A small business website can be a very powerful tool to generate large amounts of customers. More prospects search the internet to find out about who they want to buy from these days than ever before. When you aren't able to present yourself from this medium as well, why would they choose you over your competitor. More then likely, they won't. It's imperative you have a website up and going.
A big problem most business owners have is they know nothing about web design...nothing about search engine optimization...nothing about the real potential it could bring to their business. Web design companies are charging ridiculous amounts of money for websites. Most of the time they don't even include optimization packages and look like crap. Why pay $2,000 for this? Don't.
There is a much cheaper way for you to build your own small business website and it's easy too. There are many platforms available to build quick efficient websites in the matter of a couple hours.
There are three important things you need to have your website up and running. You need a domain name, a hosting account, and a website building platform (not needed, but makes it quick and easy for you).
Your domain name is the actual web address that people could type in to find your website. For your business, you should use your company name for sure for at least one of your domain names. You can even buy multiple domains that all point to the same website. This can help generate more search engine traffic. But for now, go for your a simple domain name...www. [your company]. com
Your hosting account is where your website files will be held and will be the place that actually makes your small business website be visible on the web. I've always liked to buy my domains and hosting from GoDaddy.com. There are many options available. Some cheaper, some have better customer service, but GoDaddy has always been very reliable for me. You're looking at about $10/year for a domain name and $60/year for hosting.
The next and important step to being able to build a quality website without any experience is the web building platform you use. There are thousands of programs available that cost quite a bit of money to make a website. You could use FrontPage, DreamWeaver, or many others. If you don't want to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars for these programs, my suggestion to you would be to use WordPress.
WordPress is a very simple blog platform that allows you make very nice looking websites that no one will think an amateur developed. Even though it's used to make blogs, you can make a website look anyway you want.
When you buy the GoDaddy hosting (and many others include this as well), you can easily install WordPress into your hosting account for free. After logging into your GoDaddy hosting, look into their application process where it will give you the easy option of installing WordPress.
From there, making new pages or adding content is as easy as 1,2,3. Give it a try.
Having a small business website is imperative to developing a lasting business into today's market. Giving your customers another way to find your business is only one huge benefit of this. It's also a large part of my profitable marketing plan outline.
Saturday 31 July 2010
Sunday 25 July 2010
What Am I Really Paying For With a Good Web Designer
Any business based in Los Angeles with web page design service needs faces a crucial decision. Should you pay the higher cost to hire a professional web designer, or should you hire a low cost freelancer instead? When you understand what you're actually paying for with a professional web designer, it's easy to see why the extra cost is worthwhile.
When you hire a professional web designer, you're paying for expertise and experience. Professional designers are formally trained and web design is their full time job. In fact if you hire a web design firm, you're paying for access to an entire team of professionals who specialize in different aspects of web design.
Training and specialized experience will allow a quality web designer to create an outstanding and unique design for your website, but that's not all. Your website will also be constructed to be search engine optimized. This means you're paying for a site that is easy for your customers to find.
A great web designer will ensure your website is fully adaptable for your business' needs. It will be designed to grow and change along with your business and to accommodate new technology. You're paying for scalability, as well, since a good web designer will insist you thoroughly plan out your business' goals for the future as well as your present needs.
Paying for a professional business web design for your Los Angeles business includes website branding. If your business' brand is already established, it will be incorporated in your website. Design professionals are experts at enhancing and solidifying business' brands through all aspects of website design, not just color schemes and layout.
If your brand isn't established or it needs improvement, the design of a professional logo may be part of the price you pay for design. Paying for the development of a logo and graphics that can be used for branding in all of your marketing materials as well as your website can represent a terrific value for businesses.
When you invest in professional web design, you pay for business as well as design expertise. You can look forward to working with professionals who know how to communicate, meet deadlines and most importantly, satisfy clients. The opportunity to build a positive, successful working relationship for the future is an important part of the price you pay when you hire a good web designer.
When you hire a professional web designer, you're paying for expertise and experience. Professional designers are formally trained and web design is their full time job. In fact if you hire a web design firm, you're paying for access to an entire team of professionals who specialize in different aspects of web design.
