Here are the issues that must be considered in finding a right web designer.

#1 You have to make sure that they have the experience and expertise needed to understand all the vital components of developing your business now and in the future. It is essential to make sure that the web designer should fit to all your website related requirements.

#2 Ask for the portfolio of the web designer. Make sure that they have the proper experience under their belts. Also, ask for their past works. You can check for the performance of the web designer through past customers testimonials. Don’t hesitate to contact the customers of the web designer to ask for their opinions and feedback on the service of the designer.

#3 The web designer must make sure that the site should be search engine friendly. They should know how to build your site for search engines, thus, they should design your site with search engines in mind.

#4 Consider your budget before hiring a website designer. Make sure that you get what you paid for. But also ensure that you plan for extras and that you have a good financial plan for your site construction.

Remember that your website is going to be the link between you and your customer, so make sure that it is the best it can be. An experienced and professional web designer can implement advanced techniques without hindering the effectiveness of your website. Thus, carefully choose a website designer because they can be the difference between a rough or smooth design process.

Web site features are limited only by imagination. Here is a brief categorization of some of the major fields of web site features, including E-commerce, auctions, forums, articles, directories, news, and entertainment.

E-Commerce

E-Commerce can be used to sell products on web sites and also easily interact as a point of sale service.

Catalogs

Catalog type ecommerce sites provide listings of categorized products that can be purchased for a fixed amount. Usually a shopping cart is employed which allows visitors to select multiple items for purchase.

Auctions

Auctions like EBay allow visitors to bid on items, whereas the highest bidder wins. These auctions have a time limit and also sometimes have a buy now button. A buy now button is a button that allows a bidder to end the auction and guarantee purchase by paying a set fixed price.

Forums

Forums are message boards that allow your visitors to post messages on your web site and interact with other visitors. An advantage of forums is that can they can bring visitors back to your site time and time again to post and follow conversations. If done correctly, forums can also provide large amounts of content for search engines to spider. The down side of forums is that they can make your site look bad if no one is using them, and it can be tricky to get people to use them. Also, it is wise to have forums moderated so that people play nice and don’t trash talk your own site.

Articles

Articles are a concise way to convey information and provide a reason for web surfers to come to your site. In addition to providing a valuable resource to your web visitors, articles also provide content for search engine bots to spider. Adding articles to a site is essential in many SEO strategies.

Directories

Directories categorize other web sites, businesses or just about anything. Some directories are huge, like Yahoo!, while others may be very small and specific only to a small target audience. Smaller directories can often be quite useful to web visitors, particularly if the directory includes editor reviews, ratings and/or recommendations.

News

News sites generally have articles on current events. They are generally updated often and have search functions by which archives can be retrieved. An advantage of a news site is that often audiences return daily. A disadvantage is the need to constantly update the site.

Entertainment

Video – Video can be delivered over the Internet in a variety of ways. Some of the most popular methods are Flash, Windows Media Player, and Quick Time, though there are many others. Short clips are generally broadcast over the Internet due to bandwidth restrictions, yet as broadband penetration continues to increase more and more sites are broadcasting full-length shows and movies.

Music – Like video, music can be broadcast in a variety of forms. Many band sites are now allowing downloads of their songs in MP3 format or samples. This can be a huge promotional tool.

Games – The Internet has provided gamers a huge variety of options. Games can cost any where from free, to pay as you go, to a one time payment to subscription fees. Game sites often have loyal followings that come back time and time again, making the audience prime for advertising.

E-Print – Stories, blogs and articles are all ways people use web sites to share their ideas with written word. Many sites provide downloads of printable posters, petitions or coupons, blurring the line between print and Internet.

Many sites will utilize many of these different web site features to create powerful and complete media experiences. Many businesses have yet to fully explore the possibilities of their web sites and the Internet. As television, print and radio collide, the Internet’s role in business, information and entertainment will only increase. By using different types of web site features, many web sites will gain huge advantages over their competition.

If you are looking to make a simple CMS website that sells a product or service, your web design quote should encompass these features:

Navigation and access to information

Navigation must be quick and simple, giving user quick access to the information relevant to them, dependant on the type of product they are looking for. As such we propose there is a primary level of navigation, used to direct users to the product area that is most relevant to them, be it a corporate video, and wedding video or other product variation. When a primary area has been selected, users will then be able to navigate the section using additional secondary navigation.

