Web Site Tips
Before you start your web site, before you even contact a web site development company ask yourself the following questions.
How will people find my web site.
If the answer is they will get your web address from your advertising (newspaper, radio, the back of a bus, business cards, invoices etc) then you will design a different site than if they will find you from online methods (search engines and portals). Then again they may find you by using a combination of both, you just need to know which applies to your business and how this will effect the way you build and use you web site.
An ecommerce site, do you want to sell online?
Peoples definitions of what ecommerce actually is, vary widely:
- Simply having a web site
- Having a web site which has your products on it
- A web site that allows people to send you an order via email
- A web site with the ability to take credit card orders
- A web site that not only takes a credit card order but processes the transaction and deposits the payment in to your bank account
The most appropriate level for you depends on your business, the types of products/services you have and what you feel comfortable with. Each added level of functionality increases the cost, both in terms of the build cost and the ongoing fees, so you should carefully consider the level that is financially viable for your business.