So You Want a Website?

So you want a website?  Maybe you’ve seen the GoDaddy commercials that advertise sites for as little as $3.99 a month.  You think to yourself, “That’s not much cheddar for a website!”  The next logical step is to daydream about what sort of site you’d create.  Within minutes you’ve thought of a great site to promote yourself, your business, club, etc.

OK, now you’ve got your $3.99 in hand and you head over to the provider’s website.  The first thing you do is take a quick glance at the features that your $3.99/month will buy.  Hmmmm.  There are all kinds of limits imposed on a “beginner” plan.  You’re limited on your bandwidth, email accounts, etc.  That means if too many people visit your site it will get shut down for the remainder of the month.  Let’s say you’ve got videos, photos, or files on your site that you’d like others to be able to view or download.  That, my friend, is a big bandwidth sucker!  Reality is starting to set in.

The next obstacle you’re likely to encounter is the fact that no provider actually lets you “pay as you go.”  No sir!  You’ve got to sign up for a one or two-year plan on the spot!  Hang on a ’sec while I get my calculator.  That $3.99 deal is actually for the two-year plan.  So $3.99 x 24 months = $95.76.  If you only want the site for 12 months the plan is more like $5.99.  So $5.99 x 12 months = $71.88.  Don’t forget to add the cost of registering your domain (www.your-domain-name.com) which is usually $7.99.  Let’s not forget that this is all for the “limited” plan that you’re sure to outgrow if you actually want people to visit your site!

Before you click on the “Purchase” button have you researched this particular provider?  There are plenty of places that offer free reviews on the various providers.  They rank things like service, up-time, support, etc.  These crucial details are important.  It’s the difference between an awesome site and a headache.

Here’s where I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I’ve got an account with a premiere provider that allows me to manage multiple domains (i.e. YOUR DOMAIN) for a group rate.  Know what that means?  That means I can have your domain hosted, and manage it, for about the same cost that you’d have paid to get your own “budget” domain.  Seriously.

Once you’ve navigated your way through all of those obstacles here’s comes the grand behemoth.  You’re presented with a blank slate, a few dime-a-dozen templates, and the reality that’s it’s time to create your site.  I can guarantee you that your image of a site is not what the designer’s of these templates had in mind.  Nope.  More like cookie cutter web design that your average three year-old could have come up with.  Using two crayons.  In the dark.  Yep, that’s more like it.  You are not going to have a glamorous website going this way.  Nope.  Not even close.  That old adage “you get what you pay for” could not be any truer.  At best you’re going to be able to present your static text on a page.  Oooh.  Aaah.  That should hold your visitors attention span for about 0.10 seconds.  Give or take.

To be fair let’s assume that a basic text only website will suffice for 20% of you.  Maybe you don’t need nice graphics, custom logos, or flash animations to captivate your visitors.  That’s great!  More than likely you won’t need the services of a web designer.  Fair enough.

Now we’re going to spin off on a bit of a tangent while we get back to the majority of you.  Odds are good you want to sell a brand, service, or image.  That requires some form of marketing.  From here on out let’s think in terms of brand identity regardless of what it is you’re actually trying to sell.  By brand identity we’re talking about giving your potential visitors (i.e. customers and clients) an image that will stick in their mind.

Take a moment to visualize your pantry, refrigerator, closet, or even bathroom.  There’s sure to be brand images that you identify with throughout your home.  Big bucks are spent to make sure you identify with that a particular product.  In order to separate yourself from the pack you’re going to need to create a brand identity.  It’s this identity that will stick in the minds of your visitors long after they’ve left the site.

You’d be surprised how inexpensive it is to have someone design a logo for your company.  I personally can create a logo in an hour or two.  So we’re talking $25-50 to have a logo that people associate with your brand identity.  That’s not a lot of money in the grand scheme of your internet marketing plan and it’s something you should definitely consider.  Having a consistent image in print (e.g. letterheads, business cards) and digital media (e.g. email signatures, your website) will help present you in a professional manner.

Want to know something?  If you were a potential client the first thing I’d ask you is what your image is.  That is the most important thing to understand when creating your site.  I need to know what it is that you want to convey to the masses.  Since we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel we’re using tried and true, proven strategies to effectively market your image.  Then, after you’ve painted me a clear picture of your image, we’ll start talking about content.  Content is the most important thing to consider when designing a website.  In its simplest terms your site is nothing more than content you present.  So we need to figure out what it is that you want to put on your site.  Whether we’re talking about videos, photos, lesson plans, recital photos, community calendars, or forums, your site revolves around your content.

Then, after I leave from our initial consultation, I should have a clear idea of your image and the content you want to share with your visitors.  The next thing I’d do is design a site mockup for your review.  Again, if we’ve covered the basics this part should be fairly straightforward.  I come up with some ideas and present you with a fully interactive mockup.  You get to offer changes, ideas and suggestions until we’ve created a site that you’re happy with.  So far we’ve spent a few hours together.  Your total bill…….. $0.

That’s the way it should be done.  No bait and switch.  And no hanging you out to dry.

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