The Do's and Don'ts of Launching a Small Business
Website
by Adil Wali
Launching a new small business website is often a long and
painstaking process. And for most small businesses, the
endeavor rarely ends in success. The terrain is mapped
with freelancers, firms, and consultants that don’t
offer the same services and most certainly don’t
charge the same prices. Projects are often riddled with
unclear expectations, missed deadlines, and ridiculous
hourly rates. What’s worse is that many developers
have the audacity to ask for even more money halfway through
the project. Even after all of the hard work is complete,
most companies don’t even see a return on investment.
If you haven’t been there, you probably know someone
who has. IT outsourcing and procurement is often times so
traumatizing that many of us vow never to deal with it again.
But the whole process need not be so difficult and fruitless.
The purpose of this article is to aid you in launching a
successful website with minimal pain and effort. Who knows,
if you play your cards right, it may even be within budget
and on time!
The Don’ts
Don’t spend too much on web hosting.
If you are a
small business that is just beginning to define your online
presence, you don’t need a whole lot! You most certainly
don’t need 10,000MB (10GB) of web space and 100,000MB
(100GB) of bandwidth each month. So don’t pay for it!
You might be thinking, “Well, if it’s relatively
cheap and I may need it in the future, why don’t I
just spring for it now?” That kind of reasoning paves
the road to overspending. Besides, web hosts making such
offers are hoping that you won’t really use the massive
set of features. Expert web developers and power users will
use that kind of space and bandwidth, however, and the end
result is a bogged down and slow web host. Go with something
economical and reliable; it’s probably even faster.
Don’t mould your website to a pre-defined
package.
Although your local newspaper advertisement for development
of a “5-page website with logo design for only £995” may
be tempting, don’t fall for it. Any company that sells
you pre-set web site packages (or charges based on the number
of pages) has the wrong idea. Web development should be a
custom-fitting job. Your website is a business tool, and
should be developed to exact specifications that enable it
to complement the rest of your business. If you compromise
your website’s functionality, you compromise its ability
to help you make money.
Don’t start the project until you are fully prepared.
The easiest way to ruin a web development project is to get
started before you are ready. Everything does not need to
be in perfect order when you are shopping around for development;
however, once you select a developer and begin work, being
unprepared will only slow your project down greatly and drive
up costs. Avoid this by purchasing your domain and web hosting,
writing out all content, and deciding on the general layout
you desire, all before the project begins.
Don’t compare apples to oranges. Not all web developers
are created equal, so it is unfruitful and unwise to compare
them on a single benchmark (such as price). While some “full-service” firms
will create your website, upload it to your domain, and maintain
the site to make sure it’s up-to-date, others will
simply e-mail you a folder full of files and expect you to
know what to do from there. Similarly, some firms will revise
the finished product over and over until you’re satisfied
while others believe you are paying them for one draft of
work and no more. Be mindful of these differences and understand
what is built into the different prices of each provider.
Don’t focus too much on eye-candy. Remember what your
website is for. Unless you are the exception to the rule,
the purpose of your site is either to a) give information
about your product/service or company, b) allow users to
buy directly from the site or c) both. In all cases, the
site must be easy to understand, navigate, and operate. If
your site is so new-age and graphic intensive that users
have no idea how to get around it, or worse—it takes
too long to load, you’ve defeated the purpose of its
creation.
The Do’s
Do have a marketing budget for your website.
Launching a
website without a marketing plan usually always results in
a zero return-on-investment. Why? Because there are millions
of sites on the internet, and if you don’t market your
site, no one will come. Unlike a typical brick-and-mortar
establishment that benefits from exposure to passersby, your
website will not be seen by anyone until you tell people
that it exists. Take advantage of the fact that your website
can reach more potential customers than a small storefront
ever could. Set aside marketing funds at the onset of your
project.
Do prepare a timeline for the project. Many developers work
virtually, that is, directly through the internet such that
you may never meet them in person. This style of work is
very different than the conventional, and the lack of face-to-face
contact makes it easy for both parties to simply forget about
the project as time goes on. Ensure that your project won’t
stagnate. Prepare a solid timeline with clear milestones,
expectations, and deadlines so that it is easy for both you
and the developer to stay on target.
Do provide feedback in a timely and detailed manner. Although
you are paying a design firm for its creativity, remember
that ultimately what you say goes. You must be sensitive
of the fact that development is a step-by-step, layer-by-layer
process. If you don’t respond with feedback immediately,
developers will have already completed other layers of the
site before your feedback reaches them. This means that they
must not only re-work the layer in question, but also the
following layers. Some developers have been “burned” so
many times in this manner that they will wait patiently for
your feedback before they go on to the next layer of work.
This means that development comes to a screeching halt until
they hear back from you. They may get so fed up that they
take on another client while they wait, leaving you at 2nd
priority.
Do research developers before setting a budget. There are
two reasons to do your homework before you decide on a budget.
First, setting a budget without understanding a particular
industry is simply nonsensical. You must know the price ranges
of development and also what type of service to expect within
each range. Second, a small business website, unlike a typical
personal expense, is an investment. The goal of launching
the site should be to aid the company in making more money.
If the site won’t make money, don’t create it!
If you limit your budget at $1000 without understanding the
investment or industry, you may get an excellent site in
that price range that makes no money. You would be better
off if you do your homework, however, and find that spending
more will likely yield a return. For example, you might spend
$4000 on a site that actually makes you and additional $20,000
annually.
Do plan to keep your site up-to-date. One of the biggest
advantages to having a website is that you can quickly and
easily update information. Nothing sends a more powerful
message to a potential customer than a website that hasn’t
been updated for several months, or even years! You are telling
people that the business is defunct or unpopular. Make it
a point to update your site frequently, even if you don’t
have much to say. It will let your customers know that things
are going well and that your company takes an active interest
in keeping them informed.
Although the above Dos and Don’ts are definitely not
comprehensive, they are a good set of guiding principles
for any individual or small business owner looking to create
an online presence. No set of rules if foolproof, however,
and there are always exceptions. My suggestion would be to
always err on the side of caution. Many of the cliché statements
we’ve all heard will come in handy: there is no such
thing as a free lunch, and, if it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions
to people who know more than you. In fact, feel free to contact
me if you ever get into a jam: adil@steezo.com. Good luck!
About the Author
Adil Wali is Chief Operating Officer of SteeZo
Media, a company
founded in 1999 that focuses on consulting small and medium
sized businesses in their efforts to create or revamp an
on-line presence. Under Adil’s leadership, the company
shifted away from broad-based IT consulting to a more specific
focus on matching clients with the most capable and cost
effective developers. SteeZo Media also manages web development
projects on behalf of clients.
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