In this digital age, there are a lot of individuals and businesses on the Internet offering services for building your website. For someone new to the idea of setting up a website, the sheer number of available options can be confusing. It’s no wonder many people end up finding little to no satisfaction in running their own website.
You bring out your hard-earned cash and pay for a web development package, but then what you get in the end is a website that makes you frown.
Whose fault is it? Yours or that of the people you paid to do the job?
A wise man once said that knowledge is power. When you have the right information, you avoid pitfalls, you make the right decisions, and your chances of success increase. Therefore, why not equip yourself with the right information before jumping into building your website?
First, ask yourself the following questions:
What’s the Purpose of My Website
This should be the first question you ask yourself. If you can’t answer the question, then you probably don’t need a website.
Do you need the website:
- For your business? Perhaps you want to open an online store or set up a page where people can make inquiries about your bakery.
- For your career? Maybe you want to publish your CV and professional profile for employers from all around the world to see.
- For blogging about a topic you are very conversant with? Or perhaps you want to set up a forum where like minds can discuss various topics?
- Or something else?
Once you have determined the purpose of your website, then you are ready to go.
Is There a Market for What I Want to Do on My Website
That business you want to showcase with your website. Those skills on your CV. The topic you want to blog about. Is there a market for it?
How do you know whether or not there’s a market for something? You do a market research. If your website and the business/career/idea behind it don’t solve a major problem or add value to the lives of a good number of people, then maybe you don’t need a website.
Do I Know My Target Audience
What’s that saying? Jack of all trades, master of none. No site can meet all needs, just as no business can solve all problems. It’s just not feasible. Thinking your website is for everyone simply translates to setting yourself up for failure. It’s like shooting an arrow blindly and expecting to hit the mark. First, you need to discover who needs what you are selling the most and then target them.
What Will Make My Website Stand Out
It’s highly likely that someone already has a site similar to the one you plan to build. Therefore, before you start, you need to first find out who and who is already doing what you want to do. Once you have done that, then it’s time to brainstorm and give your own idea extra value, a unique selling point. This will give you a competitive edge.
How Far Are You Willing to Go for Your Idea?
People get great ideas every day, but very few ideas become successful. The question is: how dedicated are you to your idea? How far are you willing to go to see it through? This is where passion comes in. When your website idea is something you are passionate about, chances are that you will go the extra mile to keep it alive.
Who Will Manufacture the Content of My Website
A lot of work goes into a website. For starters, you need a copywriter who will discuss with you and help you produce compelling written content for your site. Then you need a competent web designer and developer who will help translate your idea into a visual design that will appeal to your audience. Our honest recommendation is that if you can’t do the work, outsource it to experts that can.
Who Will Run My Website
Websites don’t run themselves. You don’t just publish them and that’s it. Nope. Someone has to log in every day or week to run software updates and add to or change the content. If you don’t have the skill or time to do this yourself, then you will need to pay someone else to do it for you.
Expect Ongoing Expenses
Running a site is an ongoing commitment. After the expenses that come with the initial setup, you still have to pay for yearly web hosting subscription. Websites don’t sit in the air. They live in servers, and since you don’t own a server, you rent one from a web hosting company for your site. There are other ongoing costs like yearly domain and site backup subscriptions, depending on the features of your web hosting package. If hire someone or a company to manage your website, then the ongoing expenses will go into the yearly amount they charge you for management and maintenance.
There you go. Equip yourself with ample information pertaining to the above-mentioned points and you are ready to begin work on your site. Of course, if you need any help setting up your website or if you want to make the process seamless, then talk to one of our staff at Macaulay Gidado and we will get you started.