Hosting The Right Way

How a Custom Designed Website Can Help Your Business

Over the years, the internet has grown into a marvelous avenue to promote your business.

In my last article, "Why Your Business Needs to Have an Internet Presence" (http://www.jvmediadesign.com/info37.html), I discussed 5 valid reasons why your business needs a website. In this article, I discuss some things to avoid and how a custom, professional website can help your business succeed.

Professional is the key. Remember, the internet has a global reach. Some of your new potential clientele may be learning of your business for the first time by visiting your website and the old cliché, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression", still rings true.

When a business makes the decision to gain an internet presence, whether they are the largest corporation or the smallest home business, they may be tempted to take what appears to be the "easy way" to get the company website up and running fast. The three major potential pitfalls here are:

1) Some hosting comes with "do it yourself" capabilities and pre-made templates. Although this is a great way to upload photos of your summer vacation for your family and friends to see, this is not a good way to make that great first impression for your business. In short, these "solutions" really do not present a professional image, and often use very minimal templates and overall poor layout and design.

2) Many companies now sell website "templates" for low cost, making it easy for you to get up and running quickly. While this is true (you can get up and running quickly and many of these companies do sell more professional designs), you run the risk of other businesses using that SAME design. And to buy a "unique" copy of the template the cost is often just as, or more expensive, than if you were to hire a professional company to create a custom design for you.

3) Complete websites for $100! This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have actually seen advertisements for complete websites for very low prices. You must remember that you are investing in your business when you decide to have a custom website developed, and you really do get what you pay for. A professional design firm creates original designs, from scratch, tailor-made for each individual client - and the prices for that work can vary a lot, but do expect to pay a reasonable amount for the services.

These three potential pitfalls aside, the process of getting your business onto the World Wide Web does not have to be a confusing, time-consuming, and costly affair. Below is a succinct outline of the process.

1) First, you need to design on your domain name for your website. Avoid names with "-" in them and very long names. Try to be as succinct as possible. It is easiest for your visitors to remember a URL that is your company name, or at the very least, keywords that describe your company. For instance, if your business is ABC Accounting, you could consider abcaccounting.com or something such as accountingservice.com. You may find that your first (and second!) choice for a domain name may already be taken, so you may have to get creative. Just remember that a domain name that reflects your business is key.

2) Shop around for the right design firm. There is no shortage of companies who can handle the design and development of your website. Do not be afraid to shop around. Prepare a detailed RFP (Request For Proposal) that outlines things such as the goals of your website, your target market, the information you would like to have on your website, and advanced features such as ecommerce. Review the portfolios of companies and send out your RFP to the ones you feel have the skills to do your job. When you've narrowed down the prospects, do not be afraid to ask for personal or telephone interviews. Find out what their design process and work flow is like. Ask for recommendations about what type of web hosting your site will need. Also, make sure to review the design agreement or contract with the company you choose (a professional company will ALWAYS require a contract before work begins).

3) Have a basic idea of what you would like your finished site to look like. It's a good idea to do some "surfing" of the web to see what your competition and similar companies are doing, but look outside your industry as well for designs that catch your eye. This will give your design team a place to start and an idea of the style of design you expect for your own website.

4) Work on your "content". The content of your site includes all the text you wish to display. This is a very important aspect to your site. Although you do not want to overwhelm your visitors with nothing but pages and pages of text, you do want to offer clear, concise, professionally composed and edited information. Proof read, proof read, proof read! If you are in doubt, it is best to consider hiring a professional copy writer. Remember that grammatical errors shout "unprofessional!" to the viewer.

5) Once your site is up and running, don't be afraid to add or edit your content periodically. This keeps your pages "fresh" and shows repeat visitors that your business is active and "takes an interest" in staying up to date.

Sherry Holub received her degree in design from UCLA in 1995. She is now the Lead Designer and Creative Director at Southern California Studio, JV Media Design. http://www.jvmediadesign.com

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

New Web Site Gives Australians A Leg Up On Auto Repairs -- Loaded with Tools Motorists Can Use
Australians who dread car servicing and worry about the reputation of service centres have a new place to turn for sound advice before they select a provider. Thanks to the recent launch of CarService.com.au it's easy to find a qualified mechanic, look up indicative price guides of common repairs and even enquire about what is entailed in a particular job.

Green Beauty Guide Website Saves the World, One Face at a Time
New TheGreenBeautyGuide.com Website Allows the Readers to Acquire Taste for Green Beauty before the Launch of The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skincare, Hair Care, Makeup and Fragrances in October 2008.

LegalView Announces Launch of New Website Detailing the Simplicity Crib Recall
In response to the largest baby crib recall in U.S. history, LegalView is proud to launch a new portal with legal info regarding the recall.

Top5BestDatingSites.com Announces the Launch of their Dating Website
Top-5-Best-Dating-Sites.com, a website that reviews the top online dating sites on the Internet to help people find companionship, is very pleased to announce the launch of their new website. The intention of the new site design is helping readers find the best online dating sites on the Web, including single parent dating sites as well as sites that focus on ethnic and international dating.

Domain Name Industry: First Community-Driven Website To Power Latest News
Social-Voting News Website Launches For The Domain Name Industry. 100% User-Submitted Content With Revenue-Sharing For Members.

BringPeace.net Goes Live! New World Conscious Website Features Fashionable, Hip Apparel and Products; Peace Tees Create Buzz
BringPeace.net today announced that its website is now live and open for business. The website features exclusive apparel and products aimed at manifesting a more conscious and harmonious world, and that appeal to a higher level of conscience.

Website Lists Best Places to Live for Autism Support and Services
AutismKey.com lists its choices of the top five states in the country for the best autism-related services for children and adults.

Subtler Ways Of Promoting A Website
When you are an owner or a manager of a website that is used for business purposes, chances are that you spend a great deal of your day looking for different ways of promoting a website. If you are just a small time business owner or computer entrepreneur, you may not have the luxury of sitting around all day thinking of ingenious methods of promoting your website.

THINK Interactive, Inc. Redesigns Orkin Website
THINK Interactive, Inc., an Atlanta-based interactive marketing agency, announces today it has redesigned the Orkin website.

Two-year Old Blackjack Web Site RoyaleBlackJack.com Purchased by Syntium Interactive
Taking their holdings to the next level, Syntium Interactive acquired RoyaleBlackjack.com website this week, bringing the total number of website properties surrounding online casino games to three.

website or no website
Do you want to make money through the Internet but you don't have enough experience or capital to start your own online business? You don't have to worry, for a lot of online marketing options exist for you to start with. One of these options, and shall I say the best, is affiliate marketing.

Industrial Nanotech Launches Enhanced Product Website Nansulate.com
Industrial Nanotech has launched an enhanced product website, www.nansulate.com to enhanced customer navigation and easy, updated access to the Company's product specifications as well as residential, industrial and specialty case studies and testimonials. Nansulate.com implements new functionality that includes a direct to warehouse online purchasing interface and downloadable Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in PDF format. MSDS outline individual Nansulate product safety standards and attributes such as thermal insulation, corrosion resistance and mold resistance.

Livtopia Announces the Launch of a New Website
Livtopia is proud to announce the launch of their new retirement / real estate website - Livtopia.com. The site provides real estate and retirement information for Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Panama.

Celebrate in 2008 - The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills Relaunches Website
The new website has an expanded cheese and gourmet food selection, as well as many other features that will greatly enhance the online shopping experience of our customers. Some of the added features include an added "Cheese of the Month" program in three, six or 12 month versions, a link to Wabnig's podcast on iTunes, Travel with The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, and an Event button listing Cheese & Wine Tastings and a Calendar of Events.