When we approach building a website, the first thing that is important to understand is what type of website it is. As in the automotive world (which I often parallel in my articles), also in the world of website building there are many types of websites that can be grouped into several central categories.
What site do we want to build?
A dedicated development project (StartUp)
Many (friends, acquaintances and even total strangers) approach me every day with the question of doubting a statement that "Find a genius idea for a website, if we develop it we become millionaires”. Despite the tempting offers from dozens of people and the unique opportunity to become a millionaire, I often refuse partnership in these projects.
well why? The answer is clear.
Establishing a dedicated development project does not guarantee success.
It must be understood, there is no person in the world who wants the success of his clients more than me, and therefore I preach, update and even promote their understanding that customized projects are not a cheap matter and require a lot of attention, prolonged investment and motivation by both the client and the supplier. True, this approach prevents me from many projects, but personally I feel that if the client has invested the best of his money but the project is expected to fail, I prefer not to take on the project.
So after an introduction seasoned with sarcastic sarcasm, what would I recommend to entrepreneurs who wish to establish a start-up:
- Counseling Counseling Counseling – We examined the idea with the experts, received opinions on the initial and future development of the product and planned the steps with the understanding that the expenses do not end with the construction alone.
- infrastructure – Choose the right infrastructure, it is recommended to use a source code development language such as PHP, as the future storage costs will be significantly cheaper.
- Experienced vendor – It is understood in advance that there are few suppliers with experience in developing your product, since it is a unique product since it is a STARTUP – However, try to find someone who has built particularly complex websites and for organizations with experience.
Online store
Not just a product catalog
The most popular example for businesses looking to sell over the internet was building a store website. On the face of it a trivial example, but if we dig deeper, we will understand that within the world of content of online stores there are several prominent characteristics that are important when defining a website as a store.
Well, take for example a classic store established today by a variety of companies Website construction: a product catalog that includes categories, a product page that includes a gallery and text, a presentation of promotions and a number of pizzas'Rim for managing the relationship with the customer.
Sounds satisfactory on the face of it, doesn't it?
not.
We present a slightly (much) different approach
Building an online store is not measured by the display of the product to the customer, but by the performance of the store and actual sales. Measuring the performance of the store is not a trivial matter and therefore we use a variety of advanced tools to check the performance and conversions from the surfer to the actual customer.
Among the tools we recommend and use for our clients, you can find the following products:
- Google Analytics – The main product for checking website performance – Without it we have no idea about the actual performance of the site and the store.
- DigitalShop V7 – An off-the-shelf product that we developed that measures sales, views, unique visits, dwell time, etc. – We will advise every customer to use this system, but as you have already understood, we are biased in this matter.
- Google Console – Or by its older name Webmaster tools – A product that measures the site's marketing performance in the Google search engine – A must for any website owner who wants to promote and market organically.
Website image
What is important to know when building an image website?
Besides a unique design, quality content and a perfect management product, we recommend checking a number of issues when building an image website:
- Compatible with mobile phones - It is already known to everyone and even statistically proven that 50% and even more of the traffic comes from the mobile – Check full compatibility before the site goes live.
- reputation management – A rising field in recent years including internet reputation management in Google – It is important to check that the site will appear and be promoted in all variations of the brand name for ease of locating"The customer.
- Registration in Google Business – Registering the website and the business in Google Business was a trivial matter that required a few minutes but was extremely important when setting up the website.
- An easy and convenient domain for the customer – Do not forget, in the first step before setting up the website, purchase an easy and convenient domain to write e"The customer (the shorter, the more convenient for the customer).
Choosing a content management system
OPEN SOURCE website development environment against a closed system
Another topic that I have encountered many times in my meetings with potential clients includes the choice of the operating system for the website.
The popular system WordPress is gaining momentum and with it comes an awareness of OpenSource development that is accompanied by a corrupt set of beliefs instilled in most customers by"Programmers or website building companies that market the free system"to.
P"To illustrate the advantages versus disadvantages of this operating system, take for example the WINDOWS system versus the LINUX system – The WINDOWS system from Microsoft has been the most popular in the world, due to the fact that the Microsoft company stands behind the product and provides support and service to customers in the constant improvement of the product. On the other hand, p"Programming, the Linux system was a system capable of providing a variety of services and preferred for server management.
