So You Need a New Website Part 2

This is part 2 of a 3 part article where I provide a stage by stage process to develop a website for your company and/or organization. In Part 1, we discussed:

• Stage 1 - the need to go through a branding process • Stage 2 – how to choose a domain name and suffix • Stage 3 - the different types of websites you can choose for your company/organization.

Stage 4 – What kinds of applications are needed?

The main reason why you would need an application is to provide a service, enhance the usability of your website, communicate with your customers, or have your customers communicate between themselves.

The choice of applications is almost endless. Here are some examples of services and features:

• let people email you right from your website • a form that will supply a quote for a service • a blog (to share your thoughts and valuable information with potential customers)

• a back office (so you can add, change and delete pages of your website yourself without knowing any code)

• a shopping cart (for e-commerce sites)

• a picture gallery • a calendar of events • a members area • event registration • video and/or audio playing • games • a guest book • forums.

There are a lot of really great things you can do on your website to enhance the experience for the viewer. Be careful, however; it is possible to do too much. And applications for your website, especially if they are created specifically for your website, can be costly and time consuming (but can also be worth it).

To decide what (if any) kinds of applications you will have on your website answer the following questions:

• what kind of applications would enhance my customer’s experience with my company • what kind of application would improve communication between my business and my customers • what would enhance my presence on the web • what type of application will better market my company and better display my products and/or services?

I also suggest getting in touch with your current or potential customers. Ask them what type of applications would be beneficial for them to use. There is no point in spending time and money on an application to find out your customers don’t care to use it.

For example, if you are in an industry where your service is membership based, you might want to think about a secure members’ area. Your member’s area can be where you keep your customers up-to-date on events they might be interested in. You can also create a forum for members to share experiences with themselves, keep track of their account, etc.

Most website applications can be developed in two ways. One, you can search on the web for fee or free applications such as blogs, forums and even updating your website. If you decide to use a pre-packaged application, make sure it can integrate well into the rest of your website. The other way to get applications on your website is to ask your developer/designer to set it up for you.

However you get the application on your website, make sure you do enough testing to guarantee it will work, and that it is as secure as it needs to be. And remember, you don’t have to do everything at once. A website is always in progress. So create a wish list and accomplish the most important things first within the budget and time you have at the moment, and save the rest for later.



Stage 5 - Who or how will you develop your site?



This is where this article gets tricky. As a developer in order to keep food on my plate I should be recommending that you pick someone like me over other options. But there are several things you should consider before you decide who and how you are going to create your site.

First, take a look at what you have decided during stage 1 through 4. If your website is a simple design and doesn’t need any elaborate customization, you just might get away with doing it yourself with the one of the many ‘do-it-yourself’ website template companies available. These types of sites tend to be cheaper but not always depending on what type of applications you are using, and the originality of the design.

If you decide to purchase a template, make sure it was created, or updated recently. Test it out on several browsers. Gone are the days when web viewers only used Microsoft Explorer. Other browsers are gaining in popularity such as Firefox and Netscape. The way in which newer versions of browsers display a website changes quite often, as well. What worked in Explorer 6 just might not work properly in other browsers, or even in Explorer 7.

You will also need to make sure the template you purchase will either work with the other applications you have or will acquire, or they are upgradeable to add the applications you need. For example, if you know you are going to create an e-commerce site, there are many packages you can get that will enable you to develop your website as well as set up the shopping cart and payment processes.

As well, before you buy a website template, check to see how many times it has been downloaded. There is nothing worse than creating a website that you are proud of and finding a hundred websites that look like yours. If you do buy a popular template, make sure you change it sufficiently to ensure it is not a carbon copy of another site. And, as mentioned in part 1, make sure your website is consistent with your company’s branding.

Another option is to hire a developer and/or designer. When you hire a designer and/or developer, you are letting them handle all the `techie’ stuff, and you just have to tell them exactly what you want. Furthermore, a good designer/developer will be able to guide you to the best website for your company, from the design to the applications.

Developing a good relationship with a web guy or gal can be of benefit to you, especially when your business really takes off. Sooner or later you will not have time to take care of your website development and maintenance; you will be too busy making money, and you will want someone available you can rely on.



Deciding on whether to create your own website, purchase a template, or go with a designer/developer, will depend on several factors: first, what have you budgeted for your website? If the answer is not much, and you have the time, perhaps the best way to go is to purchase a template or learn how to do it yourself. But if you have a sufficient budget for your website, if your website is an integral part of your marketing plan, or if you have no time to do it yourself, find yourself a good designer/developer.

Stage 6 – Choosing your hosting package There are a plethora of companies that will host your website. Hosting a website has also become a small part of your website’s costs. If you are okay with other people advertising on your site, then you can even get free hosting packages.

So what is the key to find a good hosting company? Well firstly, up-time is very important. The reality of technology is that it sometimes fails, but if the hosting company you are looking at does not guarantee at least 98% up-time (the industry standard), I don’t care how cheap they are, don’t go with them. There is nothing worse than having a potential, or current, customer try to access your site and it is down a lot; sooner or later they will just give up.

Another way to find a good hosting company is to ask your peers, friends or your developer who they use. They should say things like they have great customer support, their control panel is easy to use, it is easy to set up email accounts, etc.

Another decision you will have to make is whether you are going to use a Windows or Linux server. Linux servers tend to be cheaper than Windows (usually there are no licensing fees to pay), and some say they are more stable (more up-time). If you are planning, however, to use Microsoft products like SharePoint, an Access database, or an ASP application, you should go with a Windows server to avoid any possible complications. And most pre-packaged applications such as blogs and forums are developed for both Linux and Windows, so make sure you get the right one.

Most people who are building their first website, (even if it is in Flash) do not need high- end packages. For $6 – $10 a month, you should get at least 30 emails, 30 gigabyte monthly bandwidth rate, and 1-3 gigabytes storage space (more than enough space for most small to medium size companies). If you start with a basic package, you can always upgrade in the future with the same hosting company, usually with no website down-time.

In the end, do a little bit of research, do a bit of price and service comparing, and make sure the type of package you get works well with how your website will be built.



Overview:

So, now you know what type of applications (if any) you need, you know what type of hosting package you are looking for, and you know how and who will develop your website. In part 3 (the final installment) the fun begins. You have answered all of the important questions, now it is time to see all of your hard work come to life. The building of your website begins.

Look for part 3 of this article in a few weeks on this website. If you are interested in being notified when it has been published, send an email to: info@virtuecreativedesigns.ca



So You Need a New Website Part 2 - To learn more about this author, visit Kevin Virtue's Website.

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