Training and specialized experience will allow a quality web designer to create an outstanding and unique design for your website, but that's not all. Your website will also be constructed to be search engine optimized. This means you're paying for a site that is easy for your customers to find.
A great web designer will ensure your website is fully adaptable for your business' needs. It will be designed to grow and change along with your business and to accommodate new technology. You're paying for scalability, as well, since a good web designer will insist you thoroughly plan out your business' goals for the future as well as your present needs.
Paying for a professional business web design for your Los Angeles business includes website branding. If your business' brand is already established, it will be incorporated in your website. Design professionals are experts at enhancing and solidifying business' brands through all aspects of website design, not just color schemes and layout.
If your brand isn't established or it needs improvement, the design of a professional logo may be part of the price you pay for design. Paying for the development of a logo and graphics that can be used for branding in all of your marketing materials as well as your website can represent a terrific value for businesses.
When you invest in professional web design, you pay for business as well as design expertise. You can look forward to working with professionals who know how to communicate, meet deadlines and most importantly, satisfy clients. The opportunity to build a positive, successful working relationship for the future is an important part of the price you pay when you hire a good web designer.
Wednesday 14 July 2010
Web Design - How to Get What You Want
Communicating with your web designer is no different to communicating with your accountant, your training provider and even your internet service providers. Each of these relationships is only successful when the service that is provided to you matches your expectations and requirements. The best way to communicate your expectations and requirements to your web designer is through a web design brief.
A well written web design brief summarises exactly what you want from your website, helping your designer to clarify what they need to do in order to meet your requirements. Writing a good brief can be tricky, and web design is often a peculiar subject, however focusing on these 6 simple things will ensure a hassle free brief-writing process.
Budget
The most crucial part of your brief, if you don't know how much you are prepared to spend for your website how can a designer know what to build for you?! If you aren't able to set an exact budget amount, try to provide your designer with a budget based on amounts that you are comfortable spending. Setting your budget at the start of the process eliminates those nasty extra costs at the end of the process!
Your Business
What is your business all about? Although your designer may know what it is your business does, they won't automatically understand its inner mechanisms. Provide your designer with a good description of your business, its target markets and what differentiates you from your competitors. Only by understanding these minutiae will they be able to create a site which fits and improves your business.
Timescales
Building a website is a detailed and often lengthy process, to ensure timely delivery strict timescales need to be agreed from the start of the process. Timescales aren't just indications for your designer however; you also need to make your internal team aware of the timescales to ensure that they meet content creation and delivery deadlines.
Users
Your customers, both future and current, are the ultimate users of your website. Rather than focusing on how your site is presented to your customers, think instead of how you can help your customers and improve your working relationships with them through functionality and usability. Try to define your typical customers in your brief, what do they expect out of your website and how can you go beyond their expectations?
Updating your Site
How do you plan to keep your website updated? In order to succeed, you need to ensure that your site is regularly updated with fresh and engaging content to promote your brand and your business. Clarify the nature of the content that you will be producing, will you focus on written or visual content or a mixture of both? Who will be responsible for updating the site? Such clarification is necessary to find the best content management system for your website.
Websites that you like
Last but not least, what kind of websites do you like and why do you like them? Take some time to carry out focused and structured site research, think of the functionality and design criteria which you have set for your site and find the sites which best meet this criteria.
A well written web design brief summarises exactly what you want from your website, helping your designer to clarify what they need to do in order to meet your requirements. Writing a good brief can be tricky, and web design is often a peculiar subject, however focusing on these 6 simple things will ensure a hassle free brief-writing process.
Budget
The most crucial part of your brief, if you don't know how much you are prepared to spend for your website how can a designer know what to build for you?! If you aren't able to set an exact budget amount, try to provide your designer with a budget based on amounts that you are comfortable spending. Setting your budget at the start of the process eliminates those nasty extra costs at the end of the process!
Your Business
What is your business all about? Although your designer may know what it is your business does, they won't automatically understand its inner mechanisms. Provide your designer with a good description of your business, its target markets and what differentiates you from your competitors. Only by understanding these minutiae will they be able to create a site which fits and improves your business.
Timescales
Building a website is a detailed and often lengthy process, to ensure timely delivery strict timescales need to be agreed from the start of the process. Timescales aren't just indications for your designer however; you also need to make your internal team aware of the timescales to ensure that they meet content creation and delivery deadlines.
