a company possesses a proven financial track record along with a solid financial backing, chances are the merchant account could be expensive. The official websites are packed with information for developers setting up their ecommerce website design. The drawbacks to independent acquirers are the fees and exclusions that the seller will have to cover. The age of the plastic web means that setting up an ecommerce website design has never been simpler. In order to make the best decisions during this phase of the ecommerce website design, check the fees associated with the merchant account or acquirer. For example, make a chart that compares the fees for application, setup, statement, discount rate, transaction and monthly minimums.
By breaking down these fees, the selection of merchant account will become easier. The determination of fees will also impact the way business is billed, including raising certain prices to absorb the cost of how payment is received. For standard ecommerce website design where the site boasts its own shopping cart and shipping calculator, the fee breakdowns would be rolled into the posted prices. The research will prepare the developer of the ecommerce website design model that incorporates a pricing model.
• Identify Products/Services
• Set Prices
• Determine Shipping Vendor
• Establish Shipping Prices
• Research Merchant Accounts
• Obtain Merchant Accounts
• Give All Data to the Designer
Website Design
Before you begin your search for the right design firm, first consider your budget. If a designer claims they can build you a fully functional site for a couple hundred dollars, you can accurately presume that your site will likely be built around a template created by a fill-in-the-blank software application. If that fits your budget, fine—but don’t expect anything original, polished or fail-safe, because such mass-produced sites litter the Web and are typically rife with problems, including deadly slow load times, text bleeding into images, sloppy alignment, dead links and frustrating error messages.
• Next take a good hard look at the company’s portfolio, both its premium designs and its lower-priced examples. If the sites in your price range look amateurish, cookie-cutter, bland or in any way unprofessional, so will your business.
• Test the company’s own Website for design, content and ease of navigation. If theirs looks slick and works well, it suggests they have the resources to create quality work.
• Find out how long the company and/or its staff have been in business. Is the firm fly-by-night, or does its workforce boast experts who have been in the business for years?
• Will they customize your site? A good company can use your current marketing materials, including your business logo, color scheme, literature and graphics to create a site that brands your business perfectly. If you have no such branding material, do they have the talent to create if for you?
• Does the company have sufficient staff to work with you directly? If you’re not satisfied with their work, will the company return to the drawing board until you are satisfied? Do they offer a no-strings money-back guarantee if they can’t please you?
The Supporting Services
In order to take your business online, let’s forget about “bells and whistles” for now and get down to the essentials needed to establish your company on the World Wide Web.
Domain Name – A domain name is your online address (URL), and the right domain name is crucial in enabling your current and prospective customers to find you. That’s why it’s vital to select a memorable, easy-to-spell domain name. Try using your business name if it’s unavailable; if not, try forming a name based on words that describe what you do or otherwise associate with your business. Untaken domain names can run from about $2-30 or more—however if the URL you want is considered a “premium domain name,” which is typically a name in high demand due to its simplicity, memorability and widespread market appeal such as homes.com, cars.com, food.com, etc., expect to pay a premium price. Web Hosting – Web hosting is the service of providing server space to Website customers so they can keep their sites up and running. The server space size required varies from site to site—if yours is large with lots of pages, graphics, traffic and/or shopping options, you will require more space than a 1-3 page brochure site.
No matter what your site’s size or ambitions, one important caveat when choosing a Web hosting provider is to make sure that it provides 99% uptime—companies with long or frequent downtimes mean your site is also down during that period, possibly costing you credibility, customers and sales. Solid companies will post it on their Websites or have a representative who can give you an exact percentage. All reputable companies have their stats available, and no company is up 100% of the time, no matter what they say.
A host offering 99% uptime allows your Website to stay up and running virtually 24/7, assuring your customers that your Internet doorway is always ready for business.
Website Content
The content of your Website is a combination of all the information and graphics on your site, most notably the text. If you feel inspired to write your own content, that’s great. All content should be proofread by an expert in grammar and punctuation before it’s published—otherwise your business will look as if it cuts corners and lacks quality. After all, if you don’t care enough to make sure your Website is professional, why would anyone trust your company to be?
Website Marketing
The first step is to figure out your action plan for overcoming the obstacles to your business growth, such as: How will your site get discovered by prospective customers? 1. Get your site listed in the top search engines – Internet surfers typically use the most popular search engines, like Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc. to find what they want using keywords specific to a service or product. 2. Place online advertising in relevant places. If you have the funds, you can pay search engines like Google to place your company at the top of certain keyword lists, so that a random search for say, “running shoes” places your site up top and in bold print. Less expensive options include placing banner or text link ads on the Web pages of companies whose products or services compliment your own. Also, don’t forget to put your URL (Website address) on everything, from your business cards to stationary to the company car, anywhere it will be seen.
If you’re not a writer, hire a professional to write this content for you. Take advantage of people’s love of sending forwards to generate some free publicity for your company.
