How You can Safeguard Yourself and Your Business from Getting Ripped off when Setting up or Re-Designing your Website.

An educational service provided by Webarena

Dear Business owner,

Consumers are beginning to put more and more trust in doing business and making transactions online. For many businesses, their online “shopfront” is the only public face their business has, so it makes sense to ensure you get it right the first time when designing your website, and ensure you don’t make silly mistakes that could severely compromise:
- Your business
- Your reputation
- Your existing client base
- Your prospective client base
- Security
- Your bank balance

Your website should improve public perception of your company. Just as you would expect your customers to be turned off by a poorly dressed, unkempt and messy door-to-door salesperson, the same goes for your website. Statistics show that it takes the average web-user less than 2 seconds to decide whether to stay put on a website or navigate away.

A clean, engaging and relevant website is essential in today’s business world. After you’ve read this report you should be confident that you understand the blunders to be avoided when choosing a designer to oversee the development or redevelopment of your online business shopfront.

In this special report we will cover the Top Ten Mistakes businesses and individuals most commonly make when setting up their website, or making changes to an existing website. The errors outlined here take into account common issues with choosing a web designer and website format, and why these decisions can mean the difference between investing in your business and gambling on its future livelihood. The expertise used to compile this report is derived from the successful website design and marketing firm, Webarena – www.webarena.com.au.

The company is dedicated to ensuring their client’s websites are “living” and evolving online extensions of their businesses. In this report Webarena divulge the TOP TEN mistakes they have seen many people make when designing or re-developing their website. After you have read this report, you’ll know exactly what to ask your prospective web developer to avoid making mistakes you could live to regret.

The Top Ten Mistakes People make when Choosing a Web Designer

1. Taking a leap of faith without knowing what you’re getting
2. Communication break down
3. Choosing a Web Company that takes months and months to complete your site
4. Choosing a website that will technically be out of date in 6 months
5. Having to pay a fortune for minor changes to your site
6. Having a site that no one in your company can make changes to
7. Not testing the sites functionality before purchasing
8. Beware the SEO Vultures!
9. Having boring or un compelling content on your site
10. Choosing a company with poor back up service

1. Taking a leap of faith without knowing what you’re getting
The issue with being a non-web developer is that when you pay someone else to design your website, the finished product is somewhat of an illusion in your mind to begin with. As a web design customer, you don’t really know what you’re going to get, and most worryingly, you also don’t know if it’s going to function the way in which you require it to.
This is known as the leap of faith mistake commonly made by web design clients who place “god-like” faith in web designers and developers, and often pay them way too much money to produce their website without being clear on what they are getting.

Every business should do their due diligence to ensure the web development company has the expertise to create the type of website you require. To help you through the difficult stage of choosing, make sure you take a look at the company’s portfolio and ask to use a demonstration system of their websites functionality. If you require a site with a sophisticated e-commerce facility or interactive features, ensure the company has had experience developing similar products for other customers.

To avoid the leap of faith factor it’s often a good idea to ask friends and associates who assisted them with their website and if they were happy with the service. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful advertisement around and your friends and colleagues are likely to be honest enough to help you to weed out the web design cowboys too.

2. Communication break down
Once you’ve decided on a web designer to create your website masterpiece, your toughest assignment is communicating to them EXACTLY what you want. YOU are the expert on your own business needs, and your designer needs as much information as possible about what YOU require from YOUR site.

Consider firstly:
- Do you need interactive features?
- What type of pay-point system do your customers required?
- How should your products be presented?
- What is your target market?
- What is your edge over your competitors?

Before you even approach a design company to look after your website ensure you know exactly what you’re looking for.

Do some research and check out the websites of your competitors.

What would set your website apart?

Always approach your web design or development team with a firm idea of your requirements – listen to their advice – but never go in blind.

3. Choosing a Web Design Company that takes months and months to complete your site
This mistake has a lot to do with our leap of faith issues in Number 1. One mistake businesses make is not agreeing on clear timelines for web designers to stick to in order to have the website completed and live. Webarena suggest that the average website development will take about 8-12 weeks. The approach should be systematic with various signoffs at key points of development If you go with a web designer who doesn’t do this, you could wait 3 months to find yourself presented with a completely useless website that needs a total overhaul in order to be relevant to your
business needs.

This makes the whole process easier for you as the client, and for the designer, because if they are on the wrong track with something it is easier to make changes as they go along rather than attempt to completely re-design a website that totally missed the mark.

