First of all you must be absolutely clear about why you want a website and what exactly you want to achieve with it.
This way you will be able to get what you want without being swayed or manipulated by a smart-talking salesman with a cheesy tie! After you have really figured out what you want then you can set about looking for it and picking a website designer to do this with.
Ask for a few quotes or tenders (not more than 5 but 3 is ideal) from a few developers or website designers.
Take a very good look and study each entry carefully and ask questions against the wishlist you made in the first point above.
Here you are looking for the best fit for your intended outcome which is your business website that looks and does exactly what you want it to.
Ask for references and portfolios from the website designers tendering and make sure they allow you to have a quick chat with their references or portfolio customers.
When you talk to the references you want to know how the website designers handle the design process, their terms and how you agree to sign off each stage of development.
What guarantees do they have and very importantly; how long their support goes for.
They must have an interest in making sure the website does what you set out to do.
If this will involve search engine optimization you must make sure you understand how this helps and also should that be left out, you want to know how to measure the website effectiveness versus your intended outcomes.
Once you pick your website designer you want to think about the website hosting and what comes with it or features of the website hosting.
Make sure you are clear who the domain name you choose is registered to.
Some unscrupulous website designers have been known to register their clients' domain names in the designer's name and asking for ridiculous amounts of money to let it go.
Make sure you do not run into this one.
Can you afford the service? Is it bespoke or 'off-the-shelf'? Just make sure you know what you are getting upfront.
Can you change and update your own website or will you have to pay management fees on a monthly basis? These days most website designers supply CMS or content management systems so you can change and update your own website later to keep it in line with your business at all times.
When all the above are sorted out the rest is customer service.
How do they treat you and other customers? Are they helpful? Friendly? Honest? Do they explain everything to you or bamboozle you with techno language? Always be clear about what's going on with your website at all times.
After all you are very good at managing your brick and mortar store, you should be taking full control of the website as well.
If there is any talk of contracts make sure you know how long for and how to get out of it if you decide to do this.
You have been in business for a while and know what you do in general, I suggest you take the same rules as before to the website as well.
This way you will be able to get what you want without being swayed or manipulated by a smart-talking salesman with a cheesy tie! After you have really figured out what you want then you can set about looking for it and picking a website designer to do this with.
Ask for a few quotes or tenders (not more than 5 but 3 is ideal) from a few developers or website designers.
Take a very good look and study each entry carefully and ask questions against the wishlist you made in the first point above.
Here you are looking for the best fit for your intended outcome which is your business website that looks and does exactly what you want it to.
Ask for references and portfolios from the website designers tendering and make sure they allow you to have a quick chat with their references or portfolio customers.
When you talk to the references you want to know how the website designers handle the design process, their terms and how you agree to sign off each stage of development.
What guarantees do they have and very importantly; how long their support goes for.
They must have an interest in making sure the website does what you set out to do.
If this will involve search engine optimization you must make sure you understand how this helps and also should that be left out, you want to know how to measure the website effectiveness versus your intended outcomes.
Once you pick your website designer you want to think about the website hosting and what comes with it or features of the website hosting.
Make sure you are clear who the domain name you choose is registered to.
Some unscrupulous website designers have been known to register their clients' domain names in the designer's name and asking for ridiculous amounts of money to let it go.
Make sure you do not run into this one.
Can you afford the service? Is it bespoke or 'off-the-shelf'? Just make sure you know what you are getting upfront.
Can you change and update your own website or will you have to pay management fees on a monthly basis? These days most website designers supply CMS or content management systems so you can change and update your own website later to keep it in line with your business at all times.
When all the above are sorted out the rest is customer service.
How do they treat you and other customers? Are they helpful? Friendly? Honest? Do they explain everything to you or bamboozle you with techno language? Always be clear about what's going on with your website at all times.
After all you are very good at managing your brick and mortar store, you should be taking full control of the website as well.
If there is any talk of contracts make sure you know how long for and how to get out of it if you decide to do this.
You have been in business for a while and know what you do in general, I suggest you take the same rules as before to the website as well.
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