How to get a custom website for your business on a budget

First you need to decide how your website will function for your business. Will it be an online store, information about your product or service, an online portfolio?

This is the most difficult part of the process as it requires research, time and effort on your part. However it is necessary to really know how your website will function as it is a valuable tool and no one knows your business better than you.

Below is a guide to help you decide on what you need to do to prepare:

1. Decide your focus - Keep your website simple to start. Having too much stuff crammed into your site will overwhelm visitors. Zero in on your main product or service and make that the main focus of the site.

2. Consider your target market - Know who will be viewing your website and gear all information, services and content with them in mind.

3. Look at your competitors sites - It is helpful to see what others in your industry are doing. You will be able to see what works and what doesn't and get ideas for what needs to go into your own website.

4. A website can be more than just a marketing tool - Some of my clients manage their entire business through their website. Your website can:

• provide a way for customers to book appointments


• keep track of your inventory


• manage clients and sales


• have a password protected area for clients to view the status of a project

5. Go over the details of your site - after you have thought about all the different ways the website can work for you, write down all of the programming and content your site will require. For example will the site require a shopping cart service, password protection, forms, photo gallery, video, forums?

Now that you know exactly how your website will function and what you want to be included it is time to gather all of your materials and finalize the details. Being organized and on top of things will ensure the best outcome for your website and make the whole process smoother and that it stays within your budget.

1. Structure the pages of the site- Know how many pages the site will require ie. about us page, contact page, products page. etc. You will also need to decide what will be the main pages and what will be the sub pages.
Example of a main page:
Products >Sporting Gear
Sub pages (pages within the products page) outdoor sporting gear, indoor sporting gear, water sports, extreme sports.

2. Writing - if you do not have the budget to hire a Writer then you will need to write the content yourself for each page. When you are ready to hire a Designer you will need to have all of your writing completed and ready to go unless you are hiring a Web Writer as they will work with the Designer on the project.

3. Graphics and photos- Make sure you have your logo and all other graphic elements such as photos in digital format. (meaning on CD or on your computer).

4. Iron out all the details - if your site requires forms, shopping carts or other types of programming then make a list of everything you need. For forms decide what fields you want customers to fill out, shopping carts you will need to know about taxes and shipping and may have to set up a merchant account.

Domain name and hosting options

Next you will need to figure out the domain name of the site and where to host. Most web designers will be able to help you register your domain name and hosting.

It is important to choose a domain name that is as short as possible, easy to remember and has your business name in the title.

Let's say your companies name is Lovely Pet Grooming. Here are some examples of possible domain names:
lovelypet.com
lovelypetgrooming.com
(yourcity)lovelypet.com
Other options are .ca for canadian companies .biz, .net, .org for organizations and non profit.

TIP - I highly recommend waiting to sign up for hosting as your Designer will know which package is suitable.

The less your Designer has to do for you the cheaper your website will be...here are a few money saving tips:

1. Have a vision and know what you want - the process of designing and building your site will go quicker and prevent extra costs entailed from numerous changes to your website.

2. Write the content for the website yourself - You will need to research how to write for the web and use keywords in your copy for search engine optimization.

3. Make sure all content for the site is in digital format - you will be charged extra for scanning in photos and manually typing in written content.

4. Do your own marketing - there are several books and websites offering advice on how to market your site.

5. Start off small - keep it simple to start and add on later.

6. Hire a student - many designers just out of school are looking to build a portfolio and will be willing to work for very cheap.

A content management system (CMS) is a software system used to manage the content of a website. This enables you to update the website yourself.

Building a website with a CMS is more expensive to start, however if you will need to update your website on a regular basis then this will save you money in the long run.

Depending on what your site will require you can go with either an out of the box CMS or a custom CMS (more expensive). One of my clients uses his CMS to track orders, clients and deliveries and it lets him know when he has reached his maximum orders for the day. He can even cancel all orders with a click of a button.

*Note - Not all Designers offer this service. I subcontract a programmer for all CMS work. Ask ahead of time if this is a service they provide.

Here are a few things to consider when shopping for a Web Designer:

1. Do they have a website? They should have an online portfolio so you can view their work.

2. Can they provide the services you need either themselves or through subcontractors?

3. Ask how much they charge for updates to your site. The price varies however most charge between $40/hr to $75/hr for updates.

