Article by Justin
Small businesses often make many mistakes when it comes to websites. In the emotion and overwhelming sensation you have with starting a business, there are some simple things people forget to check and cover to ensure that their business is set for take off. These fundamentals are required if we are to produce a website that: a) is locatable amongst the 250 million odd websites that exist on the internet, b) in line with the needs of the business, and c) legally with the local regulations. Unfortunately most web designers don’t provide this information and instead just make websites. I believe this to be flawed and have sought to make change in this area, thus helping small business owners be heard. I define some of the key points here in this article and hope that you don’t make the same mistakes.
I have seen many mistakes, some of which have been very costly and others which have been not so costly, but what is common to all is that they are all avoidable. When starting to build a website, many people go through the process of defining a product or service really well, choose a name and then begin to open for online business. This approach is not only inadequate from a legal point of view, but it is also unwise from a strategic point of view. When thinking about an online presence, before even registering a domain name there are a number of things you should do.
1. Set your goals.
Surprisingly not many do this. Most people will go about building a website and then look and think what is this all about. When i am working with some3one that is the first question I ask. What do you want from your website?
2. Start thinking about what you want on your website from the start
This doesn’t mean your website should have all of these features from the start. Most people when they are planning a website get carried away with features. I need a flash banner, with music and pink unicorns dancing around. The reality is that your small business is likely to only need basic features in the beginning. It is more important to focus on the content of the website.
I think it is great to think big and have the plans to have that kind of website one day, but the reality is those kind of features are expensive and may not even be wanted by your customers. A better start would be a system that is flexible enough to be able to add all those features, but just not implement them yet. Instead spend your business budget on marketing and getting your business known. Marketing is everything and should make up about 75% of a small businesses activities. So when planning a website ask yourself this question, “what is the minimum I can get away with as a Day 1 start up to serve the current needs of my business”. You will find that is likely your best starting place. That will avoid you making up your customers mind for them also.
3. Find the right web designer/Developer who you can communicate with and knows what they are talking about.
This is essential as it is all too easy to to build a website. The skill of building a website has been democratised, but the skill of conveying messages and laying out effective information has not.
These days you have so many possibilities for website building and it is often difficult to make the choice. Here are some things to consider:
-There is almost no skill in developing websites these days! Well not exactly true, but very much the case compared to 10 years ago when websites were a completely specialised field. Now anyone who can make a website is WordPress can happily call themselves a web designer. But are they really in tune with small business needs? Where is the skill these day then? In my opinion it is in the message development and laying out of the messages in a psychologically sensible manner. There is a whole science behind website psychology and if your designer isn’t up to speed, maybe you should keep looking! Also just because someone builds a website, doesn’t also mean that it is secure.
-Cheap hosting – You definitely get what you pay for here. Site security, speed, reliability, technical support and automatic features are just things to consider. I have had clients come to me after their site had been hacked. Why, nothing wrong with the site, just poor hosts who left gaping holes for hackers to get in. Can you also afford to have a website that is down for 5 days at a time as your hosting company cant get it together? That could mean sales. Do you want a website that bores people to death whilst trying to load a page? Know your host.
-Are you getting the best possible site for the least amount of money. Small businesses want to save. It is in their nature and it makes sense when operating capital is low. Find a low cost provider who meets your needs. Be clever and well researched. Think about your business needs in the future and ask your web developer how easy it is to add certain features and how expensive it is. A transparent pricing system is always an advantage to help you budget. One thing for sure is that a website running into the thousands of dollars is absolutely not necessary for most small businesses these days.
-Website flexibility – Is your website going to grow with your business? A website should ideally be able to grow and meet the needs of your business with time. This is especially important for small businesses who in the first few years undergo many changes and require changes and rearranges. Don’t get stuck with a free website system that will require a developer to redo anyway after 6 months as it cant meet your needs.
-Can you communicate with the company and their staff? This is a key element but often overlooked. I have many clients who have come to me with messed up websites and an empty feeling after paying lots of money for something they didn’t want.
-Building websites doesn’t build websites alone – The actual practice of building website actually is a small part of building up a website and giving it the traffic and momentum it needs. Ask your designer about their strategies for bringing traffic to your site.
-Is the website CMS (Content Management System) based? Small businesses owners need a flexible site and the ability to edit text themselves. This is a cost saving mechanism. Web designers usually charge by the hour and if a change to a website takes them 20 minutes how much do you think you will get charged? My guess is that many web designers will charge the hour. Take control of your website and do it yourself.
-Does the web designer know about marketing? Actually a small business website is nothing more than a marketing tool and depending on the service or product provided by the business, a website must be used effectively. The best web designers know about marketing as well as web design, ask yours what they know about marketing.
4. Map out your website needs.
It is best if you can give your developer a few sketches of what you see it all looking like. Send them to the developer by taking a digital photo and sending it. This helps to clarify what you want and gives a foundation.
If you are stuck for ideas, ask your developer for tips on how to keep moving forwards. One good way is to get examples of other websites that you like. Simple but surprising how few people do it. It is so much easier and clearer if you say ‘I want a menu system like that one from site XYZ.com” rather than say “I want a menu that does that flying out thingy”.
Finally and most importantly, ensure you have the complete picture before you start. Half starting then, half stopping and doing a u-turn then going down a one way street are all counter productive. Website developers for small business should be building in flexible systems to allow for change, but changing the ideas before they are even built is difficult and costly. Better to plan it right first.