4. Choosing a website that will technically be out of date in 6 months
Some web designers attempt to lock their unknowing clients into buying website products based on old technology that will mean the entire site is up for complete renewal in 1-2 years. Demand a designer that is keeping pace with technology.
We all know that the computing world moves ahead at an alarming rate, but you should expect that your web designer keeps up to speed with these changes, and integrates useful and up-to-date technology into your website. To make sure you don’t get tricked here, you may have to do a bit of research yourself, especially if you’re not particularly “website savvy”.

Find out what the latest website design and coding initiatives are – how will these technological advances assist you to further your business online? Remember, technological changes affect not only the cosmetic look of your website, but the “back of house” and security aspects as well. Websites with up-to-the-minute hosting technology can assist you to provide the best possible services for your clients – especially if your website completes a high volume of transactions and you need to protect the security of your clients.Ensure you put some serious thought into the technologies your site requires -making it useful in the long-term.

Paying $20,000 for a website that needs re-coding and designing within 2-3 years is NOT a sound business investment.

5. Having to pay a fortune for minor changes to your site
Another common mistake made by businesses is choosing a web designer who charges a fortune to make minimal changes for you.
Most business owners don’t have the time or the know-how to learn all that is involved in using complex amd difficult content management systems (CMS) to update their own website. This is a pretty difficult task unless you have a dedicated web design team or IT development guru in-house. Be wary of developers who charge hefty fees for every little tweak you want to make to the site. Find out upfront, before you hire the team to develop your site, exactly how the content management system works. 

What will it cost when it’s time to make changes to pricing, address details or company structure graphs?

Is there a CMS which allows you to make smaller changes yourself if your business has the capacity?

Make sure you’re not wasting money falling for the typical tricks of web designers looking to exploit your perceived naivety.

6. Having a site that no one in your company can make changes to
Speaking of content management systems (CMS) – if you agree with a web designer to set up a CMS that you can manipulate yourself when you need to make simple changes, ensure the system is easy to use without hours of training.
If you have product details that you wish to make changes to yourself, ensure the CMS is workable for you or your staff members.

Web designers and developers who offer you no options when it comes to CMS probably want to ensure you are reliant on them for making even the most minimal changes to the website, which they will no doubt charge you a premium rate to complete.

7. Not testing the sites functionality before purchasing
Some web development companies, like Webarena, actually offer their prospective customers the chance to “road test” the CMS that comes with the site before you begin the website project. This is a great way to ensure you’re choosing the right designer who can produce a website that will suit your needs for years to come. Seek out a company which allow you to try their systems and familiarise yourself with the user friendliness of their products before you choose to move forward.

Look out for the companies who are evasive when you ask them for a CMS test run or want more information about the website workings or to trial a product before you commit to it for your own business. They
are probably trying to hide something.

8. Beware the SEO Vultures!
In recent history, ethical web design companies, have had difficulty convincing small businesses of the enormous potential that high search placement can provide, but that’s changing fast. One of our quickest areas of incremental revenue growth is Search Engine Optimisation. Not only are small businesses starting to see the necessity of Websites that they can easily update and manage themselves but the importance of bringing hundreds if not thousands of new, highly targeted potential customers to their website every day. One downside to the increase in interest in SEO is the emergence of ‘SEO Vultures’, those that prey on the unknowing and often promising the world and delivering very little to their new SEO clients.
In one instance, an existing client of Webarena came to our offices to discuss some alterations that he wanted to be made to his website. While he was waiting our SEO expert began talking about how his website was performing and if he was happy with the current level of new leads it was generating.

This is when he told informed us that ‘Google’, called him the previous week and offered him the top position in their search listings for his given keyword for a small monthly fee of $350. Of course it was in fact not Google calling him, and more likely a shady SEO firm looking to extract some money from an unsuspecting website owner. The website owner was elated to have the opportunity to purchase such a high ranking position within the Google search results, but wanted to check with his website designers prior to taking any action.

Luckily enough for the client they had not made a financial commitment to ‘Google’, and we were able to offer him a realistic SEO plan to achieve his goals. All small business owners should be made aware that Google will never offer you a position within their natural search results, and furthermore, no one, regardless of their skill can guarantee you position 1 for any keyword. Those who do, are deceiving you and are just after your money.

9. Having boring or un-compelling content on your site
So you need a professional web developer and designer to put together your website, right? But you’re keen to write the wording on your own to save you some money? Tread carefully here. Content is the key to making your website sink or swim in the eyes of your clients. There is little point putting together a top-notch, technologically advanced website that is riddled with clumsy language, spelling mistakes and mis-represented marketing-spiel. Consider having a professional writer put together your content. On the whole, the costs of buying content are minimal when compared with designing your website, and once you have decent content in place it’s really easy to update in a similar vain. If your web designer offers a content writing service ensure you know what you’re paying for.

