Once you've made the decision to obtain an internet presence for your business, it is important to realize that a professionally designed custom website can project the image your business wants, while also helping your business succeed.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Potential customers will be first learning about your business through your website. A professional website design is key to presenting the image and information about your business to your future customers.

Business new to the internet often decide to take the "easy way" to get a website, with these potential pitfalls:

Do it yourself and premade templates - often these quick and inexpensive solutions present an unprofessional image with poorly designed templates with poor layouts. Again, consider the first impression that one of these websites will make.

Low cost templates - While these make it easy to have a website, often there are other businesses using the same web design. It turns out that getting the unique version of the template is just as expensive as a custom web design by a professional web designer.

$199 Complete Websites - Getting what you pay for can be a very frustrating and tiring experience when it's not what you want. Investing in your business is far too important - trust a professional web design firm that creates an original web design for each client and expect to pay a reasonable amount for the work.

Getting your business on the internet does not have to be frustrating, time-consuming and expensive:

First, design based on the domain name for your website. Avoid a very long name, simply be as succinct as possible. It is easierto remember a URL that is your company name or keywords that describe your company. Your first choice for a domain may be taken, so remember that a domain name that reflects your business is key when searching for alternatives.

Second, find the right web design firm and do not be afraid to shop around. Prepare a detailed Request For Proposal that outlines things such as the goals of your website, your target market, the content you would like to have on your website, and any advanced features such as ecommerce. Review the portfolios of companies and send out your RFP to the ones you think have the skills to do your job. Find out about their design process and work flow. Ask for recommendations about web hosting. Ensure that you review the contract with the company you choose.

Third, try to have an idea of what you want the finished web site to look like. Surf the web to see what your competition is doing, but look outside your industry as well for designs and ideas. This can give your web designer a starting point and an idea of the style of web design you expect.

Fourth, develop your content. Content is very important to your web site as you want to offer clear, concise, professionally composed information. If in doubt, consider hiring a professional copy writer.

Finally, add or edit your content periodically to keep your website pages 'alive' and show repeat visitors that your business is active and stays up to date.

If you'd like more information on this subject, please feel free to use our Contact page to send us an email. If you have a specific project in mind, please use our Quote Request page.

Contact Information

Henry Norris, Founding Partner
hjnorris(at)fhtechnology.com
Phone - 919.341.1238

Henry Norris is the founding partner of Fountainhead Technology Services LLC, a Raleigh based provider of affordable web design and ecommerce that enable businesses to leverage and position their internet presence.