Users
Your customers, both future and current, are the ultimate users of your website. Rather than focusing on how your site is presented to your customers, think instead of how you can help your customers and improve your working relationships with them through functionality and usability. Try to define your typical customers in your brief, what do they expect out of your website and how can you go beyond their expectations?
Updating your Site
How do you plan to keep your website updated? In order to succeed, you need to ensure that your site is regularly updated with fresh and engaging content to promote your brand and your business. Clarify the nature of the content that you will be producing, will you focus on written or visual content or a mixture of both? Who will be responsible for updating the site? Such clarification is necessary to find the best content management system for your website.
Websites that you like
Last but not least, what kind of websites do you like and why do you like them? Take some time to carry out focused and structured site research, think of the functionality and design criteria which you have set for your site and find the sites which best meet this criteria.
Saturday 10 July 2010
Web Design For the Small Business
Website for the small business has same importance as the corporate website. Today when we see there are lots of small businesses, local businesses and Moms & Pop stores, the website is required for them for getting a good way of marketing. This is necessary because often they feel difficulty for accomplishing their goals. Since internet has changed the way of business today and customers are also moving to a market place where buying and selling could be easier. So website on the internet is one of the best methods for them.
Internet has lots of wonderful opportunities for the small businesses. The small businesses can reach a much wider customer base by using internet and expand beyond their expectations. So website can be a good way to make the business online, either it is on big or small scale. The online businesses get the information quickly and easily. This also empowers the customers to know about your business.
Various companies are offering the website design facilities especially for the small businesses to promote their business to the world. So if you want to get benefits of the internet through your own website, you can go for it. If you are going to create your website for the small business then you should consider two things before taking any decision. This is necessary because there are two ways to develop a website. You may create either "static" or "dynamic" website for your small business. This depends on your choice and requirements.
Static sites publish your information and do not change frequently. This kind of the websites comprise of a few pages and these web pages give you detail of the company, contact information and what the company offers you. Quality web design companies offer you these types of sites for your business. As content of these sites change rarely, so these are called as static sites. But if you want a site that could change and update regularly, then you can choose a dynamic website for your small business. These sites can help you by publishing the current price of the product and getting the orders for the customer online form all over the world.
There is also a downside of the competition in web development, so you can also choose a cheap web developing company easily. But you must make sure for the quality of the website developed by these companies. Never compromise with the quality since this is a crucial element in your small business to get maximum customers.
So you should find a web design company that can give you a good web service package. Quality of these companies can be checked through their portfolios. After viewing the look and design you should also check some other things like you read the package details and make sure that there is no hidden cost. Then finally decide to create a site for your small business and choose the web designer accordingly.
Internet has lots of wonderful opportunities for the small businesses. The small businesses can reach a much wider customer base by using internet and expand beyond their expectations. So website can be a good way to make the business online, either it is on big or small scale. The online businesses get the information quickly and easily. This also empowers the customers to know about your business.
Various companies are offering the website design facilities especially for the small businesses to promote their business to the world. So if you want to get benefits of the internet through your own website, you can go for it. If you are going to create your website for the small business then you should consider two things before taking any decision. This is necessary because there are two ways to develop a website. You may create either "static" or "dynamic" website for your small business. This depends on your choice and requirements.
Static sites publish your information and do not change frequently. This kind of the websites comprise of a few pages and these web pages give you detail of the company, contact information and what the company offers you. Quality web design companies offer you these types of sites for your business. As content of these sites change rarely, so these are called as static sites. But if you want a site that could change and update regularly, then you can choose a dynamic website for your small business. These sites can help you by publishing the current price of the product and getting the orders for the customer online form all over the world.
There is also a downside of the competition in web development, so you can also choose a cheap web developing company easily. But you must make sure for the quality of the website developed by these companies. Never compromise with the quality since this is a crucial element in your small business to get maximum customers.
So you should find a web design company that can give you a good web service package. Quality of these companies can be checked through their portfolios. After viewing the look and design you should also check some other things like you read the package details and make sure that there is no hidden cost. Then finally decide to create a site for your small business and choose the web designer accordingly.
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