Is the content writer a verified writer?

Are they making sure your site is optimised to ensure the biggest number of your clients can find you online.

Ask to see examples of their writing work.

10. Choosing a company with poor back up service
We have learnt a lot about the mistakes you need to avoid when choosing a designer to develop or re-develop your website, but don’t forget the golden rule – customer service. Ask your web designer if they have a support department, during the development of your website and more importantly AFTER it has been made live. Many web design companies aren’t structured to handle customers after the website has been delivered leaving you, the customer, with little or no support. 

 

Last week myself and my business partner, Trevor Kenney, gave a presentation in Mandurah to a group of business owners discussing the "Top 5 myths about Business on the Internet" at the invitation of one of our great customers Supernova Computers.

We had a great time and the event was a fantastic success with some great presenters talking about how technology can help small business. I'm telling you about this because many of the questions we were asked highlighted to us that there is a thirst amongst business owners for practical ways to do business in the technology age - also that there is very much a lot of myths around.

From my personal experience there is no more cost effective or truly amazing way to make sales and get leads than via the Internet. Your probably thinking "Of course he's gonna say that, that's what he's selling" Well there's some truth in that but closer to reality is that's why I'm in this game.

Here's the SECRET to making money on the Internet for YOUR business!

If you tick all these boxes you will not fail. Pure and simple, that's it! These are the steps required. I'm telling you this because if all our customers succeed so do we and I love hearing about our customers success, it is what we are here for.

I was talking to one of our customers on Monday and he wanted a strategy to market via the internet to some new markets he wanted to break into. He was doing this because of the success he had already achieved locally. I asked him how many enquiries did he currently get from his website a day, he said 3 to 8. I said how many converted to sales, he paused and asked his manager, his manager said about 1 in 3! Awesome! I love it... Imagine what 2 sales a day extra would do to your business' bottom line. If his average sale was 2k this mean't he was getting 4k average per day in sales that's 20k per week and that's over 1 million per annum in additional turnover from a marketing activity that was costing him $19 per day! A very measurable and trackable sales c hannel that works 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

So I hear you saying, "alright already get to the point, how do I do it for my business?" Ok here it is:

1 - Good content on your webpage

This means you need to make sure that the information on your website is relevant to the customers you want to attract. Make it informative and unique to your business. Google will recognise your site as a relevant authority and will boost your rankings. If you haven't got the time or the inclination to write this yourself GET HELP - but the main thing is don't just have a stagnant boring website, you know your business so tell everyone about it, but make sure it's what your customers need and want to know. Be honest with yourself, if you read your website at the moment is it compelling? Would it make you want to do business with you?

2 - Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

This is probably the topic that raises the most questions amongst our customers and it's easy to see why, there is so much rubbish out there at the moment. So called experts calling from overseas promising page one rankings for $50 a year blah blah blah.... Think about it, if it only cost $50 a year wouldn't everyone do it? and if so, why aren't they all number 1 on Google. Well the answer is it doesn't and they can't, it's a scam so BEWARE!

Good SEO is strategic and individualised, it takes brains and it takes good technology. You need a strategist to analyse your particular circumstance, develop a program for your business and most importantly it takes time.... expect to wait at least 3 months for significant action, but when it kicks in, you'll wonder why you didn't start years ago.

3 - Pay Per Click (PPC)

When you use Google this is the search results to the right and top of the page with the words "sponsored Listings" above them. These listings cost every time they are clicked and you bid for certain keywords, when these keywords are searched on google your ad appears if it's relevant to the searcher. This is the simplistic overview, in fact effective use of PPC advertising once again involves strategy, analysis and most importantly, TESTING. Many a business has wasted good money on PPC without knowing what they were doing, but done correctly it can bring instant traffic to your website. This is often used as an immediate way to get customers to your website while your SEO program takes hold.

4 - Conversions and Call to Action

Everyone will promise you hits to your website and I say to them... So what! I want paying customers, I want leads, who cares how many people come to your website if they don't buy from you or enquire with you what's the point? Your website needs to have the "calls to action" that entices customers or prospects to buy from you or send you an email via your website. The message or the offer needs to be compelling and you need to have the ability for them to do so, either a good e-commerce system that YOU can manage and the appropriate email forms for them to complete and submit. Only then is your website and Internet marketing strategy givi ng you a return on your investment.

5 - Educate yourself

When you went into business there was a heap to learn, accounts, sales, management and the list goes on, Internet based marketing is no different, YOU need to learn how to control this channel and make it work for your business. But you need the advice and tools to be able to do this, you hire an accountant, staff, advisors etc. for other facets of your business, this is no different. The rewards in doing so are truly amazing when you do.

