Web Page Basics in Canberra?

I really thank you all for this feedback. You have certainly given me a direction.

The product is of limited application, but very important to some Gov departments. This is the market I wish to target initially. I have business, domain name and email set up, so looking to flesh the system out.

There are plenty of freelancers doing low end web design. It doesn’t look as flash as something Zoo knocked up but the most fancy work by Zoo puts the effort into a single button that the low end designers/writers are putting into the whole page so it’s up to you what you want to pay for.

Jessica is a writer with plenty of experience creating websites and specialising in the $1000-2000 range. Check her out at http://jessicafryer.com/wordsmith-for-hire/

She works with an artist who she can bring in if you need to work on your branding and logos, but if it’s a straightforward meet, greet and write, it’s very cheap.

My company is going through the same process – rebrand, new site, new logo etc, etc. I have found a company for the logo, now waiting on completion to take the info to the other company I found that does web design. I split out the two options as both companies are local and I am happier getting work shared than use an out of town mob.

I suggest you set a budget and work out exactly what you want the site to do for you. e-commerce is a way to get the sale of the product up and running quickly, if that is what you need, but if the e-commerce section is wrapped in a very badly designed webpage, that looks old and half baked, you will waste your money.

get the website right, then consider other options like e-commerce.

If your budget allows it, definitely consider advertising with RA. it is worth it to gain visibility quickly…

hawker said :

I can help out if you need it – e-mail crolfe[at]csutv.com.

Do you have a web address?

lol, love the shameless plug JB :p

This is not advice. Just some thoughts based on what others I know have done.

You can set up a site for no cost, on e.g. weebly.com. It’s decades (yes, literally) ahead of the old Geocities/Angelfire concept, but can look nice if you have some taste. The other pluses are you don’t get bandwidth bills and commitments while starting out. And you can control site without contacting someone (also a downside if you don’t know what you’re doing).

A domain name would cost about $15 annually, and more for a .com.au name rather than a .com/.net/.org name. And makes the site more professional looking. This means your site is http://www.productxyzabc.com rather than productxyzabc.weebly.com. And you can answer emails on email@productxyzabc.com, rather than productxyzabc@yahoo.com or whatever.

There are other sites based on the weebly.com concept (google weebly alternatives). I know at least 2 people/groups who sold items via Internet from a free weebly site (had the “Create a free website with weebly” footnote), so there is probably some e-commerce backend. One moved to “powered by wordpress” when they had a regular business. The other switched to being their local business website.

Whatever you do, the usual advice about proofreeding yuour text, good photos, good content, good product and service, applies. Anything can trip up your success, not just the “web page”.

Good luck.

also one or two pages to advertise the product doesn’t cut it. You will want an e-commerce system as well. Also as stated, you will probably want a webpage with a CMS as well. So look for a web developer who can suggest a web hosting company with these features. Most developers are happy with this as content management is as it says is about the content and not the website design per se, which is what the web page person gets paid for.

but yeah people don’t respond that well to a webpage with a phone number/email only. It may depend on the product of course, but if its a saleable over the web type product, you have to have e-commerce as well. People tend to buy on sight, the more they think things over the more they may change their mind as they wait for you to answer the phone or email them back.

I can help out if you need it – e-mail crolfe[at]csutv.com.

I can’t comment on the actual cost of what you’re looking for. But generally speaking – you get what you pay for. If this product is as important to your business as you’re suggesting it is, then pay good money to get PROPER creative done. Good photos (not the ones your brother’s partner’s housemate took with their point and shoot) and a GOOD design. Webpages are more numerous than grains of sand and you want your product to not only stand out, but look professional and trustworthy.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve decided against a company/product because their web presence was not up to scratch, and left me thinking they are a two-bit operation, or that they just don’t care.

One thing you shouldn’t do is go for a solution where a company puts up a site with a couple of pages for you but you need to keep going back to them for any changes. Whatever you go for should allow you to be able to access the website content management system (CMS) in order to make any future changes to the content, including adding new pages, without needing to refer back to the designers.

The days of websites being an online static version of printed brochures are long gone.