Too many times I come across clients and potential clients that don’t know what they don’t know regarding how to approach building a web site or application. Not that it is completely their fault, this technology stuff can be pretty confusing, costly, and complicated. I wanted to simplify 3 basic things that you should know and consider when approaching a design or development firm for the first time.

1. Have a handfull of websites that demonstrate what you’re looking for in terms of design, functionality, and size. I don’t mean the whole “I need a Craigslist, mixed with Ebay, and a dash of facebook, with a Paypal sticker on it.” Be able to point to a couple websites that have the style and flow that you want. Is it a simple minimalistic page like Apple or a massive page filled with information and links like Zappos? Do you need e-commerce, live chat, Ad Space, etc.
2. Do you aim to make revenue or not, and how? This should seem easy enough for a business but a lot of times I see people moving forward with getting their site built and they are not sure how they will make money from it. They figure they will cross that bridge when they get to it. Is it an ad revenue model, affiliate marketing, software as a service (SaaS), subscription, etc? Understand these things and make sure that the technology adapts to your idea and not the other way around. Technology changes and becomes outdated by the hour. It is the idea or business model that will keep you competitive and if you have done the technology right, it should act as a backbone.
3. Realistic idea of your budget: Unfortunately we are in the middle of a brutal economic climate and people are cutting back costs even more so. I understand the need for lower prices but you should have an understanding of the costs associated with your site. If you are going to allow users in a social network type site to upload video and images, you should know that you will need to spend money on upgrading server or hosting costs eventually. If you’re building a robust SaaS, you should realize that it will change with your users needs and require ongoing upgrades and improvements. You don’t need to dump all your money in from the get go. Software is an iterative game these days and you want to let your users dictate the changes and growth of your site or product. That means develop a portion, test it, tweak it, and adjust.

With more and more people losing their jobs these days, it is such a great opportunity to get going on that idea and dream you have. It is almost impossible to have a business these days without a web presence. The great news is that there is a lot of great talent out there right now for excellent rates but its the mistakes and lack of planning that become very costly.

Would love to hear any thoughts, comments, or suggestions to this topic.

Tweet This Post