You've made up your mind. You want to have a website to represent your business.
The next decision to be made . . . who should you hire to develop your site?
There are many people capable of building their own personal sites. They can
put cute little comments and pictures of their pets or kids up for you to enjoy.
But, when it comes to having a website that will be a form of marketing for
your business, you want someone with experience. Someone who has an understanding
marketing, of the Internet and what is the best way to boost the exposure of
a website.
They must have a clear knowledge of a variety of contributing factors to your
sites' success. Such factors include how best to market your site, the options
and limitations of graphics, how to create a site that is effective within
search engines and which complies to web standards.
It is crucial that your designer understands you, your company and what you
want to accomplish with your website. To determine this, you need to answer
a few questions first.
What do you want on your website? What is the desired outcome of your site?
Is your designer open to your ideas and provides input and suggestions for
improvement? Have you checked out your competition or other websites to get
ideas of what is the 'norm' for a successful site? The more information you
have prior to starting a website, the more accurately you can communicate with
your designer and get the desired outcome that produces the best results.
Creating a website can be an overwhelming experience. You need to ensure that
your designer is easy to talk to and keeps you updated on your sites' progress.
If you have questions . . . ask! After all this is your site and you have a
right to know how it is coming along and in terms that you can understand.
You also need to check out websites that your designer has made in the past.
Check to see that the graphics load quickly, that it is easy to navigate between
the pages, and that overall you like their style.
Finally, the cost! This is a very important factor for small business owners
when deciding on a website designer. Larger companies will charge more and
can probably make your site very elaborate. If you need a site filled with
all the bells and whistles, you will be paying for it. If you simply need a
site that is a background of your company and the products or services that
you provide, the cost will be considerably lower and you can use a smaller
company or independent designer.
Your website is going to be a 24-hour advertisement for your company. Skimping
on any of the above listed factors will have an effect on the final result
of your website and the outcome that you want from it. Do your research and
you can join other successful businesses who are using the Internet to boost
their exposure and their revenue.
This article was written by Janice Byer, the founder of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services, a professional Virtual Assistance and Website Design company.
For further information about anything in this factsheet, email us at create@azuremarketing.com. To view a complete range of factsheets, go to our Resources section at www.azuremarketing.com.
www.azuremarketing.com