Top Five Things to Consider for your Website
In today's business world the benefits of a company having their own website can be critical to the success and ultimately the survival of any organisation.
With hundreds of thousands of web designers out there it can be an intimidating prospect trying to choose the most suitable designer for your project. Before you contact any web designers you should consider each of the following:
1. Goals
What do you aim to achieve through your website and how can this be measured. It could be increased revenue, improved communication, brand awareness or a combination of these. Try to determine specific goals for your website and if possible a definitive way these can be measured.
2. Budget
Set a budget for your website, including a price for the initial design and also taking into account monthly costs for ongoing maintenance and web hosting. Costs vary but I would expect a small business website to cost initially between £250 - £600 with ongoing monthly costs of between £15 and £100.
3. Domain Name
A domain name such as http://www.yourbusiness.co.uk will offer your organisation credibility and make it easier for people to find you on the worldwide web. You will exclusively own the domain name and will be able to set up an account to receive emails to anyname@yourbusiness.co.uk which will also enhance the professionalism of your online presence.
If you want to check the availability of a specific domain name, try looking under Register.com
4. Website Updates and Maintenance
Consider how often your website will need updated. For frequent updates it may be worth considering investing in a Content Management System to allow you to update the content yourself. Alternatively you might opt for a Website Maintenance Agreement which normally means you pay a monthly fee to your designer for updates to your website.
5. Web Standards
I would strongly recommend that you choose a web designer who can develop your website using the latest web standards recommended by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C). The benefits of this will ensure your website has:
- Greater visibility for search engines
- Backwards compatibility to ensure people with older web browsers can still view your web site
- Accessibility for disabled users
- Increased download time
- Ability to be successfully viewed using the latest technology including mobile phones and PDA's.
- Reduced maintenance costs
- No errors
Asking for your website to be developed using the latest web standards is something which should be seriously considered.
Once you have weighed up these five important factors you should be in an excellent position to identify a web designer for your project.
A good website to help you in locating a web designer is the UK Web Designers Association (UKWDA). This will allow you to search on Location and on specific skills, if you are aware of exactly what you are looking for in a designer.
