For many, planning a new website can be a daunting challenge. There are numerous vendors, complicated jargon, and varying prices. Here are some tips and guidelines to planning a website.

• Have a clear goal.  It is important to have a clear vision for the purpose of your website. For example, some websites are strictly for informational purposes only while others have complex ecommerce and company management systems. Whatever your requirements are, they should be outlined from the very beginning of your website planning.
• Choosing a Web Designer. Choosing the right web designer is a crucial component when planning your website. You have several options to choose from—a web design company that handles both the functional aspects as well as the design (look and feel) of your website, or have the two completed in parallel by two different companies. There are advantages to both methods. Perhaps you have a complex system and you have decided that one software development company is a good fit to solve the functional aspects, but you have already built up loyalty with a previous web designer. However, in most cases, the web design company will handle both the components as well as the design. As the client you have to decide if you wish to work with a large firm or small firm and how involved in the development process you want to be. Depending on the complexity of your system, the budget can vary greatly. Ask to speak with developers directly to discuss the different components of your application and to provide an estimation of how much it would cost.
• Choose a Domain. Your domain is what a person types into the URL bar to get to your website such as www.vOfficeware.com. A long, unattractive domain name can turn customers away. Domains are very cheap, and can cost as little as $12 a year.Consider buying several variations of your domain incase customers mistype or to prevent someone from buying a very similar domain like .org, .net, and .us.
• Web Hosting. Choosing a web host can be complicated. In most cases, your web designer can recommend one or do the hosting themselves, at additional cost, making life easier for you. If your web designer does not provide web hosting, you will need to know specific information about application before you choose a web host. Your web host will need to know if your application was built using Microsoft or Linux-based technology.
• Launch and Promotion. As the client, you are responsible for getting the word out about your website. Consider many advertising choices such as Google and Facebook. Make sure your designers to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to help your website’s ranking in search engine results.

Those are just some pointers to help you get started with planning your website. We’d love to hear from you if you have questions and comments.