When should I start a website?

[moneybagscardiff]

As a business we are always asked,
"When should I start building my website and what are the benefits?"

I decided to put a couple of pointers up to give some advice to new companies and established businesses interested in optimising all advertising potentials.

In today’s fast developing world, the Internet is a hugely popular medium which helps connect people/businesses within seconds. In order to make an effective and popular website which can advertise and promote the company and its product efficiently, a professional web designer should be appointed who has in-depth knowledge in design, development and search engine optimization techniques (SEO).

When should I start? We believe the earlier the better for numerous reasons which I shall list 3 of the main points below:

1) The earlier you secure the deposit with a designer, the earlier they will start on your project, simples!! The more complex the site, obviously the longer it’s going to take the designers to have it 100% complete and ready to go live. Why delay signing up?

2) With search engines like Google, it can take around and up to a month for Google to pick up the site after its gone live. A good web designer should have an in depth knowledge of SEO (search engine optimisation).
Google works on a rating system with various criteria needing to be met to make the site rate highly within searches. Domain age, Posting Frequency, Putting keywords in titles, links, headings, tags and throughout the page is very critical to the success of your site’s page ranking.

3) If a business is looking to combine other advertising routes i.e. business cards, yellow pages, newspapers, clothing, on sides of vehicles etc, they can’t get theses ordered or in print until the website domain or email address is live.

At Webfactore we are often told by companies that they are not quite ready to set up a site straight away but are often just looking for a quote. It's at this point we would advise them of the points I meantioned earlier, time is of the essense and the quicker the process begins, the better. We believe in providing the best service to our customers so we offer the option of signing up for a starter package initially (quick and simple) just to get your website out there and start building up your own viewers and clientele, but we also deduct the cost from any later upgrades to packages that you would like, saving you time and money.

I hope this has been of some use and have answered a few questions you may have had.

 

[That Guy]

Thanks, as soon as a business is ready to trade they should have a website online with at least their contact details and short description

 

[David Earle]

Always a good idea to get a website up and running even before you start trading, as it might generate some orders to get you started. Worked for me with my t-shirt printing shops.

 

[Dawg]

2) With search engines like Google, it can take around and up to a month for Google to pick up the site after its gone live

Really? I thought putting a link into another halfway decent site would alert them spiders pretty pronto to the new site. Days even.
Is this untrue?

 

[bdw]

The earlier you secure the deposit with a designer, the earlier they will start on your project, simples!!

I would have thought that most people would be able to figure that one out for themselves.

We believe in providing the best service to our customers so we offer the option of signing up for a starter package initially (quick and simple) just to get your website out there and start building up your own viewers and clientele, but we also deduct the cost from any later upgrades to packages that you would like, saving you time and money.

No offence, but personally I think this tells most people nothing. It is just more thinly veiled self promotion from a new poster.

.

 

[Lorro2]

The answer to most things is yes it would be a good idea for some businesses to have a website but not for others.

 

I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with bdw - the none-too subtle messsage here is 'give us money now'.

If you want to engage with forum members, you might do better to approach with questions such as 'what do you want to see from a web-designer?'

For my two-pennorth, the two weaknesses I have found with companies I have used are:

- Lack of comprehesion/interface between the techy/creative designer and the more simplistic customer (like me!)

- Lack of attention to written content (spelling, grammar etc) which, as previously posted, could be a valuable bolt-on extra.

Of course every customer is different so it might help to get more views.

 

[moneybagscardiff]

I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with bdw - the none-too subtle messsage here is 'give us money now'.

sorry I should have re-worded it then, no it wasnt a plug for my company, it was more of giving some basic advice about starting up websites and why its better not to delay it.

when you say lack of comprehension, do u mean your designer over whelmed you with IT gargon? thats one thing we try to avoid doing, its not good if a potential client goes away more confused than when they started. its trying to find the happy medium of explaining things simply but without being patronising.

yes grammer and spelling is very important, so many times have i come across sites that even have basic spelling mistakes in the domain name, doesnt exactly give the best impression

apologies if my post caused any offence, i was just trying to show that we care about our clients and try to offer that little bit extra and maybe shopping around for a web designer can get you the best deal.

