You've put it off long enough! It's time for action! You are
finally going to put your business on the Internet!
Congratulations, you now have joined the ranks of thousands
who have absolutely no idea what to do next! Who do you call?
What will it cost? How do you find a company to develop your
site for you? Who do you trust? Where do you start?
If this seems overwhelming, you are not alone. However,
there are things you can do to minimize risk and to make
the process less daunting.
Your first step is selecting several web developers to contact:
? Solicit a referral from someone you trust that has a web
site. A recommendation from a friend or associate is the best
place to start. ? Ask members of organizations you belong to
who they use. ? Call your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and
ask for a recommendation. If you use AOL or a large national
provider, this approach does not work. However, you can call
any local ISP and ask for a referral. ? Search the Internet
for web developers in your area.
Contact several companies, ask questions and get quotes.
A good developer knows that you are in unfamiliar territory
and welcomes your questions.
? Ask for references and call them. Are they happy with their
developer? How is the customer service? ? Look at sites the
company has designed. Do they look professional? Does
everything work on the pages? ? Get several quotes. The
range in cost is as varied as there are developers. Cheapest
is not always the best. Factor in quality, customer service
and experience. ? Make sure you understand all of the costs
associated with a web site. Is there a monthly hosting fee?
Will they bill you by the hour or give you a fixed quote for
the design and development? In order to keep your site
interesting you need to change or modify the content
frequently. What do they charge? ? Ask about scale-ability.
Can you add to your site without having to recreate it?
This will allow you to minimize initial investment and
grow your site over a period of time if finances are a
key factor. ? What is their policy for turn around time on
changes and additions? Remember this is your business and you
can't always afford to wait weeks for important changes.
? Ask about marketing your site on the Internet. Building it
is just the first step. Will they submit it to search engines?
Will the pages be designed to give you a good ranking on the
search engines?
After gathering information and quotes from several companies,
ask yourself: ? Who did I feel most comfortable talking to?
? Which company best fits my needs?
Remember that you are not just hiring a service, you are about
to establish a long-term relationship. By asking the right
questions you can find a company that will partner with you
and make the whole process not only easy but also fun.
For more information visit our web site at www.ie-webdesign.
com, or contact us at 619 934-5460 As founder and owner of
Internet Enterprises, Diane Spence has used her business
and marketing knowledge to build a successful multi facetted
Internet business. Her motto is "building relationships IS
building business."
Article written by Diane Spence. |
