One of the biggest challenges that I face is dealing with extremely vague requests. Requests such as “I need a website” don’t tell me much and I strongly suggest that you take the time to think through what you require before approaching someone like me.
And here’s your incentive…
It will save you time and money. I charge more when faced with requests such as this because I need to factor in my time to clarify and define what is required, when often, it only requires a few hours of pre-planning. I regularly hear examples of projects where developers have quit midstream which saddens me greatly because it gives all of us a bad name.
However, in many instances this occurs due to misunderstandings and vague communication. I will not involve myself in projects that are likely to end this way!
Before engaging someone like me, sit down with a notepad and pen and consider some or all of the following – if you’re finding it difficult to describe, often, providing an example of a site that has a similar look or functionality will help.
Website Planning You Need to Do
- Your target market and buyer/visitor personas. For example, there’s no point producing a hip, cool looking website full of Flash animations if your target is retirees.
- The goal of your website, e.g. are you looking to sell products or services or generate leads.
- Think about your brand/image and what makes you stand out from the competition.
- The mindset of your ideal visitor and an initial brain dump of what their likely keyword/keyphrase searches could be.
- The site navigation, preferred layout and page content.
- Are there any required graphics/photographs and if so, have you got them organised in a web ready format and are there any copyright or other issues with using them.
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My Consulting
Includes
- Search and analysis of potential target keywords/keyphrases, looking for opportunities that are both well targeted and highly searched.
- A check for evidence of buyer interest with the keyword/keyphrase selection – there’s no point targeting an area or niche where people are clearly not buying.
- An analysis of the competition, considering both ‘on’ and ‘off’ page SEO factors and their strength. You’ll find it extremely difficult to achieve a top 10 result in Google if you’re competing with well established sites and educational institutions etc. with thousands of backlinks.
- A search for suitable domain names.
- A search for highly ranked blogs, forums and other Web 2.0. sites where you can participate.
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I can of course help you with any or all of these requirements to make your web presence a success. Please visit my pricing page to find out more about what I charge and the various plans available.
