Copyright 2009 Theresa Harvard Johnson
Web site design is not simple. I'm not a professional, in the sense of a guru or anything, but I am also not an amateur. I've worked with clients with deep pocket books and those working on a budget. I've learned that purchasing web design services is much like buying a house or a car: You must determine "what you need" verses "what you want" before ever stepping through the doors of any web designers office.
The next decision you need to make, even before calculating your budget, is determining what type of web design project will work best for you verses what type of design looks the best. Why? Well, I've watched many people sink hundreds or thousands of dollars into something "pretty" that winds up being outdated and non-functional in as little as six months. What's even worse is that many of these sites can't "just be updated," primarily because of the intricacy of some of the designs.
For the author, minister, church leader or even the individual just wanting to connect with the world in a global way — complete with their own identity, having a website isn't just a cool idea — it's a necessity. For those who like to pick my brain (and this is what I get paid for in my consulting business), they quickly learn the ins and outs of how this business works. By doing so, they are able to protect themselves from scams; determine how much money is too much to dish out; determine what makes a web site effective ; narrow down their needs verses their wants; and to ultimately walk away with a project that WORKS for them verses one that will be a burden down the road.
Those do-it-yourself websites are okay when you're learning; but as your business grows and your audience expands, you must learn to INVEST in yourself and give those in need of your products, services or information a reason to stop by and concern themselves with what you do. Personally, I would never purchase anything from a website that looks a mess unless I personally know the owner or stopped by on referral.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Decide what you want your website to accomplish before contacting a designer. Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord what message he wants you to convey. Is your website going to be focused on a single book; a ministry, a product or some services, or something else? The first step is always going to be placing your thoughts on paper. Make a list of the top five things that you want visitors to learn when they visit. Consider why you want them to come back.
{jcomments on}For example, if you want to sell a product or service, then that first page should hit your visitors hard with that product or service –not your personal bio and all of your accomplishments. If your website is a church, then that first page should focus on telling them about that church — not promoting the pastor or the CD products. Those other types of promotions are effective with ministries that are well established and known. Otherwise, your website is place of introduction in which you want to make a professional impression, and have those visitors return.
Also, write out your website content to the best of your ability. Scan your own photos and place them on disks. Get all of your files together. It is not the responsibility of your website designer to gather this information for you. If they have to write the text, then you are looking at "writing and editing services" which can be completely separate. Have some colors in mind…
2. Decide what you NEED your website to do verses what you WANT it to do. People like websites that are attractive. Attractive, however, doesn't mean you have to have all the bells and whistles that slow down and retard many of the websites we see today. The truth of the matter is this: clean and simple is still popular. This doesn't mean your site has to be boring and dull. I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars, even thousands on extravagance …. but barely had 50 visitors a day hit their site. What's even worse is that many can't even access the site because the files are so large or the technology is so complex. I've learned that many people want the "bling" but they don't understand their audience. So decide how much "extravagance" you need to stay current without overkill.
Quite honestly, little known authors, business, etc. should consider starting out with basic, functional, clean … yet savvy website designs. As their businesses, ministries, etc. grow … their knowledge base will grow. You will inherently learn what works verses what does not work.
If this is your first web design project, starting out in a simple way will also help you gauge the services your receive. Find some sites on the net that you admire, and that offer services, products, etc. similar to what you are interested in doing. This is a good way to determine what you NEED verses what you WANT.
Your need simply refers to those thing your website MUST have; and your wants refer to the bells and whistles … or the extra stuff.
3. Choosing a designer is your next step. I would strongly suggest doing a great deal of research into companies. The pricing of websites VARY greatly. So there is no going rate that you can honestly stick to. For example, I worked with a company that did three page websites for under $399. It included a home page, a contact page, and an information page. For some people, this is enough. As their company or business grows, they simply add what else they need. I've also consulted with companies whose services were so detailed that one website design and maintenance for a year totaled $15,000. Take a university for example. When I worked at GA Tech, they eventually created a whole new department with salaried staff just to run and maintain the campus' website. When you consider this, you are looking into the six digits.
These prices may seem to rest between two different extremes; but if you understand the intracacies of web site coding; the designers creativity; time; the need to outsource certain components of the website design like database building and management or high-level graphic design…. it's not a surprise. There are web designers that specialize in designing sites for ministries, authors, hospitals, technology companies, industries, universities, artists, etc. You can drill these down to a point where you can get EXACTLY what you need. You may not need a 10 page website or even an eight page one — three to five pages might work for you.
4. Get ready to learn. Authors, writers…. please be involved in your website project. Ask some important questions like: Can you set my website up so that I can update it? Can you update my website if I need it? Will you register my domain name in MY NAME or will it be registered under your companies name? If I decide I don't want to do business with your company any more, can I obtain my complete website on disc or download it to personal computer?
I could go on and on. There are so many questions that you will need to ask. Most authors don't need regular website updates. It may also be a good idea to have a "blog or social networking options" integrated into your site.
I could continue writing… as there is so much more you should know concerning choosing a web designer. I will tell you this, if you have a business, active ministry, publishing company or other service YOU NEED A WEBSITE. It's insane not to have one…. and then expect people to know about what you're doing in the Kingdom….
