1. There are many things to consider if you want to
buy a website for your small business. If you live
in a town like Portland, Oregon, which has more
than its fair share of web designers, buying a
website can be overwhelming. This handy guide
will help you with some of the basics.
website
2. There are five ingredients?that you will need if you want to create a
successful website for your small business in Portland These are:
Hosting - You'll need to find a hosting company that gives you a
good price and allows enough bandwidth for what you want to do
Domain name - Is your domain name already taken? In that case,
how much does it cost to purchase it? Many small business names
now originate from available domain names Planning - You'll need
to plan out the design for your website before you begin talking with
a web design company or a web developer The planning stage is
crucial and it will save you time and money - Clearly articulate who
the audience is going to be What type of website would you like to
have? Your site can be informational like a high tech marketing
pamphlet
3. It can also be an e-commerce storefront or a social networking hub
Or it can be a hybrid of several different types There are no limits
website to what an affordable small business website can be -
Make a list of your websites contents Will it have video or will it use
Flash? Will your customers be able to contact you from your site? -
Make sure you know why you need the website Try to write down in
two columns the features your business needs and wants from a
website
4. A needed feature is one that you cannot continue without having A
wanted feature is one that you can postpone until phase 2 - Make
sure that you articulate how the website will look before you present
it to a web designer Browse other websites that you like, and feel
free to draw sketches of your web pages You can even draw a map
of where the pages will be in relation to each other Promotion This
may be the most common stumbling point for all new website owners
5. It is not as simple as if you build it, they will come ?Just like a brick
and mortar storefront, you have to promote it - Your website is
where your brand lives in the online world Take advantage of every
opportunity to direct people to it from the physical world Put it on
your business cards, stationary, and marketing materials
6. - There are many ways you can optimize your site for search
engines as well This is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO,
and it is the crucial difference between getting zero visitor or millions
of visitors Many Portland web designers offer at least a minor
degree of on-page SEO, so make sure your site is optimized for
search, no matter what Maintenance This would be the care and
feeding of your website Your website is not static like a neon sign
7. It is a powerful way to communicate with your customers To make it
work, it will take time and effort - Set aside time to post a regular
blog, videos, and press releases Your customers need a reason to
visit your site regularly - Web developers can maintain your site, or
you can do it yourself with special editing software
8. - A Content Management System, or CMS, can also be used to edit
your site without the addition of expensive software Most CMS
systems pay for themselves in the first 2 hours of use, rather than
paying hourly rates for web designers Ask these questions and
more to ensure you have a solid understanding of what is involved in
setting up your website, and getting it found in the Portland, or
Pacific Northwest抯 regional markets Soon you will be on
your way to finding a great web development company, and an
outstanding deal on a website design
