If you have started, or are just thinking about starting a business then you will probably have thought about a website as part of your marketing strategy. Finding and hiring the correct web designer can be a confusing task if you don’t really know what you are looking for. As a web design company, we have outlined a few basic questions you should be looking to ask any competent web design company before comencing with a project.
Examples of work
You should begin by asking any prospective designer the following question: “Can I see some examples of your work” preferably ask them to provide an example that has been completed on a similar budget and time frame as your own project, this will give you a good indication as to the quality of work they produce for your price range. It also allows you to ask further questions i.e. “was this example completed within budget and on time?” Seeing and enquiring about a prospective web designer’s portfolio is usually the first and most obvious method to appraise their web designing capability. However don’t forget to ask to see a similar project with a similar budget and scope of work, otherwise they will show you their most expensive and inspiring site, possibly leaving you feeling short changed on completion of your own site. This should provide you with a clear expectation of what you'll get for your money.
It may also be helpful to ask for any testimonials or case studies that have been prepared. You could even go the whole hog and contact one of their previous clients.
Deliverables
What you are looking to ask for here is basically what will be delivered, when I can expect it and what will the TOTAL cost be.
Ideally you want to look for a design company that will turn over the complete design and code upon completion, finish your project on-time and within your budget, however from experience the client will also need to lend a hand here, you should be aiming to have the information your designer requires i.e. web content, when they require it.
Cost
This is an important one. In short the final cost should reflect your requirements. If you want a small brochure site that does nothing more than provide information about your company and services it's likely the cost should be reasonably low. However, if your site needs more functionality you should expect the price to rise.
Remember, you get what you pay for. It is vital to determine whether the project has a fixed price or is billed hourly. It is probably a good idea to negotiate a fixed price deal based on all your requirements and timescales. If you ask for something extra after a price has been agreed, then expect to pay more. In most cases, a fixed price is preferred because it sets your payment expectation and motivates the design team to complete the job quickly.
Content Management
Will you be doing this yourself? Or will this be a job for the design team? If you are doing it yourself make sure you are up to speed on how to do it, the last thing that you want is for your site to be designed and launched and then not know how to manage or update it. Ask the web design company what content management solutions options are available; you may get a better deal if you negotiate this as a package along with the design. If you enquire about this as an after-thought then the company will probably charge you more as they know you need the service.
It’s also worth remembering if you are managing the site to determine if there are any software that you will need to purchase in order to manage the site, this will probably cost more in the long run.
In plain English please!
Ask the web design company to use a language you can understand. The more unscrupulous ones are often overly keen to try and baffle you, usually in an attempt to find your level of knowledge to determine the price they can charge! Ask them to explain some of the technologies that they plan to use. Make sure your web designer can explain their work in a way that you understand.
Any questions
If your chosen web design company is worth their salt then they should have a host of questions to ask you. Possibly the most important question that you can ask a web designer is if they have any questions, if they say no then there is trouble ahead, after all how else are they going to develop an understanding of your requirements?
Asking this question puts the onus on the designer and allows you to see what their project plan is going to be. Hiring a designer that doesn't have a solid grasp on your expectations is a recipe for web design disaster. If they don't know what you want and need then you aren't going to get it.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
ecommerce
What is E-commerce? In one sentence E-commerce can be defined as On-Line Credit card transactions where a payment is made through a website.
The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems.
Making money from online sales is a realistic ambition for many organisations large and small as it is both cost effective for the business owner and the consumer. As more and more website users convert to online shoppers E-commerce business owners ultimately will benefit. ECommerce websites have their own unique character that is designed to lead the visitor to one simple task – make an online purchase. However, a web designer needs to consider a variety of online philosophies while designing an eCommerce website.
Ecommerce work flow
The consumer moves through the internet to the merchant's web site. From there, the consumer decides to make a purchase. One the purchase is added to the shopping basket it is moved to the online transaction server; this is where all of the information concerning the order is encrypted. Once the order has been finalised, the information moves through a private gateway to a Processing Network of the merchant’s choice, where the issuing and acquiring banks complete or reject the transaction.
