Shopping for a Website


Shopping for a Website?
Three Key Components to Save you Money

Eric Barry

For many businesses a website is a necessity. For some it's an after thought. Regardless, every business should prepare the same way. Because, in the end, money saved is money earned.
There are three tasks to complete before setting out to get a website quote. Each is basic and requires little knowledge of website development.


Know Your Market

It's definitely that a website developer knows your business better than you, so understanding your primary target market is an obvious first step towards presenting a website plan to a potential vendor. It identifies for the vendor a profile of the site users you are looking to attract. A solid understanding of potential site users correlates with how the website is laid out. It allows the website developer to spend less time – which equates to money – researching your market and brainstorming ways to present your information in the best light. Knowing your market lays out the foundation from which a great site can be developed. This foundation can be a cost portion of quality website development. The more information you can provide about your target market the further your budget will go.


Know Your Message

A website is a constant voice representing your company. Leverage your knowledge of the target market. Doing so will provide a clear concise path towards creating a strong message. Put together a list of the top 3 messages you want your target market to obtain from the website. Focus the messages with an intent to differentiate your business from competition. The value of knowing your message translates into less designing and copy writing time needed to express your business visually and textually. Do not let a website developer write all of your content. Getting help is great – do it – but make sure you are providing the big picture from the beginning. It will save you both time and money.


Know Your Branding

Do you have a logo? Do you have general colors or fonts used for representing your business? If you do, use them. This provides an immediate baseline for the project. Consistent branding across all your collateral shows a potential website designer that you have a vision. Successful branding expresses personality, motive, and intrigue. Providing a website developer with a clear vision and brand identity serves to cut down on cost and time.
These recommendations are basic and logical. However, practicality often escapes the best of us. Knowing your market, message and branding will help ensure the highest return on your website investment.

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