If you're keen to get your website up and running, we're keen to help you! To get started, here are a few things to consider about your new website:
Design
We like to get your input on what your site should look like, and often we find that people have some great ideas. You may already have a design, or a designer, in which case we can simply implement the images you provide us with. If not, you can choose from a range of free or low cost designs available on the internet (search for DNN4 designs), or we can do a custom web design for you.
Functionality
Your website can be as simple or as complicated as you would like it to be. You may want a simple site, with only 2-3 pages that is mostly text, or you may need a complex site with several forms, gallerys, articles and forums. It really comes down to what the purpose of your website is, who will use it, and how you want to maintain it. We support the full spectrum. Have a look at our Website Examples to get some ideas of what we can offer.
Is that Your Brand?
We highly recommend a lot of searching, research, and other due diligence when setting up a website, or company for that matter. There are many cases of people setting up websites only to find that they are breaching someone else’s trademarks or patents. If we design a site based on your requirements and they have to changed for these reasons you could be looking at getting your site redesigned, and thereby doubling your design related expenses.
Selling Online
There's a lot to think about when you've made the decision to sell online, from choosing your online sales software, to getting bank approvals and payment gateways initiated, to developing a brand and a site that draws in your customers. You'll need to think about search engine optimisation, marketing, and shipping, as well as whether you'd like to join other online merchants or groups, such as the Online Retailers Association Ltd. With a project this complex, it can be easy to get lost. Liquidweb can help you through the challenges of moving to an online sales environment, and guide you to the resources and support you need to make it work for you.
Going Live
When do you need the site live? Some people consider this ‘online’ whereas some people consider it ‘able to be found in Google’.
If you plan to advertise your site (or product) on the radio, in a newspaper or magazine, or need it live for a demonstration or trade show, we advise you get the site live well before you need people to be able to find it. This gives search engines time to find and index it and gives you time to ensure you know how it works and iron out any issues (or add any features) without a last minute scramble.
Usually this means adding an extra step in your timeline for the website ‘go live’. Sounds simple but it has caught a few people out before. The time between your ‘go live’ and ‘launch’ can vary, but we recommend at least 3 weeks. If nothing else this means when people type your URL into the Google search box, Google knows what they are asking about.
Security
Will users be logging into or registering on your site? Do you have some pages, links or documents that only logged in or registered users will be able to see? It is possible to have many different levels of security, and to assign users to one or more security groups, which may alter what they can see and do on the site. Will users need to be approved before they can become members, or is membership automatic upon registration?