[Axwell]

There is a specific forum and thread related to web design and all things related. Posting there will get a better response from people that know and work in the industry.

Please use that for all related questions or when looking for quotes etc.

Thanks

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055802922 - When looking for a quote use this, do not post in the main forum

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=23 - for advice or questions on website or web related issues use this

[tricky D]

To expand on getting a quote a bit. Try to provide as much information as possible.

• Do you already have a logo?
• Have you already got the photos you need? Are they good quality?
• Have you good copywritten text?
• What sort of functionality will you require? Shop, CC processing, newsletters, DB integration, user accounts, support...
• What sort of other marketing are you doing which might affect the job?
• Will you be actively blogging and using other social media?
• Are you using Rich and/or Interactive Media?
• Will you need a Content Management System?

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.
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And anything lese which is relevant - the devil is in the detail.

Remember, the old maxim generally applies: you usually get what you pay for, so beware of selling yourself short. The web can be a very powerful business tool, so try to budget and plan accordingly.

[Cianos]

I'll add to the above;

When looking for quotes for getting a website built, you are likely going to get some massively ranging prices. People often remark in the fora that quotes ranged anywhere from a few hundred to 7k+.

A savvy client will shop around, but will also be very clear in what they are looking for. The more specific you are, the more accurate the quotes will be. You don't need to know the technical details, you just need to know what you want your website to do.

For example;

• A simple brochure site for your business, with contact information, opening times, business summary etc.
• An ecommerce site where you sell products through the website. For example a retail shop might wish to expand their business through online sales.
• A social media presence where you are trying to reach out to customers through Facebook, Twitter etc. For example a bar, or a band might want a strong social media presence to build up interest.
• A blog or diary website where the emphasis is on documenting a process or processes regarding your business. For example a travel writer might keep a blog to document his travels or a crafstman might want to visually document his work.

What suits one person won't necessarily suit another. When dealing with designers and developers you should be given a chance to speak from the perspective of your business, and a good designer will work with you in that regard. Be wary of being sold extras that you may not need - for example a Flash intro may look pretty the first time, but it harms your websites performance and annoys customers on repeat visits.

Find someone who you like the work of, someone who you think their design style suits your own goals. It's best to give a good designer the flexibility to provide you with a solution they see as the best fit. Clients often want to cram in far too many things, which ends up spoiling things. Give the designers vision a chance, and if you're not happy you can always add things later on after analysis and feedback.

Remember to post your site in the website reviews forum as well for some unbiased feedback

[MyBusinez.com]

I would also like to add to this that a website does nothing on it's own. A website is essentially like a little book about your business on the internet. It has the potential to be seen by many people but unless you market the website little or nothing will happen. It doesn't get passing trade like a main street shop, people can't even find it if you don't find a way to get it to them and make sure they know where it is.

Integrating the proper marketing tools and effective "Search Engine Optimisation" (SEO) is essential to making your website or on-line business a success. You may have the finest looking website with the finest information but if you don't use tools like Viral Marketing and SEO your website isn't going to reach it's full potential. It is basically the difference between having 10 visitors per month or having 110,000 visitors per month.

This type of thing takes years to learn so I would recommend outsourcing to an SEO/ web development company. I've found that some people will try to learn and implement it themselves with zero success and they end up wondering why.

Choose the right company
Be sure to choose a company that can show you proven results and can give you a good on-line marketing plan for your website/ company before purchasing any package. Ask for references. Make sure they are going to use tools like Google Analytics, Google Sitemaps, and use niche keywords. Also, if possible, make sure you have a decent on-line marketing budget as SEO works month by month, not day by day. This is going by the search engines' schedule not the SEO developer's. For instance Google only updates it's servers every 3 - 4 weeks. So if you (or your SEO company) make changes on your website to appeal to the search engines today, it may not update for another month. This can be shortened by using Google sitemaps. Also, SEO works over time. Keep an eye on your search engine listings and statistics package (like Google Analytics) but give it time to work.