A ROADMAP FOR YOUR WEBSITE PROJECT

Before you do anything else, you should first think about the goal(s) of your website. But what does this mean? The short answer is that the goal is the main outcome you expect to achieve with your website. As is common with goal setting, you usually start off fairly broad and you will need to narrow it down substantially. You might think this is simple enough to do, but when it comes to a website, you need to think strategically. After all, you’re investing a lot of time and money in something that will be the digital face of your business.

Let’s say you want to build an e-commerce website (i.e., sell products online). The first thing you have must consider is “what am I selling?”. Let’s say you sell clothes. Now, you must consider several questions: who am I selling clothes for? Is it men, women, or children? What is the age range? What sizes do I cater to? Is there a certain material that all my clothes are made from (e.g., linen)? Are there special occasions that these clothes are being sold for or are they for general use? All these questions help determine what your overall goal will be. Initially, you may have thought that your website goal would be, “I want my website to sell as many clothes as possible.” However, after sufficient brainstorming, your actual goal evolved into “Becoming a leader in professional wrinkle-free apparel for working adults.”

This is why your business needs to have a well-defined goal because it will affect your choices, which in turn will impact the way people perceive your website and your business. With that in mind here are some useful questions to ask yourself when creating your website goal:

This is what you actually think about first when you consider getting a website. How much is this going to cost? Truth be told, it depends. There is a myriad of factors that can contribute to the overall cost of your website:

It’s no exaggeration to say that the range of costs for a website is quite broad. GoDaddy estimates that website costs can run from $230.00 to $5,000.00! You will have noticed, I hope, that Cutting Edge Solutions is on the affordable end of this spectrum.

The factor impacting that range the most is, of course, the labor of the professional you hired to make your website. This price tag understandably risks scaring prospective clients away from hiring a professional web designer. However, that price usually comes with years of experience that will ultimately result in a much better-looking and functioning product to drive the success of your business.

There are DIY alternatives, such as SquareSpace or Wix, which will save you a lot of money. However, if you are not well-versed in web design or SEO, or you don’t have the time, you will still struggle to create a website on your own. Additionally, the end product won’t be that good for your business either.

Either way, plan your website goal, research your options, and develop a budget before you start. Do not walk into a website project that you are not prepared to pay for.

Another commonly asked question is “how long will it take to create this website?” Many of the same factors mentioned previously affect the timeline for your project (e.g., website size, content development needs, and website functionality). Generally, the more needs you have for your website, the longer it will take for development to be completed.

Another large factor is, assuming you hire a professional, what their capabilities are. Not everyone can design AND develop a website, as these are two separate skillsets. Also, consider the size of the company that you’re working with. A solo designer/developer may take more time to complete your website project than a larger website team with different people dedicated to each portion of the project.Wix estimates timeframes of 1 – 6 months to build out a website. Depending on your timeline, six months might not be feasible. This is why it’s incredibly important to plan out your website needs and scope as early as possible to save yourself time in the design and development stages, whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring someone.

Side note: No website project with Cutting Edge Solutions will take 6 months. Timelines range from 2-4 weeks at most.

It’s common to think of branding as a logo and a pretty color palette. While this isn’t untrue, there is a lot more to it than that. Branding is how your audience perceives your business. In other words, the way people view your business is what your brand becomes. Do not think that your brand is necessarily what you perceive your business to be. Your perception and that of your audience can be different. This is why it is crucially important that the choices you make for your business and website convey the intended message to the right people (i.e., target audience). This falls in line with having a well-defined website goal, as it will shape the messaging and design decisions that are made later on.

Whether you’re selling a product or a service, people want to see proof of concept. Do you have samples to display? Has anyone left you good reviews? How can you prove to your audience that what you are selling is worth their money? If you’re just starting out, this can be a bit challenging. Find some friends, co-workers, or family members that would be willing to try your product or service and have them leave honest reviews. If possible, produce visuals of what you’re selling (e.g., product images or a completed project). This will go a long way to boost the credibility of your business and website. Of course, if you have been in business for a long time, you likely have a plethora of social proof to draw upon. Pick the best samples or reviews that you have so that they can go on your website.

Bonus tip: if you can source your social proof professionally (e.g., professional pictures of products or a project), this helps even more.

A website is a long-term investment, if done correctly. You should not expect to have a website built and then put it on a shelf to collect dust. It is a living representation of your business and it will require periodic maintenance and updates as your business gathers steam. If you’re serious about having a website done, you should plan to make it a routine part of your business planning. Fortunately, with Cutting Edge Solutions, you will have help in this regard.

A website is a long-term investment, if done correctly. You should not expect to have a website built and then put it on a shelf to collect dust. It is a living representation of your business and it will require periodic maintenance and updates as your business gathers steam. If you’re serious about having a website done, you should plan to make it a routine part of your business planning. Fortunately, with Cutting Edge Solutions, you will have You may be tempted to put all of the fanciest bells and whistles on your website because your competitors or other websites that you admire may have done so. I am not one to discourage creativity, however the website should be designed with the client as the focus. Put yourself in their shoes. Beyond all the fanciness of the website, why are you actually there? Most likely to buy something or find information. You are not interested in cool features for longer than a few seconds at most, especially if you can’t find what you’re looking for. Your clients likely feel the same way. Sometimes, less is more.

Websites are made to expand your overall client reach, especially with proper search engine optimization (SEO) and branded content. However, you should also actively market your website to new people. Utilize social media, hand out business cards, or run ads. The more exposure your website can get, the better. It’s also very helpful if your website is set up to handle as many client needs as possible so they stay on your website longer and boost its overall performance.