4. Are they available? If you need your site online by a specific date ask your Web Designer if they and their subcontractors can meet your deadline.

5. What are their terms? Most Designers ask for 20% to 50% upfront and require that you sign a contract. Find out if they will be billing by the hour or if they provide a quote.

How to critique their portfolio

Every Designer has their own style and maybe that style resonates with you. However the most important thing to look for in a portfolio is not the style and not their client list.

So what should you look for?
1. Is the design appropriate for the business? You should be able to tell who the target audience is. For example, if it's life insurance for seniors the site should be designed with seniors in mind. You may not like how they designed the site, what matters is that seniors like it and it gets them interested in the service.

2. The websites they've designed should be easy to navigate. If you find yourself confused looking at the websites they've built and have a hard time finding your way around the site and this is a consistent problem through every site in their portfolio, move on to the next designer on your list.

You should know exactly what you want included in your site and be ready to go. The more details you provide the more accurate your quote will be and you will have no surprises when you get the final bill.

Example of a sure way to get an inaccurate quote:

"I need a website for my company, just a few pages (about us page, list of stores we sell to etc), I want to be able to sell a few t-shirts we design on the site. I would like people to be able to order custom t-shirts and be able to sign up for a newsletter...how much will this cost?"

Why is this bad? It is far too vague, when a Web Designer is figuring out your quote they are taking into consideration how many hours of work they have ahead of them. Most will ask for more details however if you say "I don't know" then expect the Designer to inflate their quote to cover the extra time it may take.

Example of how to get an accurate quote:

"I need an ecommerce website for my t-shirt design company. Our target market is mainly young men between the ages of 15 to 25. We will be providing all materials in digital format. We would like this site launched by: Dec. 1

The website will include 6 pages:
1. The homepage, - we would like to have a newsletter sign up form with name and email
2. contact page - We would like to have a contact form with name, email and phone number
3. about us page - a few paragraphs of text including a photo of our staff
4. custom designs - a few paragraphs of text and an order form which will require name, address,contact info and a way for them to upload the image they want on the t-shirt to our server.
5. list of stores who carry our shirts. - 30 stores.
6. Online store selling 6 unisex t-shirt designs. Each will come in 3 different colours and in sizes xs to xl. We have 3 images for each t-shirt showing front, back and close up view."

A Web Designer receiving information like that will know you are serious, completely prepared, organized and ready to go. This is their dream client and you will not only get an accurate quote, the Web Designer might give you a better deal just to ensure they land you as a client.

In my field I find that many people don't understand how the creative process works and why there is no such thing as a simple design. Many clients will tell me they only want a simple design nothing too fancy thinking this will be easier for me and cheaper for them. However the creative process is the same regardless of the design, sometimes a simple design is harder to come up with than a fancier one.

There are a several things to consider when designing a site:

1. the layout and navigation is easy to use and functional


2. the colours and layout portray the mood of the business effectively


3. the design works for the intended target audience


4. the content stands out and is easy to read


5. how the design will set them apart from the competition


6. the client will be happy with the design

Here is what is involved in the actual creative process:

1. hours of research into the clients business and target market.


2. visiting several websites, books, magazines, talking to people to find inspiration for the design


3. deciding on a colour theme that will work well for the business and match their identity


4. working up several layout possibilities


5. spending several hours in Photoshop or Illustrator building the mock-ups to present to the client

The creative process can take just a few days or weeks depending on a few different variables.

• the client was very clear about what they need in the website, and their target market


• the client has a vision and gives some direction. Ex. - minimalistic, clean, modern


• the client has provided websites for examples of ones they like and competitors websites


• the client has provided text, logos and page names Ex - homepage, services, about us etc.


• although this may seem to contradict the above - the client gives the Designer creative freedom.

How to give your Designer good feedback

When a Designer presents the design concepts (mock-ups) it's important to be clear about what you like and don't like about each one. Give them specific feedback on colour choice, the style and layout. Explain what parts of the design you like and don't like and why. This helps your designer get clear direction and keeps the design process moving along at a good pace.

*Tip - Show the initial mock-ups to unbiased people for review, preferably in your target audience. Sometimes our own personal feelings can cloud our judgment, it's more important that your target audience approves the design than you, as they are the ones who will be buying from you.