So You Need A New Website...
Let’s be frank. With the array of programs available now to assist everyone from beginners to experts, building a website can be done by almost anyone. But, if you want it to be strategically designed to reflect your brand, SEO-optimized, synched with multiple platforms, or other complex operations – you may need to bring in the experts. Here are four questions to ask yourself when creating a new website or updating your current website:
Do you have the time? Creating a website as a beginner will be extremely time consuming. And in all honesty, probably frustrating. If you are determined to DIY, Squarespace may be the right choice.
What’s your budget? If you go the DIY route, don’t forget to factor in the hard costs – website building platform, domain name, hosting, page builders, plug-ins, etc. Bringing in an expert is going to cost you, but time is money, and experts can complete the job more quickly. Plus, an agency will outline the costs for you and advise on best practices.
What is the goal of your website? Whether eCommerce, blog, promotional or all the above, some programs are better equipped for specific types. For example, BigCommerce and Shopify are geared for eCommerce.
Once built, will you manage the website yourself? You want to say yes, but is that realistic? If you don’t build the site, you will be unfamiliar with the programs and if you do build the site, you may want to consider setting reminders to make sure content is up to date.
Not to mention the online space is continually changing – did you know that Google rolled out a core update last week? Do you know the impact of this new algorithm update? Is your website ADA compliant? Did you know that if your website is not ADA compliant, you risk fines of up to $75,000 for the first offense alone. Here is the simple truth, working with development and SEO companies that know the rules and can apply them through the design and coding process is the smart move.