How much should you pay for a website?
Well I did. I jumped forward and tested the waters. I spent years doing it wrong, and I think I finally got it right. But of course, who am I? Who is someone really? In this rapidly growing field, who really determines the value of a website? Could anyone have predicted how wildly successful some dot-coms have been, while hugely popular websites simply vanished into cyber “space”?
Change audiences. What worked in 2006 doesn’t even get clicks today. Marketing channels go where the popular vote is. And the old “big deal” could soon be gone. Who thought that MySpace would ever replace YahooChat and then Facebook would crush them both? And what is the problem with Twitter?
So where do you fit in? Where does your company, product, service, skill or skill set “fit”? What type of site would serve you best? Would it be very animated or full of video clips? And if so, couldn’t you just post some videos on YouTube with a phone number on them? Why spend money on a website if you don’t have to? Why lose money because you DON’T have a website? Hmm…
Well, fear not. There is a path and a glowing light at the end of this tunnel! The answer is simple. DO YOU NEED A WEBSITE. You can no longer be in business and not have an online presence. It’s a business card, product catalog, calendar, and secretary all rolled into one (and this secretary won’t call in sick). I would even recommend listing your business in various online directories and social networking sites (while they are still available). with style.) And uses search engines. You can learn a lot from your competition! Take a look at where they advertise and what keywords they emphasize. Don’t worry, I know you may not know what a keyword is, that’s why I’m here.
So here it is.
Step 1. Stay within your budget. Don’t let anyone, or any company, tell you what you need to spend and what you get for your dollars. I don’t think they can guarantee results anyway. Your website may actually be the smallest expense in your marketing budget.
Step 2. Create an outline. You need to organize your website long before you build it. Set bullet points for each page. Home, Services, Contact us, etc. Each page should have useful and unique information that will attract visitors to your site.
Step 3. draw a design how the site will look. The layout of your site content is very important. While you won’t need a marketing or media degree to have an effective site, it’s a good idea to read up on the different ways to present information and the benefits of each.
Step 4. Spend some money. When you’ve finally decided how you’d like your site to look and what will be on the pages, you’re ready to purchase a domain name and hosting account. Your domain is a unique address that your customers will type in to access your website (such as EzineArticles.com). This is a very important name because it must be purchased for a year or more, or it may already be in use. A hosting account is what allows you to access your site to make changes and upload it to the web. These services are offered together by many companies for very little.
Step 5. Hire a designer. I make my own design. Using a notepad and complementary color designs, I am able to design attractive and useful websites for all my clients. Graphics and logo designs cost extra, but taking your own photos won’t cost you a thing. Find a simple web design book and you could be online tomorrow!
Step 6. Generate traffic. Traffic is the most important statistic of a website. Using the right keywords and descriptors on your pages is priceless. The graphics, while attractive, are not searchable in text crawlers or search engines. And don’t forget, manual word of mouth promotion is always the most effective. Join discussion groups about your industry, make comments and post non-intrusive links to your website. If you really solve a need, your site visitors will come back.
Step 7. This step is it’s up to you. What is the ultimate goal of your site? Is it just to make money, sell your products/services or share information? Placing advertisements on your site for other sites can lead to a profitable website if you can generate a significant amount of traffic. Check it out once you’ve established your office online.
So basically that’s it. Finding a designer who does specifically and only what he needs is vital if he can’t design his own site. Several companies have website builder templates that you can use and paste into your own content.
