Technology and your Business

Part 1: Establishing a web presence
Written by: Ashley Mikulik

We rely on the internet for so much. We check our email, read the news, research companies and organizations, order food, look for apartments, and just simply browse. Companies that don’t tap into this online marketplace may be missing out on a huge market.

Every company should have website. Whether it’s just one page with some basic information and contact details, or a multi-page site with more detail about your business, a website will you help reach an audience of over 1 billion people from all over the world. This audience has enormous buying power and you can be closer to them with your online presence.

Starting your Website

Once you’ve made the decision to launch your own website, the fun begins. Before you hire a team, think about what you want for your site (size, content, colour schemes…etc).

With a rough idea of what you want, start talking to web design teams. If you find a good team they will probably ask you questions like:

What goal do you want to achieve with your website?
How many pages do you need?
How much content do you already have written and how much needs to be created from scratch?
Do you already have a domain name and web hosting provider?
What is your budget for launching and maintaining the site?

Have answers to these questions ready when you first meet your team, and you’ll be well on your way!

Budgeting

Websites can be an expensive venture, but there are ways to cut down the costs:

Hire freelancer or small design firm. They’ll probably have less overhead costs. They may also only work on 1 or 2 projects at a time, so they’ll be able to focus on your project more than a larger firm with multiple projects would.
Ask the designer to create an interface for you to edit certain areas of the site yourself, without having to go back to the designer for every update your site needs. While this may have a higher initial cost, you will have control over future content changes.
Get the whole package from one place. Find a company who can help you with not just the design and programming of your site, but also the content. Find a team that includes a content manager or writer to help you craft your content for the online world. If they can help you market your website, even better!

Website costs vary depending on what you want. The larger the site, or the more you want special programming or interactive content, the more expensive it can get.

Basic website design packages begin around $100-300 for a simple 1-page design. The more pages and content you add, the higher the price goes. A website with about 5 pages could cost around $1000-2000.

Web vs. Print Content

The content you have written for print brochures and collateral may not be suited for the web. It needs to be massaged so it’s appropriate for online readers.

For instance, online audiences want to get their information quickly and concisely. In today’s online world of fast communication, readers won’t spend as much time reading a webpage as they would a printed brochure. This means that whatever existing content you have, will need to be shortened or broken up so it fits the web environment.

This doesn’t mean that content will be sacrificed. It just means that you’ll need to work with your web design team to brainstorm how to best present your content online.

The Bottom Line

Weigh what you want in a website with what you can afford then work with your website design team to find a middle ground. If you build a good relationship with your design team, they can help with your future projects or website updates.

Also, if you hire this same team to maintain your site, you’ll probably save money. Bringing a new person on board could prove costly as they will not be familiar with how the site was designed and will take more time to figure it out, billing you for every hour.

If you have any other questions about making your own website, talk to your designer, who will be more than happy to discuss your options with you.