What to expect when you're expecting...a website

A guide for companies thinking about creating a website.
By John Rossitter of www.rossitterconsulting.com, a Shreveport webdesign company

Part 1 |  Part 2 |  Part 3 |  Part 4 |  Part 5 |  Part 6 |  Part 7 |  Part 8 |  Part 9 |  Part 10 |  Glossary

Part 1

Introduction |  5 Reasons |  Why write this guide? |  Who is this guide for? |  What is a business website? |  The Interactive Business Card |  The E-Store |  The Online Application |  The Shared Website |  I just wrote this

Introduction

If you are reading this guide, then you have probably decided to take the plunge and go ahead and get one of those "interweb" things for your company. You probably don't know exactly what it is you need, but you know you need it... and you need it now. For some companies their website is an integral part of their business that puts them directly in contact with their customer and actually generates revenue. You have seen these sites, the ones where you buy books online or order those argyle socks. Other companies get a website because they think they have to, but would rather not even bother. You have been to these sites too. These are the ones you visit that make you think "I can't believe that someone made this bad of a website for a company…gosh, I hope mine looks better than that"

The cold hard fact is that in today's business world, you absolutely have to have some sort of web presence. People have actually become conditioned to believe that companies that don't have a website are less credible than those who do. Why is that? Is it because in today's world of instant gratification, people are more at ease when they feel they can get in touch with you anytime and anywhere? Or is it because we spend an ever more increasing amount of time online everyday and it's only a natural progression?

For better or worse people use the internet to interact with businesses ALL THE TIME. Phonebook usage is dwindling every day as people now use search engines like Yahoo! and Google to find local businesses. Phonebook usage has gotten so low that many phonebook makers are now using the internet for their primary publishing platform.

This guide was written to help you in the process of getting your company's website online. It will walk you through all of the steps from A to Z, warn you of the pitfalls, and provide practical advice for getting the best website for your money. Most importantly it will arm you with the knowledge you need to succeed online. So take a minute, warm up your coffee, check your email and close the door to your office.

5 Reasons to make a website

If you still have not decided to create a website for your business, then I want to provide you with 5 compelling reasons as to why you should get started on it today.

• 1) The internet is not going away. It's not a fad or fascination. The internet has transformed they way business is conducted the world around.
• 2) Your competition is doing it. Whether you sell widgets, gadgets or children's books there is an army of other businesses selling to your customer's online.
• 3) You will be opening your business to new customers and markets you didn't even know existed around the world.
• 4) Keep in contact with your customers in ways you have never even dreamed of, with tools like Support Forums, Email-Blasts & Online Newsletters
• 5) Contrary to what you may have heard about making a website, it's really not that hard to do or expensive.

Why write this guide?

I decided to write this guide for many reasons. The biggest reason being, that I work on a lot of websites for a lot of people, and every time I begin a project I find myself explaining the process of what is going to be happening over the next few weeks to months. I wanted to prepare a comprehensive, informative and down to earth guide for my clients, so they could rest their worried minds, and focus on doing their business, while I focused on making them a fantastic website. This guide was not originally intended to be published or circulated for the general public, but as I kept adding sections to it, I realized that the information it contained was valuable and could be applied to anyone looking to create a website for their business.

Who is this guide for?

This guide was written for a business owner or executive who is looking to improve their internet presence by creating or updating their existing business webpage. While anyone is welcome to read this guide, please remember that the advice given is geared towards business websites looking to gain and retain their web presence. If you are looking for a guidebook to create a website for your family vacation photos, or band website, chances are there may be a better guide out there for you. But I invite you to read it anyway.

By the time you are finished with reading this guide you will be able to talk about the web development process competently and not get taken advantage of by some of the less than principled web designers out there.

What is a business website?

This may seem like a silly question, but fundamentally the answer may surprise you. A website is a living portal into your business. No matter what services and products you offer, or information you share. At the core of it all, your company's website is the single place that your customers, investors, partners, vendors, job candidates, competitors, and even people who accidentally end up there, go to. Whether you realize it or not, people are on your website every day. Now the important question is; what are they seeing there?

Business websites typically fall into one a few of the following camps. In some cases they may share bits and pieces of more than one.

The Interactive Business Card:

These are business websites that offer the basic "Who, What, When, Where, Why" information about a company. These websites are a great way to extend the reach of your marketing effort. Sites like this are inexpensive to create and maintain. They add credibility to your brand, and offer a way for you to reach new customers.

The E-Store:

These are business websites that take it a step further, and take advantage of the new medium by offering products and services to be purchased online. These websites not only help establish a brand, but if done correctly will increase revenue, and do all of the selling for you. These sites are defiantly more expensive to create and maintain and likewise should be treated just like any other business investment.

The Online Application:

These are business websites who have decided to extend their business process into the digital world by allowing users to submit forms online which normally would take weeks to mail back and forth. These sites add value to a business by getting your customers hooked on the convenience of using your tools. These sites can be a little expensive to setup and maintain, but make it up in band loyalty.

The Shared Website:

Oftentimes businesses will join professional networks and or business listing guides which offer them a "web portal" on their network. These are another way to extend your brand online, but should not substitute you own .com name. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and your local chamber of commerce are all great examples of the shared website.

The "I just bought a domain name, but have not setup my website" website:

We have all seen this website before. This is the placeholder site that you see when someone purchased a clever domain name like "woodchippers-of-louisiana-online.com", but didn't follow through with actually branding it. These websites are super cheep, but defiantly hurt your chances of doing business online.

In reality a website can be anything you want it to be. Your imagination is the limit to what you can technically accomplish. Now what your budget can afford is a different story.

Part 1 |  Part 2 |  Part 3 |  Part 4 |  Part 5 |  Part 6 |  Part 7 |  Part 8 |  Part 9 |  Part 10 |  Glossary

-Rossitter Consulting is a Shreveport-Bossier City web design firm that offers affordable web design and hosting. Click HERE to read more