The lack of support for the Linux system makes the system unusable from the point of view of many end customers and therefore the system e"The closed code" Windows is still the most popular system used by organizations, companies and private users all over the world.
The need for a high-quality product that includes regular updates and a company that supports the product's quality and ease of use is irreplaceable, therefore OpenSource systems will always remain the cheapest but least quality option from the end customer's point of view.
Website construction costs
How do you price a website?
The part that interests most customers who approach me, how much will it cost me? Like the types of sites, the pricing of the project is also determined by"A number of parameters derived from the structure of the site.
Website design – Template vs. customization
The website design is divided into 2 options – Template (purchased and ready-made design) and customized design. When you purchase a template, we import a ready-made design that requires adaptation to the customer's needs. When we make a custom design, we design the design in Photoshop from the first pixel in accordance with the needs of the brand we characterize – It goes without saying that a customized design is significantly more expensive than a ready-made template, with the understanding that the working hours and the flexibility provided create a significant advantage.
Website development hours – How many updates are needed in the system
Most, if not all website building companies work with ready-made content systems. There is no point in redeveloping a system"Each customer therefore has a broad base that includes a variety of options on which to build and develop a pizza'rim according to requirements. The wider the adaptation of the content system will be, the longer the development hours in the project will be and the larger the project budget will be.
Customer size – Need for a flawless quality product
To many this point sounds illogical and they even come to me with the question, doesn't everyone get the same quality? Well no. When we approach a product of an international brand, we characterize the competition in the market against international website building companies, therefore the finished product will compete in more updated, more competitive markets where the significance of the small details is essential to the brand image.
Marketing your website
Organic promotion or PPC
After reviewing the features required in the process of building a website, we will begin to calculate the ongoing costs that are expected after it is up. Marketing is undoubtedly a central and even main part of the monthly costs and is derived from the scope of the desired exposure.
When we approach building a marketing plan, the subject can be divided into 2 categories:
organic promotion – As his name is – Promotion in a manner "natural" in the Google search engine – Without direct payment to the search corporation or financial investment in the GOOGLE ADWORDS system.
sponsored promotion – Payment to Google p"The desired exposure – The most central area for immediate exposure is also called PPC – Acronym for PAY PER CLICK – which signifies the payment for each click on your ad and entry to your website.
Important to know!
Choosing the right marketing campaign depends on the period in which we want to see results.
The main difference between organic promotion and sponsored promotion is during the period when we build our marketing plan. Sponsored marketing allows you to get immediate results and upload a campaign within a few hours to Google. Organic promotion allows building a long-term marketing plan that is more effective in terms of the amount of surfers and the utilization of the budget (up to 70% more effective than sponsored marketing).
Marketing costs in sponsored promotion are derived from the client's budget and are not limited by a minimum budget. On the other hand, in organic promotion, the cost is determined by"The competitiveness in the field that is promoted and the amount of work hours required to be at the top of the search results.
Website maintenance costs
How much and why?
We built a website, went live and now we want to know what is the right price to pay for its maintenance. As in the previous stages, here too the topic revolves around several main characteristics:
- storage volume – What is the volume of use of the site – Derived from the amount of files stored on the server, usually media files (such as images and video) will weigh more and therefore catalog sites with a large number of products require a larger storage volume which increases the costs.
- monthly traffic – What is the expected traffic to the website – A derivative of the amount of monthly surfers visiting the site – A site with greater activity will require a faster internet connection to a server that allows greater web traffic and dedicated availability or survivability.
- SLA agreement – Acronym for Service Level Agreement – This contract allows the customer to purchase a monthly bank of hours to support and update the content, modules and website structure – Its price depends on the amount of monthly hours required to perform the work.
Site content
As with art and craft, content writing was also an art in itself. If you reached the end of the article, it means that it fascinated you, interested you and even contributed to you professionally in the next step in setting up your website. After establishing the site, hire a quality content writer with a reputation and pay with your best money, because as they say here at Bronze'the "Content is king".