Your website is like a book or a magazine about your business. It needs an appropriate visual image, good information and a cohesive order that makes it easy for your visitors to find what they are looking for...so before you ask for a quote, you'll need to do some research...
1. Research
Start by looking at websites that you like. Search the web for sites that are in your business field don't restrict yourself to Australian sites. Use google.co.uk to search for british sites, google.co.nz for new Zealand sites, google.com for American sites.
Also, you will no doubt come across sites that are not in your field but you like the look of or perhaps the structure.
Keep an 'Ideas' folder in your favourites of all these sites. We will look at these to analyse them and 'steal' the best ideas from them for your site.
2. Question to ask yourself: What do I want my site to do?
eg. make a million bucks, create world peace, connect people, raise money for the starving orphans, entertain, blow the whistle on politicians, teach people to cook etc...
Who is my message aimed at?
Eg. shopaholics, meditation students, lonely people, busy women with high incomes, small businesses in your area, farmers, yoga teachers etc...
What do I want site visitors to do? buy products, sign up for a course, contact you for a quote, tell their friends about you, contribute their opinion, download an e-book etc...
What do my site visitors want from me and how can I provide it?
Give them what they want and they will keep coming back.
eg. free information, goods at a great price, links to other sites of interest, fun, a sense of community, background info on your business before contacting you, product information including pricing, shopping from the comfort of home or work.
How big does your website need to be? This varies enormously between sites. But at the very least you will need: Home - introduction to site with info about your site and the products/information available About - corporate profile. This builds credibility and adds a face (or faces) to the name. Products/Services - information about what you offer. If you are selling online, this is your online shop. Contact Us - all contact details for email, phone and postal enquiries. Can include a contact us response form.
Recommended Additional Pages: Links - useful resources for your site visitors. Eg if you are a wedding photographer, include florists, bridal stores, makeup artists, caterers, function venues etc.
Testimonials and Awards - If someone has said nice things about your business or given you an award, mention it here. Site visitors will definitely visit this page. FAQs - if your clients always ask the same questions, answer the most common ones here. It helps save time for everyone and adds value to your site.
So, decide on how big your site needs to be and let us know.
4. Ask for a quote We will take all this information and quote a finished price. This will include hosting and domain name registration if required. If you are happy with our quote, we ask for 50% deposit to begin work on your new website.
5. Design stage
We take your 'wishlist' and create a design to match your needs. You will receive up to 3 design versions to choose from. We create static jpeg pages for you to look at. These are usually emailed to you.
6. 'tweaking' and approval stage
We work together with you to fine tune the design and when you are happy we start building the site pages.
7. Site building You will need to have all your bits and pieces ready for us at this stage including photographs, logos, text for pages, contact details. If you require us to write content and articles for your then we need a full brief of content requirements now.
8. Your new website is ready
Your site is now complete - check for errors or minor changes. Everything ok? Your site goes live, and final payment is now due. Pop the champagne cork - all our hard work is done. Yay!
How much does a website cost?
Every website differs due to the unique nature of your business. Having said that, most small business website designs fall into the $1800-$3000 price range.
Other costs associated with getting your site up and running are:
domain name registration (ie. Buying your web address eg mywebsite.com.au) and web hosting (renting web space on a highly specialised server).
Allow up to $200 per annum to cover these in you budget.
Content Management System - DIY updates
Many clients come to me with the idea that they will update their site themselves. The reality is that they don’t usually have the time. Having said that, I am pleased to offer the easy to use Sitebuilder content management system that is not much more complicated than using a word processor. Available only with one of our pro hosting plans.
Configuring your site to use Sitebuilder $495
When we discuss your site, I will ask you specific questions to get an idea of how big your site needs to be and how many features you require (eg e-commerce, content management system, large image gallery, response forms etc) and provide a quote.
I require a 50% deposit to begin work with final payment due on site launch.
Phew! That much? If you are a very small business with a very small budget and time on your hands, may I suggest that you start with a DIY blog website provided through blogger.com or wordpress.com. These have their limitations but are certainly better than no site at all. As your business grows, you can then upgrade to a fully customised website. I hope to see you once you are ready to upgrade to a customised site.
What about ongoing site maintenance - can you help me there?
Your site will require updating from time to time, especially if you are serious about building the google ranking of your site. We offer a range of options including self-service updating using Sitebuilder content management (available only in conjunction with our pro hosting plans).
We also offer fee-based update service.
-Admin work (text and file updates supplied by client) is charged at $50 per hour, charged in half hourly increments.
- Design work (new graphics, photo retouching, image gallery creation, style changes) is charged at $75 per hour with quote provided before work starts.
- Content writing (article writing and editing, blog writing) is charged at $75 per hour with quote provided before work starts. (prices correct as at September 2008).
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - what is it ?
Search engine optimisation is the process of giving your site the best chance of a good ranking with google, yahoo and other search engines.
Keep in mind that there are more than 172 million websites (as at June 2008) so there is a lot of competition out there. SEO is not a quick fix to internet fame. It often takes years for a site to rise to the top and stay there. This is a result of hard work, constant vigilance and above all, a site that people really like visiting.
This can be an involved, complicated and expensive process but, briefly there are 3 key strategies to improving your search ranking:
Have a great site that people want to visit. This means having valuable content available for your target audience. Good useful articles, free advice, plenty of information that relate to the field you wish to stand out in. Plenty of pages, headings and paragraphs that relate to your keyword and description meta tags.
Have great inbound and outbound links. Make sure your site is linked to quality sites that relate to your site. Make sure your site is listed on other quality sites. The bigger your network, the better. It makes your site more 'important' to the search spiders.
Promote your site. This could be through google adwords and other online marketing tools, but also through every other marketing channel you have – press ads, signage, business cards, brochures, t-shirts, tv advertising, youtube, facebook, PR opportunities etc.
We include basic SEO of your site (keywords, descriptions, suggestions for content, listing with google and yahoo) with every website design. If you wish to use a dedicated SEO provider, don't wait until the site is built. Search Engine Optimisation needs to be built in at the design stage for best results and value for your money.
What key strategies will improve my website?
- Clean, uncluttered design with easy to read text and quality images (no, that doesn't include spinning logos and flashing headings!)
- Valuable information for free (go on, be generous!)
- Signup option for newsletter or other free item/information
- Business Blog with useful articles which help potential clients
- Up to date information no less than one month old.
- Easy to navigate site design with minimal clicks to destination
- Friendly tone in language rather than stuffy or jargon crammed 'business speak'
- Transparent information about the cost of your products or services
What other marketing and design services do you offer?
Why not integrate all your marketing for the best possible impact?
We can help you with domain name registration, web hosting packages including email, google analytics, blog writing service, pdf document service (including e-book publishing and pdf forms), as well as photographic image sourcing, logo design, business card design and print and corporate ID packages (complete design and colour scheme for all business communications, both web and print). Talk to us today.