Customer Profile Section

The site will include a password protected consumer profile area where user will be able to log in and view and edit their customer details, including the ability to

• Update contact information
• Manage and add to their package
• Make Payments

Customer Profiles will then be accessible via the customer management section of the CMS.

Content Management System (CMS)

Layouts of headings, main body text and the like will remain constant throughout the site using an agreed framework to maintain the design integrity and brand consistency of the website.

The CMS will be developed in a web-based format with a “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) editor at its core. Initially, we will incorporate up to four different page layout templates such as home page, news page, standard content page and one additional as preferred. The CMS will be accessed via a password protected administration link for security of the site.

Customer Profile Section (within CMS)

This area will provide a searchable database of all profiles on the site. you will be able to view and amend:

• Customer Contact Details
• Customer Purchases
• Order Details
• Order Progress
• Individual Customer

Additional functionality

Mobile web (optional – by additional quotation)

Each website created within the CMS will also include a mobile version, specifically designed for the latest range of touch-screen mobiles including iOS and Android.

Social networking

Integration of social networking, allowing articles and news to be posted to Twitter, Facebook, del.ici.ous, Stumble Upon, Digg etc.

Visitor statistics

Implementation of Google Analytics will allow us to track customer behaviour linked to KPIs.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) friendly URLs

As each page is created, a search engine friendly URL is created containing the title of the article which allows search engines to quickly and effectively index new content.

Onsite SEO

Overlaying the system will be a single super-administration that will have access to the content on each site. If you are confused by any of this information, it is advisable to take to a reputable web design agency.

Looking for web designers London? PureBlue are a web design London based Internet Marketing company with the focus on showing how the right internet presence can transform your business. Click the link to see how PureBlue can help you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Hofschroer

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Unfortunately, times change. Those image rollovers that you used to think were innovative are now horribly outdated and your competition seems to have redesigned their Website about every 6 months since yours went live several years ago.  It’s time to redesign.

It sounds like such a great project that it couldn’t possibly go wrong, but trust me—the best of intentions can sometimes lead to costly business mistakes.  The entire redesign process would take several of these articles to properly explain, but I’d like to talk about my 4 basic rules to remember BEFORE you start the process of a Website redesign:

Determine EXACTLY what you want from your new Website and be realistic

A Website redesign project can be as big or small as you want it to be.  Some times the written content might be fine and a freshening of the interface is all that’s in order.  Other times some Web applications might need to be developed to take online orders or allow members to log in.

No matter what you decide you need, remember that everything that you do needs to accomplish your businesses’ overall goals of increasing sales and retaining current customers. Anything outside of this might not be necessary.

Also, don’t be afraid to do things in phases.  A lot of my Web design clients do things this way because it allows them to focus on immediate needs first.  For instance, a client might have very poor Search Engine rankings because their old Website was poorly developed and their tags are no good.  But they also want user forums where their clients can discuss and ask questions.  We might do 2 phases for a project like this.  The first would get their Website up to date with the latest Search Engine Optimization techniques, and once that is done and the Search Engines are re-indexing their pages, we will develop the other features that they want on their site, such as the member forums.

Choose a Designer wisely

Choosing the right Web designer is obviously a huge part of your Website redesign project. Even large corporations with a creative department will outsource this job to an outside firm a lot of the time.  The right Web designer will display creativity, but will also be sensitive to the context in which their designs are going to be viewed.

For instance, for a high-priced law firm in Manhattan, a singing, dancing animated character, executed in Flash, would not be the right way to go. Make sure that the Web designer has made work that fits the client’s personality and vision, and not the other way around.

A lot of clients that come to my firm inquiring about a Web redesign want to see only work that is in THEIR industry.  I think that finding a designer that ‘knows’ your industry is a valid one, though a GOOD designer will put the time and effort to learn an industry.  To me, it’s more important that someone has the sensitivity and understanding to be able to work with ANY industry.  Some times firms that specialize in only one industry begin to suffer from ‘tunnel vision’ or possibly even lose their creativity altogether because they are no longer challenged with learning new things.

