There are some basic questions you need to consider in planning your new website. These will help you think about what you need and communicate it to me. You will need to answer the questions: Why? Who? What? Where? and When?
Why?
Why do you want a website. This should be a short and concise answer. What do you want to happen when people come to your site?
Who?
Who will be coming to your website?. Who is your target audience? What are they like? What do they do? How can you help them? Your target audience isn’t everyone.
What?
This isn’t just what content or what subjects you website will cover but what formats will be best to communicate them. What methods are we going to use to communicate the information we want to convey. What topics covered in the website? You will need to come up with the content that will go on the pages. I can give ideas as to what pages you might want, but I don’t know enough about your business to write the content.
Where?
Where are people going to find your business? If you can get a matching domain name to your business name, that is best. If you already have a business name, we’ll need to find something close. Your domain name should be as short as possible, easy to remember and easy to spell.
When?
When are you going to update your content and how often are you going to update your content? You need to update regularly even on a small business website. Website content needs to be fresh. And who will be updating the website, you, a person on your staff, your web designer?
Giving a Quote
After I know what you have need of in your new website, I will be able to give you a quote of what it will cost to develop your website. The cost will be broken into two payments. The first is due at the signing of the contract and the third when the website is complete. There is no monthly charge, unless you decide to add a Website Maintenance plan to your website. The price range varies because no two websites are exactly alike.
If you can answer the questions below, I will be able to give you a quote. There is a pdf available for download at the bottom of the page. Please fill it out and have it when we meet for your free initial meeting or phone consultation. You could also send it to me by email.
Here are some questions to help plan out your website:
- Do you want to sell products and/or a shopping cart?
- Do you need to collect customer information into web forms and/or a database?
- Do you want to allow visitors to download free things or things that cost money and have a
password protected page? - Do you want to offer coupons?
- Do you want to have a photo/video gallery or your work or products?
- Do you want to have a blog?
- Do you want links to social media such as: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn?
- Do you need an events section or membership section?
- Do you have a budget you’ll need to work within?
- Do you want to be able to update and maintain your own website?
- Also, are there any other ideas you have and want in your website that I haven’t mentioned?
- I’ll also need a copy of your logo, color you want to use and some links of other websites you
like and why.
With these questions answered, it won’t take long to get your new website up and running.