Common Sense Web Design
We do not hear the words, "that's a great web design" as often as we used to. That's because the market expects so much more from a website project than just a good design. The initial creative development phase is very important, however, it must be guided by a well-defined purpose, it must be embodied with outstanding page content and the site must be seen by your target audience.
For this reason, we encourage our clients to focus on the big picture.
It is important, therefore, to strategize before you enterprise. Get your strategies right BEFORE you create and launch your website. Too many people aim to get their website online as quickly and as cheaply as possible. This is like building your house on a sand foundation. Building your house on a rock takes a bit longer, it requires better planning, and can be more expensive, but the long-term prospects are much better. Look upon your new website as a 'building' project. Plan carefully, identify what you need, and employ a professional, trustworthy 'builder' to get the job done for you.
Here's some things you should consider before getting your site built:
What are the objectives you would like your website to achieve? Produce sales? Provide sales support? Educate customers & provide training? Think it through.
Target a defined market with a concise message. Have your purpose and message in place before developing your site. The same message must thread its way through your entire website - as well as all your marketing and sales collateral.
How do you expect your site to complement your overall strategic goals? What role do your want the website to play. If your website is pivotal to the success of your venture [your venture is going to sink or swim based on the success of your website], you'll need to plan extra very carefully, design very professionally, and market very aggressively.
How much do you need to invest in your site to ensure success? Do some research. Seek advise from experienced web developers to define your design and programming requirements and then estimate the time and money it will take from planning to launch. Calculate what will be required to maintain and market the site after creation and launch.
Many hard lessons were learnt during the dot-com crash. One particularly flawed notion was that, "if you build it, they will come." There are close to 500 million Internet users around the world - over 170 million users in the US alone. There are an estimated 300+ million websites in the world today with around 900 new sites being added every hour. Latest data show that every 24 hours approximately 320 million separate searches are conducted on the net.
Rank highly on search engines. In most cases, professional help is required to rank highly on search engines. However, be very cautious about who you choose. Some companies offer submission to thousands of search engines and directories - all for only $?? per month. But as one writer in the Wall Street Journal recently said, "..stay away from submissions to 300,000 search engines. Those are no more likely to bring high rankings than sticking your tongue in an electrical socket." Make sure you find a developer with a good deal of experience in search engine optimization and submission.
If you require any help in the planning of your online project, please contact us. We would be happy to provide you with a 'no-obligation' project planning questionnaire that will help you to clarify your needs and build your site on a rock!
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