There are very few businesses in the modern world that will succeed without a website.
Websites can range from a single page for simple contact details to an elaborate multi-media site selling thousands of products per second.
Larger companies have full IT and technical teams to scope, build and deliver their websites however most of the businesses in the world do not have this luxury.
In addition to seemingly endless and complicated choices for website design and development, there are many questions that need to be addressed before starting a website project.
In the following, I will explain the different website platforms, their pros and cons as well as simplify and translate some of the industry jargon which can be as daunting as a whole new language when starting out.
The online world is indeed a crucial component of any business. The platform on which you build your website is as important and as integral to the business as the content you sell and /or publish.
There are three essential elements of this chapter;
1. The importance of a plan in your website journey
2. The most common website platforms and their features
3. How to avoid costly mistakes when choosing your website platform
1. PLANNING
It is common knowledge that “failing to plan is to planning to fail”.
One would never dream of building a house without first creating a plan for the building. There are simply too many variables to “leave it to chance” and hope that the end result works out.
This principle remains true for building your website.
A website is just like a house – it has a foundation (the platform), it has walls (the structure), it has rooms (the pages and categories) and it is fully furnished (with your content and / or products).
Starting any website project is daunting. Whether it is your first website or your twenty first website, your job will be infinitely easier if you follow a plan. The wonderful thing about building websites is that you often don’t need an expensive website developer or designer to draw your plan. Although they may assist with the house build, the plan can, more often than not, be completed without their help.
The plan will also assist in choosing the platform that your website will use. If you know what it is you’d like your website to achieve; sales, engagement, promotion or advertising income, it is infinitely easier to choose the correct platform to suit your needs.
So – the plan; where do you start?
I am a visual and hands-on person and need to draw and see the actual structure. I therefore use a mixture of white boards and large butcher’s paper with coloured pens to create my plan. You may be more analytical and choose to use mind mapping computer programs or you may prefer to use a program such as Word or Excel to simply write out your plan.
There is no wrong or right way to create your plan – simply use the method best suited to you…..
.
This is just a sample from a chapter in the brilliant marketing book: Online Marketing Sorted! Available from Amazon,
