How To Save Thousands On Website Design
How to Save Thousands on Website Design
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there are a few key things that you should consider, prior to contacting a website design company.
Conversely, if you have ever been through the web design process, you know how stressful and time consuming it can be. However, just by formulating a web strategy ahead of time can save you hours of time, headache, and thousands of dollars.
The best way to have a website that meets the objectives of your business model and remains within the budget is to create a realistic strategy and a plan. To help develop your plan, here are a few questions that you need to answer before pursuing your website design project.
1. YOU NEED A WEBSITE
Back in mid-1990s most businesses did not have or see the benefit and need of having a site on the web. Now today, if you are in business, having a web presence is an essential part of your business, customer service, sales, human resources and operations.
What was previously a brochure or printed sales materials for a business, is now represented on-line via the web.
Without question, websites are vitally important for providing information about your company, your products and/or services, your contact details such as email and physical store or office location. A website provides 24 hour operation, so your customers and potential customers have access to your business outside of normal business hours.
Today, websites also support brand image and awareness. Customers are becoming far more savvy and conduct thorough research prior to making purchasing decisions. Even more, potential business partners and future employees will also view your website, often prior to meeting you. Having a good, informative and accurate website could mean winning the client, getting a new business partner, or hiring your next employee.
2. DETERMINE THE TYPE OF WEBSITE YOU NEED
Websites may simply provide information or be more complex with e-commerce shopping functionality. Further, sites may even be designed to support interactive or community functions such as a blog, a message board or forum, or video content to enhance visitor participation.
No matter the additional features, the purpose of your website should always serve the needs of the visitors and customers you are hoping to attract. Before deciding on the extra “bells and whistles” features (Which often cost extra), make sure the features are appropriate for the visitor experience and interaction with your brand.
3. ESTABLISH A REALISTIC TIME FRAME AND BUDGET
The financial consideration is often the most difficult part of the process, as you may not be aware of the costs; However, it is important to establish a realistic budget and a reasonable time frame for high-quality web design and development.
Costs can be largely associated with the type or customization, features/functions, and time frame requested for a website. Consider the type of website needed, (Is it a brochure website or an on-line catalog featuring 5000 products with e-commerce capability), graphic design elements (Logo, Flash, custom images), level of complexity in programming (For example, Flash or interactive/user specific features often require specialized programming), and also the time required to complete the site.
Generally, depending on the complexity of the site, a reasonable time frame to expect for a standard custom Website, may be anywhere from 6 -12 weeks and absolutely longer if the site requires specialized programming.
As well, much of the time frame is affected by the nature of the site, required functionality, delivery of content, number of changes and revisions, amount of programming required, Q&A testing, and your level of participation and involvement in the process.
Furthermore, it is not suggested that you spend all of your marketing budget on the development of your site. On the other hand, many businesses try to cut costs by hiring a student, an unqualified employee or a friend to build their website – this is not recommended for the following reason:
Unless the person (student, employee, or friend) is a professional web designer, pursuing this option is not a good idea for your business image on the web. Most likely your site would be at a loss in visual appeal, reliability, stability, speed, ease of use, search engine-friendliness, technical functionality and ongoing expertise or support.
When it comes to website design and development, cost-cutting does not always equate to long-term savings or return on investment. In fact, cutting corners early-on could even cost you more money later to correct the inevitable issues that you will encounter by taking a what could be perceived as a short-cut solution.
The one thing to always remember is that you should always be realistic about your budget and the goals of what you are hoping achieve with your website. Consider what sort of return on investment you need, and attempt to set your budget accordingly. If you need to cut costs, always start with the ‘bells and whistles’ features that may not be necessary or essential to your target audience.
A professional web designer will provide more accurate quotes based on the information and details that you provide in your responses to the questions posed within this article. The more detailed the information, the more exact the quote.
4. MAKE YOUR SITE WORK WITH YOUR BUSINESS
Websites can often offer services to support and integrate with your existing business. For example, you might offer convenient on-line shopping, or generate email lists for special promotions, or provide access to account information (View statements, billing procedures, make payments).
