You’ve decided that your business would benefit from having a presence online. You may want to sell online or promote your services to a wider audience. You’ve fired up Google and typed in Web Design into the search box, only to be overwhelmed by the array of information on offer, but you’re not quite sure what you are looking for.
Before you dive in and buy that domain name.
STOP!
Step away from the computer!
Well, not literally, as it will make it quite difficult to read this article. In all seriousness though, before you purchase anything remotely relating to building a website, you need to take stock. Crank up the writing tool of your choice and ask yourself…
Does your business need a website?
What?!? Of course my business needs a website I hear you think. But step back for a minute. Think about what it is you do.
Imagine if you are a plumber, getting listed on Yell.com or in directory listings local to your area would take priority over having your own website. Why? As you will be promoting yourself on a bigger platform that can reach more potential customers. That said, you could have a simple website with two or three pages that describe the services you supply, your contact details and testimonials from previous customers. You can then place your web address on your business cards or leaflet drop in your local area. Alternatively, you might know that you want to create a website that enables your customers to buy your physical or digital products 24/7 or services. Write down why your business needs a website.
What business does your customers/clients want to be able to do when they arrive at your website?
Think about why a customer would want to visit your website. Will they want to be able to contact you online? (Do you have the means to be able to reply to them online?) Do they want to find out more about the product or services you provide? Are they looking to purchase a product or set-up a subscription? If you are feeling at a loss, ask a handful of your existing customers. Get them to suggest three ideas of what they want from your site. Write these down too.
What type of website do you need?
After answering the previous two questions will help determine what type of website you need for your business. If you want to sell stuff online – then you’ll need an e-commerce solution that enable customers to buy from your website and allow you to input the products you want to sell. If your customers are looking for a way to communicate with each other online, you’ll need a community solution. Alternatively, if you just need to talk about the services you supply and information on how to contact your business, a 5 page website with a contact form maybe the answer.
How much time can you dedicate to updating your website?
Will you need to update the web pages daily, weekly, monthly? Think about the amount of time you can dedicate to developing your website. Is it a one-off project, which will be time intensive, but only need updating once or twice a year? Or will you need to be adding products every day? List the other tasks that you have to undertake on a regular basis and see how much time you have left over that can be allocated to looking after your website. If you don’t have any, does this mean you need to hire someone who can? Finally, remember to factor is time in learning the skills needed to build your own website too.
What’s your budget?
Do you want to hire a web designer? Or will you need to build it yourself? If it’s the first, ask 3 or 4 web designers or web agencies how much they charge for the type of site you have identified your business needs. For the latter, as a minimum, you will need to invest around £50 per year for a basic website that you build yourself.
On a side note
By now you will have a clearer picture about the type of site you want, what your customers want from your site and how much you can afford to spend. Having an idea of what it is you want to achieve with your site pays dividends in the long-run. A well thought out website is better than one that has been hastily constructed and has no clear aim.
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