From the final objectives. Selling is just one of them. The objectives will let you determine what the web site functionalities should be (what the site should do) and how much they cost. Should you build the website by your self or hire a developer - that would be us :) ? If you don't have an IT department the external developer is pretty much the only option (of course you can hire more personnel just for the job). Even if you do have an IT department you may lack certain skills (like graphical design). The only advantage to do it by your self is the internal personnel usage. On the other hand hiring a professional firm has its advantages. First will build the project docs for you (or at list will guide you to do it) and will estimate a cost for the project.
Then, if you choose to do it internally, you need to determine the application software, content management, graphical design, standards used, integration with the rest of company's application. One of the most sensitive aspect is data security. If you store credit card data, social security numbers and many others, they must be encrypted. And being small is not a defense at all. These days we have automatic web crawlers which will randomly "check" on-line web sites for vulnerabilities. And - for their own profit - they check a lot.
OK. After all the hassle you are the proud owner of a dazzling web site. An often misconception is the idea that after building a web site one can forget about it. Totally false. It is correct that the web site is inexpensive to maintain. But it's also correct that without proper promotion it will not stick out of the crowd (and it's a big crowd) while Google Adwords is just a click away even for a start-up budget. Viral marketing is another inexpensive and very effective promotion. As are blogs, social networks, newsletters and many others.
Web site promotion is a current task. Every day.
Where do I begin ?
published on 06/14/2010