 

[Dawg]

do u mean your designer over whelmed you with IT gargon? thats one thing we try to avoid doing, its not good if a potential client goes away more confused than when they started. its trying to find the happy medium of explaining things simply but without being patronising.

yes grammer and spelling is very important,

Hoist and petard spring to mind.

 

[moneybagscardiff]

this is just a forum, its only chatting, im not gonna write properly now!

 

[Dawg]

this is just a forum, its only chatting, im not gonna write properly now!

wa'eva....

 

this is just a forum, its only chatting, im not gonna write properly now!

I sort of agree that in posts we overlook a bit of syntax/spelling etc - particularly as it has been suggested that I'd be better off using a hammer to type with.

However, you might trip yourself up by making these errors whilst promoting this specific service.

Also, in the interest of professionalism I woulld strongly advise against text talk and slang on forum.

 

[bdw]

However, you might trip yourself up by making these errors whilst promoting this specific service.

Says it all really.

Attention to detail is very important when trying to advertise your services.

 

[moneybagscardiff]

Says it all really.

Attention to detail is very important when trying to advertise your services.

That was my point, I'm not trying to advertise my services, just purely talking about things. We've gone completely off topic, rather than picking holes in what I've written, why don't we discuss what you look for in a designer?

 

[Findermonkey]

It seems that as soon as people on this forum put their head above the rest they are immediately shot down. Why shouldn't people mention their services? Isn't that why we are all here.

Mentioning peoples grammar is just plain rude and suggests people don't have much else going on today, this site is getting petty.

Did I spell everything correctly?

 

[bdw]

Mentioning peoples grammar is just plain rude

When someone is promoting the use of good grammar it is hardly rude to point out that they should be practising what they preach. This is a business forum after all.

We've gone completely off topic, rather than picking holes in what I've written, why don't we discuss what you look for in a designer?

What was the topic again?

 

[moneybagscardiff]

Grammer is important when dealing with clients, but as far as i'm concerned, this is a discussion forum, not school, I don't need a clip round the ear for not putting using a capital letter.

did you know sarcasm is the lowest form of witt? the whole point of starting this thread was to talk about designers and what customers should look out for and know about their site.

 

With respect to the OP, I suggest you stop digging now and perhaps start a separate thread with what you really want to discuss.

 

[connx]

Thanks, as soon as a business is ready to trade they should have a website online with at least their contact details and short description

Advise on this please as totally website useless. Basically want the cheapest way to get a 1 page site up which is just for the purpose of contact details and a couple of product pictures (in case anyone sees our product and wants to find out contact details of us) - was going to have a go yesterday with 123-reg but wanted to phone them up to check a couple of things out and they seem to have a lack of a phone number.

If i buy a domain with someone and they offer something like starter instantsite which says create a one page website for free - do i need to buy a hosting package too? (basic one costs 29.88 a year and also a 9.99 set up fee but offers me some email addresses too) or if i am after a simple 1 page website for now and an email address do i just get the domain, and an email address (99p a month) and that should suffice?

I think I should be able to set up a 1 page site myself with a template but just want to know the cheapest and simplest way to get this done. (im reasonably proficient with computers just know nothing about getting a website up)

 

[moneybagscardiff]

Advise on this please as totally website useless. Basically want the cheapest way to get a 1 page site up which is just for the purpose of contact details and a couple of product pictures (in case anyone sees our product and wants to find out contact details of us) - was going to have a go yesterday with 123-reg but wanted to phone them up to check a couple of things out and they seem to have a lack of a phone number.

If i buy a domain with someone and they offer something like starter instantsite which says create a one page website for free - do i need to buy a hosting package too? (basic one costs 29.88 a year and also a 9.99 set up fee but offers me some email addresses too) or if i am after a simple 1 page website for now and an email address do i just get the domain, and an email address (99p a month) and that should suffice?

I think I should be able to set up a 1 page site myself with a template but just want to know the cheapest and simplest way to get this done. (im reasonably proficient with computers just know nothing about getting a website up)

we can do a starter package (1-3 pages with a fully bespoke design, a logo, email address, domain name and hosting for a year) for £199. thats just a one off payment. what sorts of things are you looking to advertise?
if you would like to email me, go on our site, search for webfactore in google and ask for a quote and we'll be able to sort something out for you

 

[ethical PR]

Advise on this please as totally website useless. Basically want the cheapest way to get a 1 page site up which is just for the purpose of contact details and a couple of product pictures (in case anyone sees our product and wants to find out contact details of us) - was going to have a go yesterday with 123-reg but wanted to phone them up to check a couple of things out and they seem to have a lack of a phone number.

