What are your options when it comes to getting your business online?

Wondering how to get your business online? Website in need of a revamp? Not sure you got the best deal previously? Understand your options when it comes to your website with this guest blog from Laura Evans, Marketing Manager at Create.net.

When it comes to getting your business online there are number of options you can pursue. I often find myself speaking to businesses who are not aware of these options. Some of them have made the wrong decision and this has been a costly mistake. It can even mean businesses losing control over their own website. This blog will help you to understand your options.

Bear in mind that there may well be other options too. It will depend on your individual business needs as to what is the right decision for you to make.

1, Get An Agency To Build Your Website Cost - ££££
Using an agency can mean that you get the benefit of a number of experienced consultants working on building you a very bespoke website. However, because of overheads such as employees, office space and equipment, agencies tend to be quite expensive. It is not unusual for builds to cost tens of thousands and every little tweak often needs to be added to the bill. This option is good if you are a well-established business that can afford these fees and have unique needs that only an agency can fulfil. However, if you are a smaller business and this is a risky spend look at your other options.

2, Get A Freelancer To Build Your Website Cost - £££
You can usually find talented freelancers to work on your website at a lower rate than agencies. Getting a personal recommendation means you should end up dealing with someone who is easy to work with, is personable and knows how to manage you through the process of a website build. The downside is that if the individual cannot work for any reason your build will stop! You may find that your website is designed very much in their personal “style”. Great if you like that style, not so great if your vision was different. Freelancers sometimes work in tandem, for example, a designer working with a developer, or they may even work alongside the next option...

3, Using A Diy Platform To Build Your Own Website Cost - £
You can find platforms that are easy to use, even for those with no experience. Using a platform to promote and sell your services and products means that you have the benefit of a product that is under constant development. The platform will include features and updates that other suppliers may need to build from scratch (costly) and you will receive product updates (rather than having to rebuild your out-of-date website in 18 months). With this option you have complete control over accessing and editing your website and ongoing customer support included - quality varies depending on who you use. You might still want to consider using a freelancer to help with your initial design and build to get the best of both worlds. For some the platforms are too restrictive and a bespoke build is required. Beware of platforms who take a cut of your hard earned sales transactions and add other hidden costs to your package price.

Of course, I am completely biased as I work at Create.net who are a local DIY website platform (and we don't take a cut of transactions, by the way!).

4, Get A Freebie Cost – FREE!
it seemed like a good idea at the time... A friend or a student is willing to work for free, maybe to build up their portfolio. What could be better than free, right? Yet this can be a recipe for disaster. Even if the person you are using really is a talented techie whizz and design genius the risk here is that you are not motivating them to stay on the project or to build it promptly. It's only fair that they deal with any paid work or important projects should they come up. Somehow your project gets pushed back and back and it's hard to be demanding when they're doing you a favour. Maybe you aren't happy with the results. It can be a thorny issue to lay down the law with someone who is unpaid or a friend, unlike when you have paid for something and there are set boundaries.

5, Don't Have A Website!Cost – Free / £
You can still get online without a website. Social media accounts are free and you can register your business with Google and on some online directories or review websites – others may charge you. If you are selling online you can use marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, etc. However, you will pay for the privilege and you won't be building up as strong a loyalty to your own brand and are missing out on the potential to build up a website following and good SEO, take control and express your personality your way. This might be a good option when starting out on a low budget to test the waters for what sells but generally customers and clients expect a proper business to have a proper website.

I hope this has been useful and I'm going to leave you with 5 tips for dealing with your supplier, whoever they might be.

5 TOP TIPS

1.    Get a personal recommendation and check out previous examples of work.
2.    Set a clear timeframe for suppliers.
3.    Set a realistic budget and work in a contingency for any complications.
4.    Be aware of how budgets are worked out and any hidden payments! Agree spend upfront.
5.    Don't be cagey - a decent supplier will make sure you get the most out of your budget but they need to know what they have to work with.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk