In today's super-connected age, the web is the first place people turn to for quick access to the information they need. What it means to small business owners is that having an online presence needs is no longer a luxury but a necessity. And with so much competition out there, your message needs to be more effective than ever.

Website Types

There are 3 primary types of websites today. Your site will most likely fall into one of these categories.

Informational

This is a website that is mostly just for sharing information. You want people to come to your site to learn about you and services you offer, and possibly even contact you via a simple contact form. This is often the simplest type of website we do.

Interactive

I want my users to be able to do something on my site, such as book an event, read and comment on my blog, become a member, etc. These can be fairly simple, or can be very complex depending on what your needs are.

e-commerce

This is a site where you are selling products and collecting payment for those products. This can be a simple site that has 10 products and accepts payments via Paypal, or a complex site that sells hundreds of products and offers multiple payment and shipping options.

Website Cost

Budget is a major concern for any business owner. Cost will vary depending on your needs. Setting a realistic budget starts with having an idea of what you want the site to do, so let's start there. Important things to consider include:

Website Design

How much customization do you want? Will a standard WordPress theme suit your needs? Do you need a custom design from the ground up? Something in between? Do you have imagery for your new site, or will photos need to be taken? If so, how many photos (or other imagery such as charts and diagrams) will be needed?

Website Maintenance

Websites don't just maintain themselves. Be realistic when considering who will be maintaining your site. Do you have the time to do it? Do you have someone, or do you need to hire someone to maintain it? How much unique content will your site need? 10 pages? 100 pages? Maintenance is something that most businesses forget to budget, often because they think that they can do it themselves. But the first time you delete your entire home page by mistake and lose eight hours of sales while you're trying to get it back up and running, you will wish you would have spent the extra money on a maintenance contract.

Website Functionality

Do you need more than a basic contact form? Do you want to offer downloadable PDFs or other information? Do you want leads from various forms to be tracked? You can have virtually any functionality you want included in your website, but they all add up. Be sure you differentiate your wants from your needs.

Money Saving Tips

Here are a few things to consider that can help keep your website project on time and within budget:

  • Want vs. Need: Having a good idea of the functionality you need to have in a website going in can save you time and money
  • Content: Have your content ready to go. This is typically the biggest bottleneck when creating a new website and can slow the entire process down.
  • Upgrade as you go: If you are on a tight budget, you may want to consider just establishing a basic web presence first and making improvements as you go.
  • Content Managment: Have a good idea of how frequently your content will change or be updated. If it won't change often, you may not need a custom content management system.

We know when it comes to web design, you have choices...
There are a hundreds of web design firms in Oregon alone, thousands in the United States, plus contractors, and outsourcing options available overseas. So how does an company like yours choose the right web design company and options? It's simple - choose an web design company with a proven and positive track record and a web design firm that puts their name behind their products. Contact Dain Designs today!

Call us at 541-450-9007

Not sure what you need in a website? Check out these web design TIPS to help you decide which type of web design company you need for your website project.