Howdy, and welcome back! The following is part two of the two-part series, Planning A Website: How To Start A Website For My Business. Click on the link to read part one, detailing the first three steps in planning a website and how to start a website.
Seven Steps To Planning A Website
Today we’ll cover the remaining four tips for planning a website to provide you with a guideline and action plan for gathering the appropriate people, information and resources you’ll need to create you first website. In the end, you’ll be armed with everything you’ll need and the right answers for how to start a website for a small business.
7 Steps To Planning A Website
(Continued from How To Start A Website Part 1)
4. Think about administrative and maintenance implications when reviewing how to start a website.
Although extremely cost effective, websites do require continual upkeep in the form of monthly web hosting, content maintenance, technology updates and marketing. Which means you’ll need to budget time and money to keep your site running at optimum performance.
Future headaches can be avoided by taking an active role in planning a website project. A few additional questions to ask when planning a website include workload and how it will be managed. Who on your team will be adding new content, evaluating usage and responding to requests from prospective customers? What level of commitment will you be comfortable with? The website will be developed around these requirements.
5. Create a wish list of technology, marketing and multimedia features.
Take a look at other websites and take note of important features that you would consider incorporating into your site. Look at things like navigation style, interactive elements, video presentations, multimedia tours, search features and website branding. Don’t worry about cost at this point. Instead, use this as a brainstorming session with your website planning team.
6. Understand the technical challenges and cost factors involved.
Review your features wish list carefully… especially when considering how to start a website for a small business. Web development is a rapidly advancing field, mirroring the explosive growth of technology in general. You’ll want to plan your website with one foot firmly planted in the future. This will extend the life of your website considerably.
Keeping this in mind, the goal is to develop your site from the ground up to be flexible and to welcome future upgrades. You might not need the most advanced features now, but it is far less time consuming and expensive to plan ahead. That way, things like video and audio Podcasts, interactive demonstrations, web conferencing and seminars can be phased in over time without having to redevelop portions of your website.
7. Form a close partnership with your marketing and web development firm.
Probably the most important of these seven tips for planning a website — view your relationship with your web design firm as a strategic partnership for your growth rather than a one-off job. Don’t hold anything back, ask questions and be open, honest and candid with your web design team.
And also understand that with the explosive growth of the internet, websites are rapidly evolving into dynamic, media-rich, potent marketing tools. Shoddy, homemade sites are no longer acceptable.
Your professionalism, credibility and brand image are at stake. So take an active role in planning your website. After all, this is an investment in reaching your business, financial, professional, personal, and family goals.
Give us a piece of your mind! Did you find this article on how to start a website informative? Are you planning a website project and need help from Formulis? Call us at 866-247-0605 or leave a comment!Thanks!
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Solid plan. Read this post carefully people there is a lot of truth here. Start here and you will be well on your way to a superb online presence.
Andres Garcia