Part II - Planning A Website
Part II - Planning
Website
By Regina
Stevens
This is the second article I have written about how to plan a website.
You can find part I here or
type in Regina Stevens next to the "Author Name" box at
http://goarticles.com.
This article is for people who may be
thinking about getting a website for their business, but have not done any
research to find out if they need one. Below are some ideas to think about
before deciding on getting a website:
1) Think long-term before you
build or have someone build you a website, you may not need one
2)
Keep in mind that if you are selling anything online, you must make plans
on how to market your business offline
3) Don't expect your web
designer/developer to operate and/or market your product or service for
you
4) Think about who will do website maintenance and how
often
Just because "everyone else" has a website does not
necessarily mean that you need one. In order to find out if you need a
website ask yourself a few questions:
1) Will I save money selling
my product or service online?
2) Will the shipping fee be higher
than my product or service fee?
3) Will people buy this type of
product or service online?
4) Am I willing to invest time in making
my business work online?
Of course there are many more questions to
ask yourself, but the above questions should get you started in making
decisions on whether or not you actually need a website.
If you
feel that your product or service will indeed sell online, go for it!
There are millions of potential customers online! The good thing about the
Internet is that you can sell your products or services
globally.
Keep in mind that if you are selling products, you must
make plans on how to market your business offline. Although the Internet
is great for maximum exposure of your product or service, you should work
on selling your product or service offline in your local area. Sit back
and think about a few things you could do. The first thing would be to add
your website address to all of your advertisements. Below is a brief list
of some ways to advertise:
1) website address on billboards,
business cards, flyers, stationary, balloons, pens, pencils
2)
advertise on radio and television (if you have the budget)
3) write
press releases
4) network with businesses, friends, and
relatives
5) join a tradebank association in your area (bartering
services)
Don't expect your web designer/developer to operate
and/or market your product or service for you. It is tempting to expect
your web designer/developer to operate your business and send customers to
you, but in reality you should not expect this at all unless they offer it
as a service. Most of the time, the designer is there to design and the
developer is there for the functionality of your website. There are
designers and developers who will help you out, but don't expect them to -
you need someone who specializes in online marketing.
Think about
who will do the maintenance on your website and how often. You must know
who will manage your website after it's completed. If you won't be the one
to manage it, ask your designer/developer if they will do the maintenance
for you, or ask for a recommendation. Be sure to ask about the fee, how
often you will have to pay the fee, and what is included in the fee. If
you have a brochure-type website with just contact information, I don't
suggest purchasing a maintenance contract. If you have something like a
newsletter, or e-commerce site, then it would be worth it to purchase a
maintenance contract.
In a nutshell, you need to plan ahead before
you start an online venture. It can save a lot of frustration and worry if
you do your homework first.
About the author
Regina Stevens is the
owner of Keep It Simple Websites (http://keepitsimplewebsites). She writes
computer articles for new computer and internet users.
Copyright Regina Stevens
Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com/