So now what??? Thanks for the info what do I do with it?

Well here's the sales bit from me. We can help you, we've done it for ourselves and we do it for our customers everyday, but I still get asked why haven't you told us about this before? Well now I have but it's a collaborative and strategic process, it requires YOU as the business owner to want it, it's not magic and it's not some secret art but like everything it requires expertise, education and time.

Myself and my team are here to help, all you need to do is ask.

Best Regards,

Steven Donald
Managing Director
Webarena
Call 1300 GET ONLINE or got to www.webarena.com.au or email info@webarena.com.au

Well thankfully the days of convincing people about the Internet is over but now we have different challenges. The Internet is a living organism in every sense, it grows, it thinks, it is creative and it is unpredictable. The next Google or Facebook or YouTube might happen tomorrow it might happen in a year and it will be something that hasn't yet been conceived by the majority of us, but when it does get "birthed" it will make sense and we'll think "why didn't I think of that?" and "What did we do before this?"

This takes me back to my original point, and yes I do have one. "What makes a successful website?" Ideally, the simple answer is "Does the website achieve the goal(s) it was created to achieve?". Most website owners don't know the answer to this, in fact they often don't know what the goal was in the first place. Do anything without a plan and you'll probably find a lot of things on your journey of discovery, but you won't reach your destination anytime quick.

So be clear in what you want from your website and set some measurable key performance indicators. Do you want to makes sales or generate leads via the internet? if so you need to track and measure your sites effectiveness in these areas, quantify the results and review them. make sure your site has the tools to do this and ensure you can adjust your strategy in the event you aren't achieving the results you want. 
This goes for anything you want from your site:

Plan > Measure > Review > Adapt - and the cycle continues.

Become an expert on YOUR Internet strategy. Keep up to date, because as I mentioned before the Internet evolves, your business needs to evolve with it.  

Over the last decade many Internet businesses have come and gone but the one constant has been the use of the Internet to allow business to work more effectively, with greater speed and to erode geographic barriers. Customers are much more accessible, however they are also spoilt for choice. This means as business owners we need to be smarter and better in order to compete.

I believe there is not a business that cannot benefit by using the Internet. It is not always in the ways you think. Many prospects have said to me over the years, I don't need a website, my customers don't use it. I can categorically tell you that is not the case.

Even if you feel they don't use it with you, you can bet they do with others. Maybe not your competitors at this time but they will if it is offered. Why not? They do everything else online, research buying decisions, send emails, do their banking, pay bills. So the choice is do you want to provide these services as an adjunct to your existing business? Streamline your customers experience or wait for the phone to ring? Do you want to spend thousands on traditional advertising like the yellow pages or direct mail that has a small percentage of the reach of the Internet or do you want to create a strategy that works for your business.

Sure just having a website in cyberspace isn't going to do it. The content needs to be relevant, the design professional and most importantly you need to have the technological tools in the back end to allow you the control of your website to accomplish this.

I know I'm biased, but it pains me to see companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on a website that is effectively a prototype. It gets old and decays from the day it is put live. The technology is superseded almost immediately. Ultimately you will go through the same process and expense on average almost every 2-3 years, some even quicker. It doesn't need to be this way. With Webarena we have already created the system to run your website. We have the modules you need now and we constantly upgrade the technology behind all our sites which means your site never gets old. It is in effect, a Living Website.

It's a new decade, and time for new decisions, it's time to make 2010 the decade for REALLY using the Internet to it's true potential. 

In this post we'll overview one of the many important things you'll come across when working with your website developer. Concept design. Without getting too technical, initially you'll want to ensure your designer and processes are set up to allow you to view pre-visioned concepts of how your site will look before any costly production development. Usually this consists of a simple still image which depicts general key elements that are very much universal regardless of what your website is for. These include (but not limited to) navigation areas, content areas, footer information and a feature of some form; be it a flash banner, a very eye grabbing photo, or a special or event - the list goes on!

The important thing is to have some knowledge of how your site will look and feel before you're sitting down at the end of a costly development cycle. Even more importantly it allows you to work with your designer to ensure your website isn't just someone else's vision - it's yours. I can't tell you the amount of clients I've sat down with who have explained their 'anti-climax' when dealing with developers that promise the world but then don't follow through. Having a website for your business isn't just a groovy tech-tool, think of it (especially if you're a retailer), as your store front. Remember the care and effort you put in to get it just the way you want? The same should be said for the look of your website. Your designer will gladly work with you during the process ensuring your expectations are met, ensuring your site is one to be remembered!

Next week, I'll fill you in on some of the big secrets to keep your site looking as professional as possible. Stay tuned!