As well, your website can increase the effectiveness of your marketing, product support, and sales by presenting your products/services with extensive information or catalogs, emailing information to opt-in recipients, and providing information about support or return policies.
It would be within your best interest to also set up an FAQ section on your website and encourage your visitors to read this area before contacting your office, rather than spending extensive amounts of time on the phone unnecessarily answering the most common questions.
5. IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AND HOW THEY WILL GET TO YOUR SITE
Marketing your site is critical and absolutely necessary. It is important that you think about the marketing strategy BEFORE website development, as it will impact the process and the manner in which your site is built.
Who are you trying to reach and who is your ideal customer? For example, if my product is a high-end $10,000 sound system, my average customer will need to have a certain level of disposable income. More specifically, my average customer is probably not under the age of 25, as well most likely not female. However, my product would most likely appeal to professional males over the age of 35 interested in home entertainment. The more specific you can identify your target market, the more success you will have in marketing your site.
Another consideration is will search engine-driven traffic (Via Google – the most common) be the primary way in which you plan to attract visitors to the site? If so, your website will need to be designed and developed in search engine-friendly manner and your page content will need to be optimized with relevant keywords for search engines.
Appearing within search results organically (Un-paid search listings are known as “Organic”), requires that page titles, meta tags, keywords, and page content are all harmonious and represent the nature of your business (Titles, tags, and keywords should all correspond to your target audience).
When designing your site, it is important to include the proper structure as mentioned for indexing by search engines. Also, keep in mind that it may take anywhere from 3-6 months before you see your site listed within the organic search results.
6. UPDATING THE CONTENT ON YOUR SITE
Updating content on a regular basis on your site is important. Outdated information is useless and may reflect on your credibility and professionalism. However, regularly updated content contributes largely to your ranking in the search engines and indicates to your audience that you have a proactive interest as an informative source.
To reduce ongoing costs, consider having your developer include a Content Management System (CMS) for your site. A good CMS will allow to easily update the content on your site pages yourself, instead of paying your web developers an hourly rate to update your content (This will eventually become a more costly option). A good CMS will allow you to add or edit page copy, add or change images, and also create and/or delete site pages when needed.
7. CHOOSING A WEBSITE DESIGNER OR WEB DESIGN COMPANY
Choosing a website design company depends on the type of site you need to have developed and your budget.
The type of site you need largely depends on the features that you are hoping to have on your site (As previously mentioned within this article). For example, are you planning to sell products through your site (An e-commerce site), will you need to update or change your content on a regular basis, or do you need to capture visitor information and store in a database for emailing promotional material, do you need a logo, and do you need fancy graphics or Flash?
Website design should be a very customized process. Some designers offer templates and this will greatly reduce cost, however you should be aware that with a template site, your design is not exclusive and anyone else can purchase the same design (Including your competitor).
If you are interested in long-term presence, it is within your best interest of building your name and brand on-line, a custom built site is recommended. Your Website should stand apart from your competitors with a custom, unique design. Yes, it will cost more up-front, however just as any investment it will cost you less in the long-term.
Important considerations when selecting a website design company include:
Do they have an on-line portfolio?
Have they created sites for similar business clients (See portfolio)?
Are the designs custom or template?
Are they familiar with the latest technology?
Do they have a Project or an Account Manager for you to work with?
Can they provide ongoing website support for questions?
Do they provide any type of marketing for your site?
What other resources do they have (Copywriter, Marketer, or Photographer)?
It is best to find an established website design company with qualified staff, who can develop a plan according to your needs.
8. RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Lastly, it is important to recognize that your Website is an investment and despite what you may or may not have heard, it is not about getting rich quick.
Building a site, garnering traffic and converting them into paying and repeat customers takes time and money (Sometimes months or even years). When choosing a web designer, listen to their advice and technical expertise, but most important, consider them a member of your team and choose the company that you can growth with into the future success of your business.Visit Here Now http://free-websitemaking.blogspot.com
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