Tips

Below are some good tips for those looking to get a website started. I know it's a lot to read but it's very informative. I suggest anyone looking to build a site or for a web designer read the tips below.

• You can build one yourself via simple website software that you can pick up at any electronics store. If you do attempt to build a site yourself be prepared to spend A LOT of time with it. The website packages that you buy are very limited in what they can do. The more advanced the software is and the more you can do with it, the more difficult it is to learn and use.

• Let your web designer pick your host. He should consult with you, of course, but web designers get use to working with particular web hosts. If he doesn't have to spend time learning the interface that a different host uses and their setup procedures then that's less hours billed to you. You designer should be able to reccommend one based on his experiences and your needs.

• Make sure you own your domain. Your www.whatever.com should belong and be registered to you.

• I am not the norm because I have 10 years retail and customer service experience, but most web designers do not have good people skills. Most people that spend their entire day staring at a computer are not very good with conversation so don't expect this.

• Starting an e-commerce store is NOT a get rich quick scheme. Starting an e-commerce store takes just as much time and work as starting any other business.

• Tell your designer what you want. Some of the hardest clients I've done work for are the ones that don't tell you any of the design aspects they would like in thier site. Be prepared to answer design related questions. You should be able to give your web designer an overall color scheme, any photos you want on it, logos, particular pages you want (ie: an About Us page), and any specific text or slogans. If you need pictures of say the front of your building or want a narrative about your business on your home page and don't provide these then you will have to pay someone to obtain them. Spend a day surfing the web and taking notes on what you like and what you don't like. write down these web addresses as well so you can show them to your designer.

• Web design can be split into two categories. There is the design work, everything you visually see, and there is the programming. Let's say that you have a travel website and you now want your customers to be able to sign up for your travel packages and pay for them online. This involves extensive programming, form building, database creation, etc. A vast majority of web designers are good with either one or the other, but not both. So, while you may have the best looking travel website out there, your designer may not be so good at creating the interactive programming stuff. Don't get rid of him for this because the good programmer you hire may not be good at making the site aestetically pleasing. If they've been good so far, keep them. If you have anyone decent they'll figure out how to do what you want. (I'm better at the programming side myself; I knew you were wondering).

• Marketing. If you want to drive a lot of web traffic to you site you will have to have a marketing budget. Visitors don't magically arrive. They have to be directed to your site. You may need search engine submission, search engine optomization, search engine marketing, pay per click advertising. Article writing and submission, social networking, and/or blogging. Your web designer may be able to do some of this for you but have a strategy if you need to drive traffic.

• The customer is NOT always right. Yes I said it. You are not always right. Your designer knows the principals of design, what looks good, and what works. I'm not saying not to gime your opinion and ideas, by all means please do. You are paying this person to consult you so take their advice. They have probably been doing this longer than you.

• If your designer always does everything you ask and never makes any suggestions or ideas or never tells you that what you are suggesting is a bad idea then they are no good. Find someone else.