Websites 101What you need to know

A website is not a silver bullet or magic box when it comes to finding customers.

A website needs to be part of your overall marketing plan.

A marketing plan sets out who your target customers are, how you are going to find them, and how you are offering to solve their problems?

Once you have nailed down who your customers are, you need to decide what you are offering them.

Customers are most interested in what you can do for them. Why should customers buy from you and not a competitor?

That reason is called your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). It is what makes you different from anything else on the market.

To find your USP, try completing this thought: 'Customers will buy from me because my products or service is the only one that...'

So you have identified who your customers are, what they want, and what you are offering them. Now you need to get your message out there with the most results for your money.

This is where a website comes into it's own...

A website is a marketing tool...● It enables more people to find

what your business can offer.● It builds your business

credibility and customer confidence.

There are three ingredients you need to make a website

1. You need a Domain name2. You need website hosting3. You need the website

content

A domain name is the name you type into a website browser, it will often have .com or .co.uk at the end of it.

You can buy domain names from £3 to £20 per year. You have to renew them each year, although you can pay for 10 years in one go.

Web hosting is the second thing you need for you website. It is the storage space that will hold the files of your website.

Most small business will only need shared web hosting. Which costs between £3 and £12 per month.

The final ingredient is website content. (The text, images and other files that make up the website)

To create the website content you can either: 1. Buy website building software

and have a go yourself2. Or Hire a website designer

Whether you hire a designer or have a go yourself, your website will need to have and do a few things.

● Captivating images, engaging text, and an easy to use design.

● Makes it easy for customers to contact you.

● Easily found on Google and other search engines.

● Responsive to mobile phones and tablets.

● Loads quickly; ideally in less than 3 seconds!

● Statistics added, so you can track the success of what you're doing.

It all seems logical, doesn't it? But what does it take to achieve this?

Thorough needs analysis to find out your needs, and how they can be met. A design that works for your business, not just one that looks OK, one that's easy to use and gets results.Setup of web hosting, domain names, email.Search Engine Optimization.Training on website software so you can update the website yourself.Setup of website monitoring software.On going Support, when you need it.

What does a website cost?

Having a website designed, will usually cost more up-front because you are paying for time and experience. However you will get a better result.

Creating the website yourself may seem like a good deal, as the upfront costs are lower. But it will take you time away from your business, which can have a higher cost, and the result will not be as good.

The Positives and Negatives

Some Prices as a GuideThis is what you can expect to pay in the first year.

Creative Agencies: £2000 to £10,000DIY Website builders: £120 to £1440Yellsites: £468 to £4200Independent website designers: £400 to £2000

Want to know how much a website from Marriott Smith Design would cost you?

Lets have a chat...

Aron Marriott-SmithEmail: aron@MarriottSmithDesign.co.uk

Some recommended places to buy website hosting and domain names

Appendix

Some good places to buy website hosting from are:

● DreamHost.com - Good reputation, good service, up front

● WebHost.uk.net - reliable UK bassed web hosting

● GoDaddy.com - The Biggest

Some good places to buy domain names from are:

● Hover.com - Good customer service and easy to use

● lcn.com - UK based, good reputation, cheapest for .co.uk

● GoDaddy.com - The Biggest