Preliminary consultation: First
things first... lets work together to formulate a plan,
answer
some questions like how much product are you going to
advertise, how are you planning to accept payment for your
products or services, what look do you want for your online
presence?
With some people new to the Internet and
new to doing business online the questions can be; what is
hosting? do I need Internet access to have a Website? What
is a domain name? and so on... we will answer these questions giving you a better picture of what's involved and
what to consider.
Getting these answers helps determine
such things as how large a Website you need, what technical
components your Website requires and what Website theme best
reflects how you do business...
Costing estimate: Based on the
size of your site and the Website features required for your
particular products or services we can formulate a cost
estimate for
such things as hosting plans, Server transaction features,
custom design and product integration with online retailing.
Answering these questions determines your
initial cash outlay, your ongoing cash expenses to run a
Website and gives you the ability to formulate a budget for maintenance and operation.
Note: both of the above services are
included with "Site Design bundle
packages" and pre-design estimates.
Advanced budget estimate: For
larger Websites where ongoing maintenance and expansion
becomes a factor it's required to take a more in-depth
look at financial forecasting. You must consider market
growth vs. operating capital, advertising expenses vs.
cost effectiveness and a budget breakdown for more
controlled cash outlay.
Of course this is only a rough
description of what's required for an advanced budgeting
estimate, there's a lot more involved when formulating a major cash investment in what may be a new marketing
media for your firm.
Advanced design considerations:
When serving up larger quantities of information two of
the most important things to consider are Website
navigation and Website organization. Browsing the Internet
is like browsing through a jungle of
information, sometimes it's a bit overwhelming, however that's not the
way a Website should be. Careful consideration to Website
navigation and organization can greatly improve retail
opportunities and marketing value.
Advanced design considerations should
include ongoing communication between the company having
the Website built and the company building it... why? Many
dollars can be spent "handing the rains over" to
a design team only to end up with the opposite of what you're
looking for. Tied to design considerations are all of
the above; budget, Website navigation and organization,
marketing results etc. so the company paying for the
design should be directly involved throughout the project.
Advertising products and
services: After the site is up and running (even
before it's online) it's important to consider and budget
for marketing outside of your main Website. Things like
banner ads designed and distributed to key locations on
the internet, placement of links to your Website from
other sites, offline advertising media... It's important
to get some educated opinions and information relating to
promoting your site.
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Whether it's an existing Website or a
new project don't underestimate the importance of these
three items. Visitors browsing complicated, poorly designed
websites will leave discouraged and disinterested and that's
not the result you're looking for when doing business
online. |
BCHOST.NET is here to offer professional
advice. We ask you to consider that an existing Website can be
made to work better and a new Website should start out that
way. Doing business online is not that different from having a
store-front, it requires financial and marketing
considerations that tie directly to cash flow and investment return.
We look forward to working with you to
formulate a plan, a direction that's best suited to you
and your customers...
