Design Dilemmas
The first place any business should start is with a strong website design. It’s absolutely imperative to have this in place. To rush a design can give the impression of inefficiency. At the end of the day, the look and feel of your site should provide a great template from which others can gain inspiration.
Ultimately, a strong and fresh website will provide the client with confidence and it is the ideal place to showcase your skills. Link your pages to social networking sites, your blog, and any relevant pages…. ensure it’s the sun in your solar system!
So… what steps should be taken to ensure a fruitful website?
1. Think about what you are selling.
2. Research your audience.
3. How many products are you selling… how many pages do you think you will need?
4. Think about your variables i.e. specific product choices such as size and colour, links to pages such as terms and conditions etc.
5. How will you be accepting online payments?
6. Select the right hosting plan with capabilities for expansion and the ability to hold a large amount of traffic.
7. Create a strong marketing plan.
8. Ensure you regular monitor traffic through Google Analytics or your web-hosting plan.
9. Link external sites to your web pages and drive traffic to your portfolio.
10. Optimisate your site. No website is complete without the use of search engine optimisation.
These are just a few basics that should get you on track when putting together a website. Think carefully about what you are trying to achieve and produce a site that not only looks great but is also fully capable of delivering a service that you can be proud of.