Web Design & Development

When I sold my first website in 2004, it was a completely different business landscape. I had no experience in technology, and at the time, I was selling advertising space. I remember thinking, “How difficult can it be?”

The learning curve was very steep, and I made many mistakes. Through those mistakes, I learned a lot about business and the best way to set up a website for success.

I can help you avoid the mistakes I made and point you in the right direction.

Firstly it’s important to choose the right agency. A lot of the companies out there like to overcomplicate the process with the use of jargon. You have to decide what you want the website to achieve for you. What are your business objectives? Is it e-commerce, lead generation, general information. This is important and can help in deciding what technology the site is built in. Do you want the ability to able to update the website yourself?

• How much are they going to charge you?
• What is the timescale for the work?
• What are the ongoing costs?
• Can you supply the text and pictures?
• What domain name do you want?
• Do they supply email services?
• Can they provide references?

Can you work with them? A website is an ongoing arrangement; you need to be aware that it’s not really a pay once and go off into the sunset type situation.

I think it can help if you use an agency that has worked in your industry. If they understand the market, you operate in and have worked with similar businesses, and they can bring this experience to help you.

I worked with many companies within the equipment and transport industries. They came to me because I had a clear idea of what they needed to achieve. Be careful of dealing with companies just set up with teams of salespeople who know nothing about websites and the internet. It will be difficult for anyone to recommend what to do if they don’t know themselves.

The industry is that fast-moving. You need to make sure that they are up to speed with all the latest technologies.

Web design/development and SEO are two separate things. You need to have clear objectives for what you want to achieve once the site is live. Be sure to clarify what is included in your fees. Once the website goes live is when the real work begins. SEO and SEM are whole different subjects that I will cover later on.

You need to make sure that you have full access to the web analytics of the website. The industry leader in web analytics is Google. I have set up thousands of websites, and I estimate that less than ten per cent of clients will access them on an ongoing basis. Web analytics and how they communicate with your website is the most important aspect of website development.

It’s vital to add conversion tracking to the website and analytics. You will then be able to monitor what emails and phone calls you receive from your advertising. It’s my job to help my clients make informed buying decisions.

The look of the website is your corporate identity and very important. But what the knowledge your website provides you with is 10X more important if you do these things, you are set up for online success. There has never been a better time in the history of business to set up a website. During the last sixteen months, more and more business is being transacted online. You need to make sure that you are set up for success.

Carpe Diem

Glyn