Design Principles
So, what web design principles need to be followed when creating an eCommerce enabled website? An ecommerce website fundamentally acts as the online storefront for the products and services the merchant is selling online, where the website visitors are in effect window shoppers and browsers. So obviously the storefront needs to be attractive enough to entice the visitor to take a closer look – after all the aim is to convert these ‘browsers’ into buyers. The site also needs to be designed to with a seamless format – one which maintains a smooth passage through the website that leads the visitor to the appropriate page. Images are important for ecommerce websites, they can encourage a browser to make a purchase and assist in the online sale of the products on offer. Above all it is imperative that an ecommerce website offers absolute security for the transactions that are carried out using credit cards. For the success of any ecommerce website it is necessary that a proper choice of payment gateway is made.
A well designed and thought through ecommerce application will lead the visitor to the product they are looking for in one or two clicks at most. There are many other advantages to ecommerce websites;
Shrinks the Competition Gap
An ecommerce application has helped to reduce marketing and advertising expenses of many online companies, this enables them to compete on equal footing with much bigger companies; allowing them to compete easily on quality, price, and availability.
’Always open’ Market
The Internet gives customers the opportunity to browse and shop at their convenience and in their own time. They can access the services on offer from home, the office or when mobile, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Internet allows the merchant to reach consumers around the world, often offering their products to a global customer base from a small office in the UK.
Lower Cost
ECommerce can help reduce inventory, employees, purchasing costs, and order processing costs associated with faxing, phone calls, and data entry, ecommerce even helps to eliminate the ‘middle man’ meaning you can reduce the employee wage bill by selling direct to your customers, this also frees up existing staff, allowing them to concentrate on the jobs that will drive you business forwards.
If you are about to open an eCommerce website or you are already own one, make sure you understand ecommerce web design principles. Consider consulting an experienced website designer preferably someone who has experience with eCommerce websites.
Visit us at www.optimassolutions.co.uk
The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems.
Making money from online sales is a realistic ambition for many organisations large and small as it is both cost effective for the business owner and the consumer. As more and more website users convert to online shoppers E-commerce business owners ultimately will benefit. ECommerce websites have their own unique character that is designed to lead the visitor to one simple task – make an online purchase. However, a web designer needs to consider a variety of online philosophies while designing an eCommerce website.
Ecommerce work flow
The consumer moves through the internet to the merchant's web site. From there, the consumer decides to make a purchase. One the purchase is added to the shopping basket it is moved to the online transaction server; this is where all of the information concerning the order is encrypted. Once the order has been finalised, the information moves through a private gateway to a Processing Network of the merchant’s choice, where the issuing and acquiring banks complete or reject the transaction.
Design Principles
So, what web design principles need to be followed when creating an eCommerce enabled website? An ecommerce website fundamentally acts as the online storefront for the products and services the merchant is selling online, where the website visitors are in effect window shoppers and browsers. So obviously the storefront needs to be attractive enough to entice the visitor to take a closer look – after all the aim is to convert these ‘browsers’ into buyers. The site also needs to be designed to with a seamless format – one which maintains a smooth passage through the website that leads the visitor to the appropriate page. Images are important for ecommerce websites, they can encourage a browser to make a purchase and assist in the online sale of the products on offer. Above all it is imperative that an ecommerce website offers absolute security for the transactions that are carried out using credit cards. For the success of any ecommerce website it is necessary that a proper choice of payment gateway is made.
A well designed and thought through ecommerce application will lead the visitor to the product they are looking for in one or two clicks at most. There are many other advantages to ecommerce websites;
Shrinks the Competition Gap
An ecommerce application has helped to reduce marketing and advertising expenses of many online companies, this enables them to compete on equal footing with much bigger companies; allowing them to compete easily on quality, price, and availability.
’Always open’ Market
The Internet gives customers the opportunity to browse and shop at their convenience and in their own time. They can access the services on offer from home, the office or when mobile, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Internet allows the merchant to reach consumers around the world, often offering their products to a global customer base from a small office in the UK.
Lower Cost
ECommerce can help reduce inventory, employees, purchasing costs, and order processing costs associated with faxing, phone calls, and data entry, ecommerce even helps to eliminate the ‘middle man’ meaning you can reduce the employee wage bill by selling direct to your customers, this also frees up existing staff, allowing them to concentrate on the jobs that will drive you business forwards.
If you are about to open an eCommerce website or you are already own one, make sure you understand ecommerce web design principles. Consider consulting an experienced website designer preferably someone who has experience with eCommerce websites.
