Part 1: You Want A Website. Now What Do You Do?
When I started building websites (way back in the nineteen hundreds) your company stood out and impressed if it had a website. Now, with evolving technology and increases in user expectations, you no longer can impress just by having a company website. Your website must serve a purpose and have value to the user.
So you want a website or you want to make your current website better? That’s a smart decision. One that, if done right, will bring you more customers, visibility and perhaps profit.
Where do you start? Great Question.
This is the first of 6 articles in our Website Success Program designed to offer quick and relevant tips to getting your website engineered, built and promoted with purpose and power.
To have a good website, we need to know a few things about your business and your customers first. The four tips below will help you begin the process of defining your website’s goals, purpose and vision.
1. Do you have a name?: Depending on where you’re at in the planning process of both your business and your website, this answer is going to vary. We’ve worked with clients who have a successful business and want to move to the web. We’ve also worked with clients who have yet to open their doors and are still trying to decide on a company name. No matter where you may lie, there are resources to help you find the right website name for your company. Websites like www.buydomains.com, www.domainmonger.com, and www.register.com all offer domain search services, where you can look for names that interest you. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Keep your website name short. People have to not only remember but type your address in their computers so the more letters your name is, the more likely that users will either forget, mistype or not even bother at all.
- Keep away from dashes and hyphens. Again, use the simplicity rule here. If you have to hyphen your website name, you’re increasing the likelihood of error for the user.
- If your company name is available, get it! Nothing works as well as your own company name. Even if you wish to use another address for your website, you can and should purchase your own company name.
- You can “call forward” a website name. This is a bit beyond step one, however, if you would like to buy more than one website name, then do it! It doesn’t mean you need to build more than one website. Many websites have more than one way to get to the same place. This is especially effective if you can find phrases that are catchy and can be remembered. Let’s say you have a candle shop in Maine and the business is called “Maine Candles”. You may wish to purchase www.MaineCandles.com and along the way you also find out that www.christmascandles.com or www.coolcandles.com is available. You can buy any or all and have the address “point” to the same website. It’s a good marketing technique.
2. You’ll need a host: Start looking for a company that can host your website. Hosting is the process of storing all of your website pages and files on a website server so users can find, see and use your website. What is important in finding a host?
- Price – Though not the most important feature in choosing a host, it is something to consider. Price is also a matter of function. The more you need, the more the hosting will cost. However, once you explain what your website is for and how it will be used (see PART 2 of this series), you can accurately compare services and prices.
- Access To Your Files – You’ll want to know how to access your files once they are on the host’s computer. You need to know what you can access and how secure that access is. Find out about their own security, back up plans and how they handle unexpected hackers and power outages.
- Additional Features – You’ll also find that having email addresses with your company website name is an effective way of getting the word out about your company. Find out what kind of packages the host provides and how much additional addresses cost. Many email providers will offer a “remote mail” service where you can have access to your email from the web, regardless of what computer you are on.
- Service(s) - You will find that as your familiarity with the website process grows, so will your own expectations and use for your website. Your website will continue to expand and add value-added features for your users. Find out if the host you choose is prepared to grow with you. Do they provide e-commerce packages? Do they provide encrypted and secure protection for critical data? Do they have enough computer space to allow for your growth.
Always remember to keep your website user in mind. Think objectively and “outside the box”. Make the name easy to remember and short to type. Keep in mind that the relationship you have with your hosting company should be one that will allow you to grow and change with ease.
You’re just starting and there is a lot to consider. However, attention to the little things will help you be successful in your venture to build a powerful, productive and profitable website for your company.
[“You Want A Website” is one of 6 in the Website Success Program, authored by Cary Weston, principal of Sutherland Weston, Marketing Communications. For more information on this series as well as marketing and media services offered by Sutherland Weston, Inc. visit www.sutherlandweston.com or contact Cary Weston by email: info@sutherlandweston.com]