If i buy a domain with someone and they offer something like starter instantsite which says create a one page website for free - do i need to buy a hosting package too? (basic one costs 29.88 a year and also a 9.99 set up fee but offers me some email addresses too) or if i am after a simple 1 page website for now and an email address do i just get the domain, and an email address (99p a month) and that should suffice?

I think I should be able to set up a 1 page site myself with a template but just want to know the cheapest and simplest way to get this done. (im reasonably proficient with computers just know nothing about getting a website up)

Cheapest and easiest option for what you want is to set up your own site in www.wordpress.com It's FREE and has a great selection of templates and plug-ins. You don't need to be 'teccie' to use it either.

Plenty of established people on this forum that can offer you hosting/emails, put up a request and I am sure a few will come along and offer you a price/options.

 

[Dawg]

for Moneybags and Monkeyfinder:

 

[MagnifyB]

Really? I thought putting a link into another halfway decent site would alert them spiders pretty pronto to the new site. Days even.
Is this untrue?

You are correct - It only takes days. If you have an xml sitemap it takes hours or minutes as the SE's are alerted straight away.

 

[What If]

for Moneybags and Monkeyfinder:

Fantastic, absolutely made my day!

 

[Mike W]

LOL Dawg! Brilliant!

 

[S-Marketing]

What a pointless thread, unless I am mistaken the OP's point seems to be, you dont have a website, until you get a website. And the sooner you get a website, the sooner you have a website. :|

 

[iksol]

That was my point, I'm not trying to advertise my services, just purely talking about things. We've gone completely off topic, rather than picking holes in what I've written, why don't we discuss what you look for in a designer?

Your signature would suggest that you are advertising your services though. Which is fine. However, your poor grammar and text-speak will only put customers off, which is totally needless.

Yes, this is a forum, and it is informal, but good grammar is important whatever the situation, because, as pointed out elsewhere, it can change the meaning of your message.

A customer may infer that a sloppy approach to written communication could imply a sloppy approach to their deliverable.

 

[bdw]

If i buy a domain with someone and they offer something like starter instantsite which says create a one page website for free - do i need to buy a hosting package too? (basic one costs 29.88 a year and also a 9.99 set up fee but offers me some email addresses too) or if i am after a simple 1 page website for now and an email address do i just get the domain, and an email address (99p a month) and that should suffice?

If you need a website you will require some sort of hosting package along with the domain. Even a one page website requires hosting space. There are many variations of package available on this so it would be up to you to chose what is best for you. If you let us know what on you are considering I'll have a look.

 

[bdw]

A customer may infer that a sloppy approach to written communication could imply a sloppy approach to their deliverable.

Precisely, which is why I said you should practise what you preach instead of ...

Grammer is important when dealing with clients, but as far as i'm concerned, this is a discussion forum, not school,

... but it didn't take long to get from the original post to ...

we can do a starter package (1-3 pages with a fully bespoke design, a logo, email address, domain name and hosting for a year) for £199.

The above was in response to someone who was asking for advice on hosting. It was not a reply to the question, it was just blatant self-promotion.

Your original post was not solicited. You offered what was fairly obvious information that was of no real value. You have to ask yourself if this was a genuine effort to help people on this forum because that is not what it looked like to me.

Here's some genuine advice - but it is only my opinion . There are a lot of people in here who will spot this sort of stuff a mile off. If you really want to project the right image for your business get involved properly in the forum. Answer questions, offer real advice, help people and project the right image for your business.

We get people coming in here all the time posting stuff that is of no real value just to drop their business name or link. These are people who do not have the interests of the forum in mind. They will not pay the £30 or whatever that we full members pay but they still want to use the forum for free promotion. It irks some of us to to see this happening. (My 2p!)

 

[Red Web Designs]

No matter how young your business is, I believe that you should have a website to enhance your business as well as increasing market exposure and sales.