Visit us at www.optimassolutions.co.uk
The Benefits of web design
The benefits of having a website designed and submitted to the internet depend on the nature of your business; and to the extent of which you choose to utilise the technology available to you. The degree of technology you decide to use often depends on a number of factors, the main one being budget restraints. However when setting a budget for web design it is worth noting that the internet is fast becoming the main channel for advertising and promoting your business to potential clients anywhere in the world on a 24/7. This means you should aim to make or have designed for you the best possible website to showcase your business products and services. It is worthwhile remembering that internet shoppers are not dissimilar to that of high street shoppers, if they like the product in the window they will venture into the store. In essence your website is your shop window, so it is important to have the most attractive and easy to use site you can possibly have.
As I have mentioned, a website gives you an online presence 24/7. All a consumer needs is your websites address, whether they find that from a business card, an advert, letterhead, email or found from a search engine. Your website provides a cost effective and convenient means of keeping in touch with your existing client base and keeping them informed of developments within your business, this helps to promote company branding and customer loyalty. A website will maximise your marketing investment, by leveraging this versatile and dynamic marketing channel which is the internet.
There are three main points your website will help you cover;
Creativity
Your website allows you to be more creative in how you present your information/products and /or services when compared with printed material.
Point of Contact
Your site is always live. If a potential client has heard about you but can’t find your business card, they may turn to the Internet to try and locate your contact information or to learn more about you and what you do. If your site is ecommerce enabled, your products are ready and waiting to be sold.
Expansion
Your website opens the door to a larger market of prospective clients. Even if your service or product is normally only performed locally, there is always the potential to expand. And, you are more likely to increase your local client base if your website is available for them to research your service.
Compete
If you are a relatively small company, your site becomes your virtual shop window enabling you to compete on much more equal terms with much larger organisations.
Many people use the Internet to find out more information about products or services that they are in need of. Your website is a means of offering information to those who may be researching online before buying. If you don’t have a website, how are they going to even get a chance to see what you have to offer?
The Internet is a powerful way of developing lasting sales opportunities for your business. Opportunities you didn't think possible or could afford with the usual forms of advertising. Your website will provide your business with the ability to reach thousands of potential customers through this increasingly dominant marketing channel. With more and more people switching online every day, the exposure your business receives with a website is far greater than with conventional forms of advertising.
If you wish to be competitive in your market place and are asking the question ‘do I need a website?’ you are already behind the competition. The question is no longer should I? A website is a must. With your own website your business will become a member global marketing medium, your website will showcase your business, it will provide you with a professional image, it can make a small business appear large and increase awareness of your businesses products and services.
For more information on web design services visit us at optimas internet solutions.
As I have mentioned, a website gives you an online presence 24/7. All a consumer needs is your websites address, whether they find that from a business card, an advert, letterhead, email or found from a search engine. Your website provides a cost effective and convenient means of keeping in touch with your existing client base and keeping them informed of developments within your business, this helps to promote company branding and customer loyalty. A website will maximise your marketing investment, by leveraging this versatile and dynamic marketing channel which is the internet.
There are three main points your website will help you cover;
Creativity
Your website allows you to be more creative in how you present your information/products and /or services when compared with printed material.
Point of Contact
Your site is always live. If a potential client has heard about you but can’t find your business card, they may turn to the Internet to try and locate your contact information or to learn more about you and what you do. If your site is ecommerce enabled, your products are ready and waiting to be sold.
Expansion
Your website opens the door to a larger market of prospective clients. Even if your service or product is normally only performed locally, there is always the potential to expand. And, you are more likely to increase your local client base if your website is available for them to research your service.
Compete
If you are a relatively small company, your site becomes your virtual shop window enabling you to compete on much more equal terms with much larger organisations.
Many people use the Internet to find out more information about products or services that they are in need of. Your website is a means of offering information to those who may be researching online before buying. If you don’t have a website, how are they going to even get a chance to see what you have to offer?
The Internet is a powerful way of developing lasting sales opportunities for your business. Opportunities you didn't think possible or could afford with the usual forms of advertising. Your website will provide your business with the ability to reach thousands of potential customers through this increasingly dominant marketing channel. With more and more people switching online every day, the exposure your business receives with a website is far greater than with conventional forms of advertising.
If you wish to be competitive in your market place and are asking the question ‘do I need a website?’ you are already behind the competition. The question is no longer should I? A website is a must. With your own website your business will become a member global marketing medium, your website will showcase your business, it will provide you with a professional image, it can make a small business appear large and increase awareness of your businesses products and services.
For more information on web design services visit us at optimas internet solutions.
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