Business Startups - looking for your input

CatchingDreams

Hello everyone. I am about to start writing blog posts about websites their design and how to get one setup etc. I'm interested to hear most common questions business start-ups face when they start to think about getting a website so I can answer all those questions. Please comment below any topics or questions you would like to know more about.

mneylon

If you look at previous posts on this site you should find plenty of ideas

onedmc

personally I have had a few problems

1) how do I articulate my idea when I dont even know what its going to look like
2) do I have to pay every time I need a change
3) different devoloper want to do it their way and not figure out how the last giy did it.
4) lack of real understanding of marketing by developers, the website is a marketing tool not some techie fantasy.
5) learning how to user the plugins over and over again as I only go into it every couple of months

somefeen

When and why should you use a web designer when there are tools out there like wix, wordpress, shopify etc?

I'd be interested to know if and how a web designer is a better option.

Jeffrey89

somefeen Wix, Wordpress and Shopify provide you pre-prepared templates and platforms. Although it sounds good, but it has limitations. Wordpress is specifically developed for blogging and though it has been modified to run shopping websites too, it lacks proper functionality. You can add different plug-ins but they have their limitations too. Shopify is specifically developed for shopping websites, but when it comes to adding extra things and modifying it according to your own needs, it gives-up on flexibilty. Back-end work on shopify is a headache. 

Hiring a Web Designer on the other hand gives you total freedom to get a website made that is truly unique and is YOURS only. He will start work from zero and create a strong foundation for your website. This means there is ample space for any updates, modifications or changes to your website.

Wix, Wordpress and Shopify are great options if one is low on funding and is just starting.

jacksn

For startups, the website needs to be tight and impressive, surely for investors, having a crappy templated website will not give a good impression.

The problem with Wix, Webby and Shopify websites is that they look exactly like Wix, Webby and Shopify websites.. the new Angelfire

CatchingDreams

Thank you everyone for your input

CatchingDreams

onedmc wrote: »

1) how do I articulate my idea when I dont even know what its going to look like

I think this is one of the hardest parts of the process. I send potential clients a short questionaire initially to gather necessary details about their idea and their business. I ask things like what do you want users of your site to be able to do once they land on your site? Who do you want to use your site? Websites you like and don't like. Have you got a colour scheme? Etc. And this helps to start the research process. Further research will be required by the client to answer the questions in most cases so by the time it's complete both client and designer should have a better understanding of what is required. This research stage must be conducted before either side starts to think about what it will look like. When it gets to design stage you will have a better idea. If you go with a pre made theme alteration for example you will know because there are demos available. If the web designer is designing a custom theme they will use wireframes and mockups of different concepts before the website is developed.

onedmc wrote: »

2) do I have to pay every time I need a change

It will depend on what the change is and whether you are using a content management system such as wordpress or not.

If you are using WordPress for example you can edit text, images, install plugins, manage a store, write blog posts, add new pages etc. by yourself.
If you don't have a content management system you will need to hire your developer to make changes.

If you require a design change or addition etc. You would need your developer again unless you have HTML, PHP and CSS skills and understand the workings of your wordpress theme.

The cost varies. I have two options. I have a pay as you go option and fixed monthly cost option.

With the PAYG option I Charge Per Quota. For example, If you need One-Hour of Maintenance you will pay €80 + Vat, However, If you only need a Quick Update, Say 15 Minutes or Less the Cost will be €20 + Vat.

The other option is designed for Small Businesses that require updates and changes on a regular basis. Its more economical than the Pay As You Go option. Prices are based on Fixed Blocks of Hours. 

onedmc wrote: »

3) different devoloper want to do it their way and not figure out how the last giy did it.

In my case I prefer to use WordPress not just because I think it's the best way to go but because I'm good at it so if a client didn't want a WordPress site say they wanted Joomla or Drupal etc. I wouldn't be able to give my all in the same way so I would be honest from the get go. If the client doesn't want to use WordPress then I'm not the right designer/developer for them. If you want it done your way or the way the last guy did get a designer that will do just that be clear with your requirements before anything is finalised.

onedmc wrote: »

4) lack of real understanding of marketing by developers, the website is a marketing tool not some techie fantasy.

In fairness a web developer is not a marketing expert. There are many of them out there that are but in most cases they should at least have the basic understanding of marketing to achieve your marketing goals with the website.

onedmc wrote: »

5) learning how to user the plugins over and over again as I only go into it every couple of months

You shouldn't have many plugins that you need to learn to use. In order to manage your website content it should be very simple. The only plugins you should need to know is seo, ecommerce, optimisation, backups and security etc. and how to keep everything updated. Too many plugins can be bad for the site and too time consuming if you have to use them all to manage it.

I hope my info helps answer your questions thank you for your input

CatchingDreams

Jeffrey89 wrote: »

somefeen Wix, Wordpress and Shopify provide you pre-prepared templates and platforms. Although it sounds good, but it has limitations. Wordpress is specifically developed for blogging and though it has been modified to run shopping websites too, it lacks proper functionality. You can add different plug-ins but they have their limitations too. Shopify is specifically developed for shopping websites, but when it comes to adding extra things and modifying it according to your own needs, it gives-up on flexibilty. Back-end work on shopify is a headache. 

