Some people think that throwing up any type of design for their website will be sufficient to start a successful online business. They are greatly mistaken because your website should reflect the business you’re trying to promote. Before you even begin the design certain questions should be asked.
Will your website be personal, professional or for pleasure?
A personal website doesn’t necessarily have to be fancy or cost money because you’re probably not trying to sell something. One of the easiest ways to do this is to simply use one of the free online services like blogspot.com or wordpress.com which offers free templates and free web hosting.
A professional website will need more careful consideration because you will be displaying it to potential customers. If it doesn’t have a beautiful and clean design and isn’t easy to navigate you’ll lose them to your competitors. Consider hiring a professional web designer who has been in business many years because he or she will know how to design a profitable website.
If the purpose of your website is for pleasure consider designing it yourself. Simply register a domain name then customize one of the free templates provided at WordPress.org. If you find that too overwhelming or don’t have time, hire a web designer in your local area.
Is this site for computer screens or also mobile media devices?
If you’re going to build an online business your website must be accessible from any device (ie computer, tablet, smart phone) so your customers can view it from anywhere at any time. If it doesn’t display correctly on a mobile device you’ll lose potential customers.
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How often will the content be updated?
Google and other search engines reward websites that continually add fresh content with high rankings. If it appears on the first page of Google you’ll receive far more traffic than on subsequent pages. So before hiring a web designer ask him or her if you’ll be able to update the site yourself.
Are you selling anything?
Building an e-commerce website is more complex than an informational site because you’ll need to process payments online, calculate prices, tax and shipping rates. Make sure you’re able to add the items yourself (instead of your designer) as new items will constantly need to be added and others removed.
Will it be advertised and marketed?
A business website will not be profitable unless it is promoted. Ask your designer if they also offer marketing services. For example one of the fastest methods of attracting new visitors is by creating a Pay Per Click campaign using Google AdWords. To be successful with this method your sales should exceed the amount you invest.
There are 101 website promotion strategies however it’s best to focus and master 2 or 3 instead of wasting time on doing them all.
Do you need search engine optimization?
Search engines display websites based on the keywords entered into them. A search engine optimized website contains the correct structure and web copy so it can be found and ranked by the search engines. This should be included during the development of your site so you can benefit from the free traffic you’ll receive.
Doing this after the site has been completed will take more time and be more expensive.
Should you do it yourself or hire a professional?
If you have the time and motivation to design the website yourself it can be very rewarding because you’re developing a skill set that can be used in the future and it will help you to troubleshoot your site should something need fixing. Keep in mind there may be a steep learning curve when taking on all the tasks yourself.
Hiring a professional will save you time and frustration even though it may cost you more upfront. Consider this..if you wanted to replace the roof on your house would you hire a contractor who was just learning the trade or someone who has been doing it for many years?
The same applies to hiring a professional web designer. You’ll benefit from all their knowledge, expertise, experience and avoid the mistakes that you’ll have to pay for later if you did it yourself.
Who will host it?
For a website to be displayed on the Web it needs to be hosted on a server. Before choosing a web hosting company make sure it has a good reputation, technical support and enough space and bandwidth to host your site. Often your web designer will include web hosting plans as part of their contract. This saves time because they won’t have to waste time dealing with another company that may have inadequate technical support or the requirements to host your site.
Read How to Choose a Hosting Company That’s Reliable
Don’t settle for mediocre when designing your website. A killer design built by an experienced professional will not only impress your customers but attract search engine traffic. Asking these questions before the design provides a solid foundation for the future success of your website.
Whether you want a custom designed website or need to maintain, market or host your current one I’ve got you covered. With over 12 years of experience I will turn your business ideas into reality and help you generate traffic that converts hungry visitors into buyers.
Click Here or Visit: http://www.iSiteBuild.com
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