Posts Tagged website design south africa
Getting A Website? – Don’t Just Do It, Plan, Plan, Plan!
For many people or businesses the thinking around websites goes like this: “Okay, so now I have a business, what’s next, hmm, maybe I need a website”. The next thing you know they are either going out there trying to design their own or searching Google for Web Design firms.
What’s wrong with this natural next step you may ask? Well, it is simply that the person in the example above did not think through their website. Often they will start designing the website or hiring the Web Design firm and give them a mandate of “please design a website for us”.
When hiring a web designer, of course, your chances are much improved of getting a properly designed an thought out website than going at it yourself, but you do get web designers that are just in it for a quick buck and that will quickly put together, even a great-looking website, but with very little substance. Such a site is just as good as not having a site at all.
So, what should you do when you’re considering a website? Below follows some guidelines. They are not the be-all and end-all of web design, because there is so much more involved in designing an effective website, but they will at least provide you with some direction as a person who may not be an expert in web design.
1. Do I even need a website?
Yes, that’s right, while a website can be a huge asset, not all types of businesses need one or are geared for one. So for example, a roadside exhaust repair service that is a totally informal business will not need a website, because of the nature of the business and the cost involved in getting and maintaining a website.
2. What type of business do I have?
This is a very important question to ask yourself and it involves a number of sub-questions as well. So for example, you need to look at your clientele – what type of customer do you cater for, are they advanced, educated people or lower end consumers? Are they likely to browse the web, looking for the best deal or to find a service such as yours closest to home?
3. What type of product or service do you offer?
Is it a physical product or an electronic product, or a service? For electronic products you undoubtedly need a website, but for certain physical products your chances of needing a website are less than for certain services for example.
4. When you’ve established who your potential clients are and what type of business you have, it is time to think of the site content.
What is it that you want to convey to these customers? People surfing the web are looking for information primarily. It could be information on a topic, or information on a product or service. So the first focus of any website should be to provide information and not just generic information, but proper, valuable information on the topic the browser is looking for.
First provide the information and then provide the pitch or make sure that you pitch is included in the information in such a way so as not to make it seem forced, but natural.
When you’ve established what information it is that your clients are looking for, now you can start looking at the contents of your website. While most websites follow a basic formula, having tabs such as Home, About, Products / Services and Contact, your site might not benefit from such a generic structure.
To take an example, some of the most successful sales websites are one page sites. They simply contain a sales letter with lots of valuable information about the product or service and a link to the order page. If your product or service is suited to such a website then you should without a doubt follow this recipe and break away from convention.
Some websites may have the aim of providing information first and foremost and have sales only as a secondary goal. If this is your type of website, then a sales letter format will obviously not benefit you. For you, a website structured in such a way as to be more of an article archive might be the solution.
5. When in doubt, consult a Web Design firm.
I have touched on this above, but since there is so much involved in building a website, sometimes it makes more sense to hire an expert. In the end a proper web designer can save you lots of time, money and frustration.
Make sure that you hire a reputable web design firm. Don’t assume that because someone has a top Google ranking they are the best or have a good reputation. Ask to see examples of their work so that you can see if their style matches yours. Ask for some references and actually phone these references to find out if they were satisfied with the service they got.
If they have a portfolio page, you can click on examples of these websites and go the contact information to get more, independent references.
Look for a company that will supply you with a proper web design plan and make sure you agree on all aspects of the scope of the project. Look for a firm that will guarantee satisfaction.
While web design and designing a proper website is a vast and complex field, if you keep in mind some of the above hints and tips you may find that you are more likely to get what you need, instead of a pretty website without much substance that you want.
Rian Schoeman
How To Generate Web Traffic Using Only Free Methods
Putting up a company would of course require a lot of things, to get straight to the point, you need a capital. To make money requires money as well. But of course, with the versatility the internet offers, there are many ways you could find that could help optimize the potential of your site or business in generating traffic.
While there are ways to jumpstart your traffic flows, many sites don’t have the resources that others have to generate more traffic for your site. Well, you don’t have to spend a cent; all you need is the proper mindset and a lot of eagerness. You also must have the drive and perseverance to do hard work and research to generate more traffic for your site.
How sweet it is to have more traffic for your site without spending a single cent. Now it’s a sure thing that many sites have articles that offer tips and guidelines in how to generate traffic using only free methods. Because it is possible, you don’t need to speed a single cent, it may take time, to say honestly, I’m not going to beat around the bush with you. You get better chances by paying for your advertisements, but at least you get a fighting chance with some of these free methods I’m about to tell you.
Take advantage of online forums and online communities. The great thing about forums and online communities is that you can target a certain group that fits the certain demographic that you are looking for. You can discuss about lots of things about the niche that you represent or offer. Another great advantage is that you know what you are getting into and you will be prepared.
With online communities and forums you can build a reputation for your company. Show them what you are made of and wow them with your range of expertise about the subject, with that you can build a reputation and build trust with the people in your expertise and knowledge.
You can also make use of newsletters. Provide people with a catalog of your products and interesting and entertaining articles. If you make it really interesting and entertaining, more people will sign up for your newsletter and recommend it to other people. The more people who signs up for your newsletter, the more people there will be that will go to your site increasing your traffic.
Another great idea is trading links with other sites. You don’t have to spend a cent. All you have to do is reach an agreement with another webmaster. With exchanging links, the efforts both sites do will benefit both sites. All traffic that goes to the site could potentially click on the link of your site and visit your site as well. This works well especially when both sites feature the same niche.
Write articles that could pique the attention of people that have interest in your product. Try writing articles that will provide tips and guides to other aficionados. Writing articles that provide good service and knowledge to other people would provide the necessary mileage your traffic flow needs.
Many sites offer free submission and posting of your articles. When people find interest in your articles they have a good chance of following the track by finding out where the article originated. Include a link or a brief description of your company with the article and there’s a great probability that they will go to your site.
Write good content for your site. Many search engines track down the keywords and keyword phrases your site uses and how they are used. It is not a requirement that a content should be done by a professional content writer. You could do your on but you have to make content for your site that is entertaining as well as informational. It should provide certain requirements as well as great quality.
Generally, internet users use search engines to find what they are looking for. Search engines in return use keyword searching in aiding their search results. With the right keywords, you could get high rankings in search engine results without the costs.
All of these methods and more will drive more traffic to your site for free. All it takes is a bit of effort and extended man hours. Learn all you can about the methods depicted here and you will soon have a site with a great traffic flow without the usual costs that come with it.
Best Regards