Maintenance
For example, you might find a Web design service that touts its low prices, but always inquire what that low price includes. Ask up front if your design company offers everything you might need, such as search engine submission, hosting services, marketing consultation services, ad campaign creation, copywriting services, tech support and other elements your company may require to launch your online business. One company may give you a break on your Website design, then charge you a whopping $50 a month for hosting. Does their bargain-priced Website include any other services, like customization, graphics, branding elements or Flash animation if you want them? Will they allow updates to your site when you need them?
A. Build a Website for Your Business in 7 Easy Steps
You are obviously reading this article for a reason, you need a website for your business. In my personal opinion, every small business, large corporation, non-profit organization should have their own website online.
Why doesn't every business nationwide have a website?
1) Layout & Design
Now that you have a feel for what your competitors are up to on their websites, you can start to get together ideas for the layout and design of your website.
2) Find a Professional Website Designer
I would prefer to stay local, but like myself, I have clients nationwide that desire my website design services.
3) Request a Price Quote Estimate
Just like me, many other website designers (atleast the professional ones) will have some way to request a total cost estimate for your website project. This is normally a free service in the form of a web form that will ask you for basic information about your project such as number of pages, timeline, budget, design specifics, etc.
4) Decide on a Website Designer
Once you have received responses back from website designers look over all of them (there may be a lot depending on your area) and choose a designer that gives you the fairest price and expresses and understanding in the result you are going for. Like I said, I suggest staying local and requesting a face-to-face interview. Typical small business websites should only take 5 to 7 business days max from design to publish and should range in cost from $250.00 to $2,000.00 based on specific needs, turn around time, features and other factors.
Make sure your Website Designer offers the following:
Free Quote Request
Is capable of custom website designs
Previews of the work
Design revisions/changes to previews
Satisfaction Guarantee/Money Back Guarantee
Transfer of full ownership once work is completed
Provides a professional invoice for work completed
Offers multiple file delivery options, CD-ROM, uploading to server or zipped file attachment
5) Working With Your Website Designer
Feel free to be open and express your design needs and requirements. Remember, this is your website and you have hired the designer to do the work for you. This is similar to ordering business cards, you will need to tell the designer specifics like layout, page/category names, the goal your website is trying to accomplish and what info you would like on the site. Being specific will help get the design idea across to the designer which will allow him to be more productive and efficient in the design process. In turn, resulting in a more accurate design with a fast turn around.
6) Previewing the Designer's Work
During the website design process, you will be interested to see how far along the designer has come. I call these previews which are emailed to the client for approval of the work. The client can review and refine my work. Once the website design meets the client's requirements and the designer gets final approval, we can move on to the next step which is finalizing the entire website and publishing.
7) Finalizing and Publishing
Finally, once you have given the designer the final approval he/she will create the entire website. It is very time consuming for designers to create entire websites and this avoids investing time and money incase the client backs out. Be prepared with the text (also called copy) and information, prices, descriptions, paragraphs, etc. that you want to display on your website. Some web designers will charge extra to create copy for you, but you can save a lot if you write it out in a Word document or email and send it to the designer. Once the site is complete, the designer may require payment before uploading or sending you the files he/she created. Make sure you get an Invoice for your records and request a hard copy back up if the designer is uploading the files for you.
B. The Plastic Web of Ecommerce Website Design
Ecommerce website design embraces the idea of the Internet storefront. Cash, checks, credit cards, and debit cards are all viable means to handle paying for services, goods or other. When it comes to ecommerce website design, this is an issue that acquires paramount importance.
The importance is highlighted when you acknowledge there are no cash registers or night deposit-drops on an ecommerce website design. Many ecommerce website designs do not limit their payment acceptance to just credit or debit cards, but also feature a way that customers can pay by check or money order. So what goes into the ecommerce website design to increase the functionality of accepting payments over the Internet? A merchant account can be a tough call because unless a company possesses a proven financial track record along with a solid financial backing, chances are the merchant account could be expensive. The official websites are packed with information for developers setting up their ecommerce website design. The drawbacks to independent acquirers are the fees and exclusions that the seller will have to cover. The age of the plastic web means that setting up an ecommerce website design has never been simpler. In order to make the best decisions during this phase of the ecommerce website design, check the fees associated with the merchant account or acquirer. For example, make a chart that compares the fees for application, setup, statement, discount rate, transaction and monthly minimums.
By breaking down these fees, the selection of merchant account will become easier. The determination of fees will also impact the way business is billed, including raising certain prices to absorb the cost of how payment is received. For standard ecommerce website design where the site boasts its own shopping cart and shipping calculator, the fee breakdowns would be rolled into the posted prices. The research will prepare the developer of the ecommerce website design model that incorporates a pricing model.
• Identify Products/Services
• Set Prices
• Determine Shipping Vendor
• Establish Shipping Prices
• Research Merchant Accounts
• Obtain Merchant Accounts
• Give All Data to the Designer
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