Either way, taking an extensive look at a Web Designer’s portfolio will tell you a lot.  And you might want to call a few references as well.

Don’t give in to fads and eye candy

As a Web Designer, it is my job to keep up with the latest and greatest software, plugins, trends and design ideas.  While some of these are great tools, with every project that I tackle, I need to ask myself: “Does this tool—as cool as it looks—accomplish what the client wants to accomplish?”  A lot of times it does, some times it doesn’t.  For instance, I am a proponent of Flash because of the amount of interactivity and interest that it can add to a static Web page.  But it only works when it is used properly and when it fits with the rest of the Website.  There are some times when animation, sound or video will just NOT work.

Remember why you’re doing it in the first place

You are redesigning your Website because your company wants to increase sales and retain current customers.  If every single feature of your new Website does not contribute to that, you need to reconsider why you are doing it.  It’s not enough to just have a facelift every once in a while.  A good Website redesign can be costly and unless it is directly contributing to the growth of your company, you could easily put your marketing budget to better use.

The best Website redesigns are the ones that take a company’s ideas and vision and portray it in a way that is attractive, easy to use and memorable. The features you add to your Website that truly benefit your potential clients and current customers are the ones that will pay off tenfold in the long run.

Best of luck in your Website redesign process.

How important is a website of a company nowadays? The importance of an official website is really important for a company to run a business in today’s time. It plays the role of providing first-hand information to clients and also helps in creating a positive online reputation and brings in favorable and potential clients.

It is important for an enterprise to run a website that showcases what the enterprise is all about, what are its services and what products do the produce which can be of use to the masses. To run a perfect web site depends upon what clients likes and also in the hands of web developers. Any good software development company would easily do this work of web designing and development.

One thing a person should know is that any leading web developers understands client’s needs and also the target audience and accordingly analyzes business opportunities that will help in creating a perfect website for a positive online presence for the company.

Here are some points that a person should consider while availing any website designing service:

1. The service provider or the web application development service provider should understand business and its opportunities in terms of business needs and target customers.
2. They should also be able to come up with domain names which suits exactly or closely to the clients nature of business and needs.
3. Clients and the provider should together study market requirements and customers’ expectation and accordingly discuss how the website should be designed.
4. All websites should be checked for cross browser compatibility, download time and error-free website.
5. Website should also be optimized in a way that assures maximum online credibility. In short the site should be search engine friendly.

What should one look when it comes to the quality of the website?

1.  The website designing company should deliver quality products which are ready for Search Engine Optimization for better business opportunities.
2. The website should be excellent in terms of service and design both.
3. The website should be accessible regardless of the speed of internet connection, area and type of browser.
4. The developers should also give round the clock technical assistance to the website.

When it comes to pricing, this is where anyone would think a million times. A good software development company is always concerned about clients’ investments and designing costs are calculated after keeping in view the type site, the designing factor and optimization.

Last but not the least, this is what a person should consider prior to web designing service:

1. Development of business software
2. Web tools development
3. Business intelligence software development
4. Reporting tool and
5. IT maintenance and support

If the above points are taken into consideration, there is no stopping a business from creating a perfectly designed and optimized website.

I am a freelance content writer who is currently working on projects like web application development mobile application development, etc. for a software development company based in India.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Web-Designing—What-To-Consider&id=6683225

Making your company an attractive and popular is more than just placing a picture of a product or a description of a service on a web page and publishing it to the web. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed to ensure success.

Primary market research

Strategic marketing provides the structure that helps assemble the information through which the company understands its customers. This is the information needed in order to sell successfully. Hence before beginning any development work, it is important to have a clear picture on who the customer is and why they are likely to buy. In describing the target customer, such factors as gender, age and socio-economic group are essentials while further information such as technical capability and language level can also be useful.

Including this information in your design briefly puts the web site designer in a much better position to produce a site that the end user will feel useful and comfortable with.

Objective of the website

Determine the objective of the website; is it to provide information, to produce direct sales? or just a brochure-ware site showing the company and its capabilities. Is it intended to generate enquiries from new customers? or to keep existing customers informed.

Objectives will include the detailed information on any existing brand identity and the image the company wants to portray to the world at large. Remember your web site is the salesperson to your potential customers.

