Once upon a time, a business could select not to have a website. They reasoned that they didn’t need a expert website; they could do just fine with out one. Then, one of their competitors decided to get a website along with a buzz was created. Not to be outdone, another competitor decided to follow suite. Then another and then another. Fairly soon customers were asking the business if they had a website. Lastly, they realized that they needed a web site in order to maintain up with their competitors. And so, the web exploded. These days, everybody has a website. From big corporations to small companies; families to individuals, everybody is on the web. A friend of mine even created one for his infant child.
This article is created to speak to the few remaining companies that have yet to tackle the web beast. You need to have a web presence, however it appears a daunting task. “Where do I begin?” you say. “What problems will I need to address so that I make probably the most of my new website?” you continue. This brief article will cover some of the areas of the web design process to pay particular attention to. We have created numerous web sites for customers that had no thought where to start. We firmly think that client education is a vital component of the overall good results of the web project. Most expert web design companies have published some guidelines which will help possible customers answer some of their questions. It is with that in mind that we have written this article.
Why do you want a website?
Will your website be for personal use (just show some photographs for your family members, for example)? Will it be to advertise a business service? Will it be an informational website, simply to pass on understanding to the visitor? Will it be used to sell a item? Is it important that you show up #1 in Search Engines?
These are vital questions with which to begin. The answers you come up with will determine the direction in which the overall style should go.
Do you have a business logo?
If you have been in business, you might already have a logo or perhaps a trademark that your customers recognize. If that’s the case, do you have the original graphic that may be emailed? It’ll be important to use that on your website.
If you do not have a logo or something by which your customers presently know you, do you have any ideas about what you might like, a sketch, a doodle or something similar? Whatever the case, generally a expert web design business can style a expert logo for you or reuse your present one.
Do you have particular colors that you want to use?
Not all colors work nicely on the internet. Generally, choosing a couple of colors will be the best path to take. Your web designer can assist you to choose quality colors which will come together in a style that you will be proud to show off.
Have you seen web sites that you like?
Providing an example (or examples) of a website that you like is a great way to help your web designer comprehend the look you’re after. A expert web design business will generally get this kind of feedback from their customers. Then they’ll have a feel for their “taste” and can use that as a pattern for their website.
Do you have a website domain name?
This is the actual address of the website. It is what you’ll rattle off when someone asks you, “Do you have a website?” If you do not have one registered already, your web designer can take care of that for you. Some web design companies may charge a yearly fee for this service, anywhere from $10 to $50. Nevertheless, some web design companies provide this service at no charge. Make sure to ask your web design business about this upfront so that there is no confusion.
Do you know how numerous web pages you want for your website?
Nearly all web sites have a House page, a Contact Us page along with a Links page. Nevertheless, after that, you have to determine what you want functions to emphasize about your business. Is it important that visitors know some history about your business? If so, you’ll need an “About Us” page. Do you have categories of item that you want to feature on your website? If so, every category will have its own page. Do you want visitors to have the ability to fill out an order form when they are ready to buy something? If that’s the case, you’ll need an “Order Form” page.
Your web designer will ask you about this facet of one’s website, however it is great to believe about this on your own prior to you take that step. As a rule, the more pages a website has, the higher the cost. So select a web design business that you are comfortable with and do not let them speak you into more pages than you truly need.
Do you have graphics and photographs to use on your website?
If you have photos to use on your website, are they in a high-quality digital format? As a rule, a scanned photograph will not look great on your web site. The best photos are ones taken having a digital camera. These can be used on the website and formatted so that they have a expert look.
Numerous web design companies are able to take photos for you. Usually, this service is an additional charge, so be sure you talk about this choice.
Will you maintain the website yourself?
If so, do you have an understanding of the Code Languages used to produce your website. Some of these languages may consist of:
PHP
HTML
XML
SWF
If you are comfortable with these languages, your web design business can probably setup the website to allow you to maintain it yourself. Nevertheless, most companies will not support sites in which the client has made changes to the original code. Make sure to talk about this throughout your initial consultation.
Some companies will produce Content material Management Systems (CMS). These allow their customers to update the web site with out having to touch the original code. Having a custom CMS, if you can produce a document in a Word Processing program, you are able to alter your web site content material. This means you do not have to discover any programming languages and, at the same time, you do not have to call your web design business each time you need to update your website. Of course, the business you select should usually be available to assist if you get stuck. They should also be willing to e-mail you a link to show a demonstration of their custom CMS.
Hopefully, this article has given you some great guidance to follow on the path for your new website. With some advanced preparation, you’ll tackle the web beast with no problem. The web design business you select should be willing to supply you having a list of satisfied customers. Take the time to evaluation the list. Contact the customers listed and ask them for their opinions of the business. This will provide you with some great info to assist you make a great decision.
A Fresh is a Kansas City web design team. We specialize in Flash web design and database driven e-commerce. Follow us on Twitter at AFresh.