 |
Low Rate eCommerce & Retail Plans
Click Here for
fast and easy setup |
| Recent
Articles |
Content Layering :: Using Site Architecture To Improve SEO
Many times, a site gets very large and its ability
to rank well in competitive markets decreases in
part because of the size of the site...
Marketing Plans and Goals: Website Essentials
Every website needs a promotional and marketing plan to ensure that the goals
and objectives of the business's website are achieved. The site also requires
a clear definition of those goals to ensure the best plan is formulated to reach
them...
Reuters
Offering Video To Web Affiliates
The global news organization has begun a test period where site publishers can
add a cross-platform video player to their sites and show breaking news stories.
Reuters and Brightcove
have partnered on a video...
Link Popularity Campaign
You need to create a campaign to be successful in every profession. To increase your link popularity you surely need to trigger a link popularity campaign.
Guidelines
to Improve Usability
How you write and design your links is crucial to your visitors clicking them
or not. Write them badly and they leave, write them well and they stay...
|
|
|
| Web
Pro World |
Why CSS Instead of Tables?
What is the advantage of using CSS instead of Tables,
and what problems will I face by using tables in my site?
How User Friendly? Clicks, Scrolls & Anchors
You always must decide, early in the design process, whether
you create long pages that require extensive scrolling
or shorter pages that will require users to move frequently
from page to page. This decision will be based on considerations
of the primary users and the type of tasks being performed...
Section 508 and Plug-Ins
When it comes to linking to documents which may need a plug-in to view, PDF for example...does anyone know if the link to the plug-in needs to be on the same page in order to be 508 compliant?
It would be nice to instead list all the plug-ins on one page and then link to that page in the website footer...
A Quick Guide to Content Copyrights
Copyright and intellectual property rights will be a big
issue for webmasters in the coming years. Google’s Book
Search offering caused quite a stir with publishers this
year and the new music search function may or may not
be an issue...
|
|
03.07.06
Do's
and Don'ts of Launching a Small Business Website
 By
Alicia Harper
Launching a small business website can seem like an enormous task, although it does require some research, if done right it might be just the marketing tool your business needs.
The road to a website is filled with website designers, website developers and graphic designers. This in itself is very confusing. A website designer is someone who produces the design. A website developer is someone who creates more of the program side to your websites rather than the actual design. Nowadays most website designers are also developers. A graphic designer is the person who makes the images at the top of web pages, the buttons, and menus on a website. The whole process should not be so difficult and full of surprises. Therefore the 6 Do's and Don'ts should be a great start to help you launch your small business website.
Don't concentrate on images and how pretty your site will be. Remember that your sites' purpose is to answer your customers questions and inform your customers of what you have to offer, such as services and products. Don't use too many images because if your site is so "new age" a lot of people will not be able to navigate and find their way around it therefore they will get frustrated and not stay on your site and that would defeat the sites purpose.
Don't compare web designers by their price. Not all web designers are created equal. You must not only compare the price but the type of service you will require such as internet marketing and updates, will they continue to create the site until you are satisfied, and can they write the content. Some designers will create you a site and mail you a CD with the files and you will then have to figure it out on your own how to get it on the web. Others will help you choose a domain and a hosting company, upload your files to your site, and will write your content. Writing on the web is different from writing in print. A good content writer will know what to say to keep your visitors on your site. Keep these things in mind when choosing a web designer.
Don't hire a web designer until you are ready. Once you are
finished shopping around for a web designer, do make sure you
have purchased a domain name, hosting, have a general idea of
what you would like your site to look like and written your
content, if you will be doing this yourself. This is important!
Web designers work virtually, that is directly on-line (through
the Internet). You might not actually ever meet them. This style
of work is very different from working face to face and have
times set up as to when you will meet. It actually benefits
you, the designer can get your website on-line faster. Therefore
it is important for the web designer to have all your information.
If they have to wait a week or so for your website content then
you will be pushed to the back burner.
Do request a quote from a few web designers before you decide on one. Once you have looked at some websites find a few who you like and request a quote from them. Explain that you are interested in a website, explain a little bit about your business, how many pages would your site need and what are other services you would need from them. Ask them to send you a price detailing what would be included. Understand that this is a quote and if you are requesting any other additional services there will be an additional cost although designers will usually let you know beforehand.
Do plan on keeping your site up-to-date. Keeping your site updated keeps your customers coming back to either find out what's going on with your company or about new promotions or sales. It also gives your customers the impression that you care about keeping them informed and that you value their business. The benefit of having a website is it's easy to update and don't cost much. Usually a web design firm will have special packages for updates. Find a designer who also can provide updates and when your site is finished discuss an update schedule and what they can suggest to keep your site looking fresh.
Do find a designer who specializes in small business. Small design firms understand the needs of another small business and are more likely to be more personal with your questions. A big design firm might have 5 people working on your website and they might not all have gotten the e-mail that stated what you want. Whereas a small design firm would have one person working on your site with whom you communicate directly.
This guide to launching a small business website is just the tip of the iceberg. The best thing is always know what you are going to receive in return for your hard earned cash. Make sure that your website is like an investment and that you are actually going to receive a return on your investment. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions! Most designers will answer most of your questions, no problem.
About
the Author:
Lee Odden is President of TopRank Online
Marketing. He publishes daily search engine news on the Online
Marketing Blog and also writes regular search marketing articles for AllBusiness.com,
Lockergnome.com and Practical eCommerce Magazine. |