Promoting the website

Promotion of the website is essential if potential customers are to find your web site. Although it is not obvious to the viewer, the purpose of this information is to provide the search engine with the data they need to place the site in the correct category in the database, which in turn helps the search engine respond to search terms entered by users.

To achieve successful ranking in search engines the title and meta-data must reflect the content of the page it belongs to. Keywords and phrases need to be researched thoroughly, what exactly are your customers likely to enter as search terms into search engines.

Update your website

Analyze your site as often as possible to make sure that it is presenting the image, content, accuracy that your customers and prospects expect. The costs associated with this effort are different from those of other marketing media, but the significance should not be under estimated. Updating your web site continually helps your readers come back time after another to find out what are new things you’ve posted recently.

In summary the major part of the web site is carrying out your research into your customers and understand them and then conveying all required details properly to your web site designer so that they can build a web site, which your customers will find useful and will purchase from. After all the web site is for your customers!

Relevant Experience

The web design company you choose for your project should have relevant experience. If you would like them to design a e-commerce website, it is best to choose a web designer who has e-commerce websites in their portfolio. Your web design company should be ready to submit a proposal for your website project along with a contract. Beware of companies who don’t give you a formal contract. The contract  should outline exactly what the web designer will do and how long it will take, the price, and what you have agreed to supply. A formal contract is the best way to avoid disagreements between the web designer and you. Make sure your contract outlines every possible problem that can happen.

Different types of websites

There are different types of websites such as: static HTML (brochure type), e-commerce (with a shopping cart), database, Flash and a website with your own content management system.  All of these must come into perspective when you are looking for a web design company. For example if  you are looking for a fully interactive Flash website you better make sure that the web design company you choose has done many Flash websites. There is a difference between companies who can do Flash headers for a standard HTML site and web designers who  can create a full flash website. Your best bet when choosing a web design company is to have a face to face meeting when discussing what it is you would like to have your website look like , also some sketches and some addresses of websites that you like. This gives the web design company the chance to fully understand what you are looking for and a better chance to give you an accurate proposal.

Things to take into consideration

Does the web design company have an update package? You must know that after your website has been created, from time to time you will require updates. Maybe they will be small maybe not. If the web design company you are choosing does not have an update package, you should inquire about the price of updates after the initial design. You should take the price of updates into consideration before you begin the design process. Make sure the web design company or web designer you choose  sets realistic goals for the timeline. Usually if it sounds too good to be true then it  is.

Many web designers have their own personal style. For example my personal style is clean and bright colors. Some web design companies love Flash and always build Flash websites. This would not be ideal if you are looking for an extremely search engine friendly website.

You would also have to consider guarantees. Does your potential web design company offer a guarantee? Most web design companies do not. So when you find one who does, you can know that they feel very confident in their capabilities. Another thing to consider is: Does the web design company display a phone number that they can  be contacted at. Sometimes as a client you would like to speak with someone, not just get a reply to an e-mail the next day.

How to a find a web design company

There are a few ways to find web design companies in your area. One way is to search the web for: “Vancouver web design” or “Sarasota Web design”, obviously depending on the city closest to you. You could also search the Yellow pages for web design companies. Most web design companies who can afford to advertise there have already built a pretty go reputation and have been in business for a while.

Another option is search the web and when you see a website you really like, check for a link on the bottom of the page or on a contact page.

First of all, consider any feedback you have received in terms of your previous work and abilities. If, for instance, you have been specifically trained in a college or university program for web design, and have received grades that are high, the odds are you are better at this job than most of the people out there. Take confidence from that fact, and move accordingly when it comes time to establish your prices.

Identify potential market places. The first place you may want to check will be on the Internet. There are several sites that have been started up specifically for professionals to come and bid on projects for people and companies looking for areas such as web design. Some of these sites charge a fee per month, and you will need to decide if the fee is something you are willing to risk. Try a one month trial- a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that if you double the membership fee, then it is probably worthwhile to keep up with the site.

When you are competing with other bidders to land jobs, and even outside in the real world, the question of charge will always come up. Determining how much you should charge will be the first order of the day, and will often be subject to how much work you need and what is interesting to you. Establishing your business is not always easy, so you may need to make a cut in your expected prices in order to get some clients and that invaluable feedback. Remember that you need to plan for future jobs as well as in the short term immediate, so try to bid on some long term projects as well. Even if you are desperate, avoid vastly undercutting your value and your needs. Jobs that take a long time will need to reward you with a commensurate pay, or they are simply not going to be worth it.

