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So, if you want your web site to be taken seriously, should you build it yourselfor turn to a professional? What are the traps the inexperienced should avoid?
By Harvey Raybould, MD, Compila Ltd. |
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During the nineties when the use of the Internet as a business tool was in its infancy, small businesses looking to create a web site only had one path to follow.
This was a time when doing things well in the world of web design, meant having a website with the most bells and whistles, such as animation, background sound, and slow loading video. Smartly dressed salesmen spun mesmerizing tales of wonder, with unrecognizable “buzz words” such as: Flash; Shockwave, GIF, TIFF and multi platform XML, before handing you an invoice for a fee that would make a yuppie cry.
Then, after a couple of weeks, with more luck than judgment, your shiny new website would be online. Often it looked great, but to the user in search of answers to their original search-engine query, getting around the site was often very frustrating.
Today the general standards of web design are much higher, and likewise people using the web, have higher expectations. However, sadly, there are still far too many people peddling low standard web design to make it completely foolproof for the new entrepreneur or business owner to make the right web design decision.
Step 1: Choose your domain name wisely
So what does your domain name have to do with web design?
Consider it like the number on the front door of your house. It doesn’t necessarily add to the overall design of your home, but it clearly distinguishes your house from your neighbours. What’s different is that where postmen and women have detailed maps showing them where to find you, people surfing online have no such map. How easily they find you, is influenced by how wisely you select your domain name, particularly if you are going to rely on search engines to find you new customers.
Domain names are relatively inexpensive at just a few pounds or dollars a year, so don’t restrict yourself to one domain name, select a few, including some with your most common keywords i.e. compilahosting.co.uk, abcbeds.com or carpetsxyz.co.uk.
Step 2: Plan as much as you can on paper before picking up a mouse or phone.
The key here is to consider very carefully what you are trying to say and more importantly, how you want to be perceived by your potential customers. Your website is in many cases, your future customers’ first port of call. If your website is poorly designed, badly presented, or lacks information, this will be your potential customers first impression of your business.
Crucially, it only takes a few seconds for a prospective customer to decide whether they like your site or not, and their impression will be determined as much by the way your site looks as what it has to say.
The key here is to ensure you place the right information in the right place. Consider your website as a house you are inviting someone into. The entrance hall is the home page, where you greet them. It’s there they need to know they are in fact at the right house, so be clear that you state in the simplest possible terms, without too much detail, who you are and what you do.
The doors leading off from the entrance hall (via the menu bar on the home page) open out onto other rooms (web pages) describing in more detail what you do.
There will be a page ‘About Us’, which tells them who you are; a page ‘Services or what we offer’, which describes in more detail what you do and why it’s important; and then finally, a page with details of how to get in touch with you.
Step 3: Consider future development
Your website must also change with you and be able to evolve as your business does. After all, you wouldn’t knock your house down every time you wanted to re-decorate would you? So why put yourself in a position where you can’t easily keep your website up-to-date. Please don’t fall into this trap. Allow your website to grow with you.
It doesn’t matter if you are going to employ a professional or build it yourself, planning for the future development of your site is essential. If you are a business which wants to sell online, and has plans to expand or constantly change what you sell, you will need to ensure you choose a web hosting package which provides sufficient storage space, or which can be upgraded easily.
Step 4: Decide whether to DIY or not to DIY?
There is a simple analysis that will help you decide whether to employ a professional or build your website yourself.
If you find that you can’t master the tools required to build your website in less time than it takes you to make the £1000 you would otherwise spend on a web designer, then employ a professional. Doing it yourself will be a waste of your time and may lose you money. You could easily spend a month learning FrontPage or Dreamweaver and still end up with a bad site. If your talents just don’t lie in this direction, leave it to the pros. Without doubt, if your site doesn’t look impressive, no one will buy from you.
Step 5: Do your homework to avoid being burned
If you have decided to use a professional then do your homework well. Like every other industry, the web also has its’ rogue traders. However, just like the over-fed plumber who takes a sharp intake of breath before robbing you, or the salesman with hair slicker than his suit, that would sell his own children to close the deal, rogue designers are also easy to spot.
The fastest way to spot a rogue web designer, is to ask them to show you their portfolio of sites. The proof will always be in the pudding. However, if the quality of the design is good, still make sure you contact the site owner to be sure the designer is not fraudulently trying to pass off the website as their own.
Another potential pitfall to look out for is the technician who can code an html page, but hasn’t got the creative flair you need to make your website stand out from the crowd. Be sure you understand that web design is first and foremost a design skill. Good web designers will have a background in graphic design, and not be simply ‘techies’ who like to build the odd website.
Finally, beware of falling into the ‘friend of the family syndrome’ trap. It’s amazing just how many people arrive at the door of a competent web designer with a poorly built, out-of-date website they’ve paid small change for to a second cousin, friend from school or neighbour. Just be cautious when you hear the words, ‘oh, I know someone who builds websites.’
If you want a professional, the best bet is to ask your hosting company who should be able to recommend a design agency that will deliver what you want, within your budget. You should easily be able to get a great web site, with a content management system (CMS), enabling you to make your own updates, for around £1000.
If you have found your designer, there’s a good chance they will have a partnership with a hosting company already. I would always recommend, if possible, bundling hosting, design and search engine optimisation together. Not only will the end result be cheaper, but it will also make it easier for you if there is a problem.
Step 6: Consider using website building software from your web host
However, if budget is a consideration and you still plan to build your web site yourself, seek advice. Talk first to your web hosting company about how to present your business online and what tools would best suit your needs. Good web hosting companies offer a plethora of web site building tools and there is also free design software such as NVU.
Another tool you can use is one of the open source (meaning free) content management systems available such as WordPress.
Normally, to use WordPress as the basis of your site it’s necessary to download their scripts (software) from the WordPress site, and then upload it to your web host’s server, or ask one of WordPress volunteers to do it for you. Increasingly, however, good web hosts are making scripts like Word Press available as part of their web hosting package, which simply require you to click on a simple icon on the control panel, for WordPress to be installed on your web space.
So, the crux of the matter is, while a little knowledge will go a long way, please try not to stretch it too far. Building your own site using free tools can be a cheap way to get online, but it isn’t always productive. When first impressions really do count, please make sure it’s not you that looks like the cowboy builder or dodgy car salesman.
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