Hiring a Web Designer on the other hand gives you total freedom to get a website made that is truly unique and is YOURS only. He will start work from zero and create a strong foundation for your website. This means there is ample space for any updates, modifications or changes to your website.

Wix, Wordpress and Shopify are great options if one is low on funding and is just starting.

Most web developers use WordPress but for bespoke websites yes they start from scratch. For small businesses its not really necessary to have a bespoke website, they cost a lot more and take significantly longer to develop. An altered pre made theme option would be far more cost effective in most cases.

Another problem with fully hosted options such as Wix, Shopify etc is that they own your website and it's data. So if one of them was to go bust your website would be gone with them. Also if you decide later on to transfer to a self hosted option you can't its not possible.

Design wise WordPress for example has 1000s of themes and so many are free. Shopify and wix and the others only have about 100 or so and most of the good ones are not free.

Businesses go for shopify etc. because it's easy to setup and seems cheaper but in the long run it would be far more economical to have a website designed and developed specifically for you from the get go.

Self Hosting/Hiring a Web Developer = Full Control

Fully Hosted/Website Builders = No Control

I don't agree that WordPress lacks functionality for Ecommerce. Woo commerce is an excellent plugin that does even more than shopify. Having wordpress + woocommerce can have many advantages including seo and endless possibilities in terms of functionality with wordpress plugins and woocommerce extensions.

wonga77

I don't really understand this idea that Wordpress is limited, you can achieve almost anything with a WordPress site, especially if you are in any way comfortable making CSS changes and adding PHP

pedroeibar1

CatchingDreams wrote: »

Hello everyone. I am about to start writing blog posts about websites their design and how to get one setup etc. I'm interested to hear most common questions business start-ups face when they start to think about getting a website so I can answer all those questions. Please comment below any topics or questions you would like to know more about.

You are missing the point in almost all your responses. Are you writing a blog, or designing websites or trying to be a design intermediary ?

Anytime I needed a website I knew exactly what I wanted. Most customers wouldn't know or give a rats about the differences between Winga, Wonga or Wix, they want a website that looks good and works. It is up to the technical people to give them what they want, to advise (in advance) any pitfalls and make sure it is delivered on time and does what it should.

I cannot see the difference between what you are setting out to do and books like 'Websites for Dummies'. Why don't you post a sample blog entry and let people judge what you do on its merits?

steve_

The biggest question i would be looking to have answered is what results can i expect to see? Are you simply going to build a site and that's it? For me its all about seeing results through building a site that ranks well and generates leads.

In today's world it seems we are scourged with "web designers" that are nothing more than glorified Wordpress installers that do a few tweaks and look for a payment. Id want to know if you're going to optimize my site for speed, make it mobile responsive, optimize the often sloppy wordpress theme's code, implement Schema markup where possible, do proper onpage SEO and give my site the best chances out the gate to rank well. Otherwise you're just building a fancy business card that lingers in the depths of the SERPS that you direct people to.

If you are planning on just making a blog only with no upsell for creating sites then i would have a long hard think about it. There is so many amazing resources out there already on the topic and ranking well for this kind niche is very very difficult

CatchingDreams

My aim for this post was too get more inspiration for content for my clients and potential clients to read. I'm not trying to be a blogger more providing an area of my site with informative articles that answer faqs and for further reading after I discuss options with a client and its also a way to further discuss the services I provide, tools that I use and my process.

pedroeibar1

CatchingDreams wrote: »

My aim for this post was too get more inspiration for content for my clients and potential clients to read. I'm not trying to be a blogger more providing an area of my site with informative articles that answer faqs and for further reading after I discuss options with a client and its also a way to further discuss the services I provide, tools that I use and my process.

Thanks for reverting. TBH I cannot see any merit in that. You want to build sites, customers want you to do that, most would not be interested in doing homework on random articles on your site. Also, it could lose you business - eg even if I bother to read from a link on your site and it's an interesting article by Joe X and he has a new twist on widgetX, I'd say thanks Catching, bye-bye, I'm off to Joe. If you're not a blogger concentrate on building your business and forget the frilly bits.

CatchingDreams

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Thanks for reverting. TBH I cannot see any merit in that. You want to build sites, customers want you to do that, most would not be interested in doing homework on random articles on your site. Also, it could lose you business - eg even if I bother to read from a link on your site and it's an interesting article by Joe X and he has a new twist on widgetX, I'd say thanks Catching, bye-bye, I'm off to Joe. If you're not a blogger concentrate on building your business and forget the frilly bits.

The articles I have right now are

1 How Much Does Web Design Cost
2 Info on the Online Trading Voucher Scheme
3 Woo commerce vs Shopify

1 & 2 argue that having a website designed professionally is better than using website builders and reasons why. Then i include link to the relevant product/service i provide at the end. It's more to drive traffic and convince clients to get in touch rather than using the website builders. I included no.2 for people interested in my services but without the funding to go through with my quote.

I understand not all businesses are interested in knowing the difference but some do so it's for them really

StupidLikeAFox

I appreciate you are selling your services as a wordpress developer but some of your information above is plain wrong. I started out with a hosting package and ecommerce website. Had that and managed it myself for approx 2.5 years. For a couple of reasons I migrated to shopify in February and couldn't be happier, I regret not going with them from day one.

You should post a link to your Wordpress vs Shopify article, I would love to give you feedback on it based on my experience