There are thousands of available opportunities for those who want to work in the area of web design, by being able to bid on projects that others are outsourcing. These projects will often lead to further work, although one of the most important tips would be to avoid overloading yourself, as you will end up having to cut contracts and may even do sub-par work on important ones.

Custom websites are among the most important PR instruments used in modern business. Studies show that suppliers, vendors, clients and employees are all more likely to research your company online than through any other medium.   Recognizing the value in effective custom web design brings better awareness and professionalism to your organization, using your website and the internet to its full potential.

Your custom website design team needs to create professional, custom websites that impress your visitors, build brand recognition, and sell products and services. Being closely-knit with the design team, in collaboration with you, using a proven strategy to ensure that the final design matches your specific needs and expectations.  In addition, the custom web design team should have a grasp of what information your visitors will be coming to your website to view, learn and educate themselves with.

Custom website design is just that, custom to your needs.  When looking for a web design firm, they should always be thinking of you and your business.  Whether you are selling products online or services to your clientele, your website should reflect that.  The internet is a vast and readily used tool, don’t disappoint your visitors, get a custom website that is designed for you specifically.

The first step to finding the right firm is by discussing your business and its objectives. Once you have a clear vision together of your needs, you need a proposal that includes details about your custom website, marketing plan and pricing.   The next step is deciding upon which firm you will choose.

After you sign your contract, the development of your custom website will begin.  At this time, it would be a great idea to supply your designers with information for your website (i.e. copy, pictures, products, contact information, etc.).  An outline of the pages you would like to include, breaking each section down with what information you would like to have in those sections.  The development of your custom website should begin smoothly from here.

Once you are pleased with the final product, your website will officially be launched.  Once you are officially “online”, sending out press releases of your new site and its wealth of information is a great idea to bring some traffic to your site.

Custom website design for you and your company is highly important.  Just having a templated site that isn’t truly right for your company layout and image is just a waste of time.  Websites are an investment, invest wisely in custom website design for better results.

Probably you already know that designing a business website is not like designing a personal website that only your friends and family will see. Since your target from a business website is customers who are going to pay you money, your website design for an online business must be appealing and convincing that you are worth paying.

Website design for an online business says a lot about the business and its owners. It’s important to present a professional image; otherwise you will end up handing customers to your competitors even if you have better products and services.

Amateurish web design shines a bad light on a professional business. If your web design looks amateurish, people will think you’re an amateur. Of course, that may be an inaccurate assumption, but it is the reality of the way things are. A professional image makes people more comfortable, and more likely to use your product or service.

Good web design includes pages that are easy to navigate, and that are pleasing to the eye. Think of a few of your favorite websites, visit them and browse them thoroughly. Take notes of why you like them. Keep the list handy when you’re ready to design your own business website. Also keep in mind why visitors will be visiting your site.

In designing a business web site you will have to think like a customer. If this does not make sense to you, browse similar business websites and consider the things that are keeping you on the website for a longer time. Also take notes about the things that are encouraging you to leave the website you are visiting and to look for your required service or product elsewhere. Your target should be to keep your customer at your website the longest time for a simple reason, if this visit to your site did not translate into a sale, his comfortable stay will introduce him to other products that will be in the back of his mind and will come back to get it when he needs it.

A handy peace of information to keep in mind is that websites attract visitors because they’re seeking information. Maybe they want to purchase an item or service that you offer, so do not spare any effort to give a detailed, nicely arranged and easy accessible information about every product or service that you offer. Good web design insures that visitors will have an easy time finding the information they need. You only have a split of a second to retain visitors, so make the most of that time.

The main page should get to the point. Flash intro pages look nice, and show that you’re current on technology. But Flash intro pages annoy many people, and cause them to click away from your site without going further. If you must have a Flash intro, at least include the option to skip it. Other than that, when you are in the phase of search engine optimization, you are going to have a hard time optimizing flash websites.

Successful web design can make or break your business. Create a site that is appealing and easy to navigate, and your visitors will be glad they found it, happy to revisit and recommend.