When starting a new business venture or rebuilding an existing website, budget is always the first consideration. Too often we hear people telling us that web designers are “forcing” them to develop a huge site with lots of functions and spend a lot of money. In truth, websites can be developed in stages. By having it done in phases, it makes it much easier on the budget but also reduces the risk and stress for the site owner.

Small start-up budget? No problem! Consider this plan and action:

1) Have a small 6 to 12 page-website designed. You need a website to showcase your company regardless of what you sell or do. Being small does not mean it cannot be a breathtaking website. Design is design. A 6 page-site should be as pretty as a 100-page site.

2) As you grow your company and bring in revenue, reinvest in your site. Start by adding a content management system which will allow you to edit content and add pages on your own. By the time you reach this phase, some of the textual content will need to be adjusted and, with the CMS (=content management system), you will be able to grow your site on your own. At this phase of your business you should also have a better sense of what your clients are looking for when they visit your company’s website.

3) Add a shopping cart if you sell products or services. This will add a level of automation which will greatly free up your time. Orders for products or booking for services can be done 24/7/360 online within little involvement on your part. Yes, by phase 3, you are starting to get very busy working with your clients and focusing on your business so it is time to automate things.

4) If having a cart is not something that would benefit you, think of adding custom functions such as: Online appointment scheduling, secured file upload for your clients, calendar of events, membership component, etc.

If you are just starting up, play it safe with your website budget and start with a compelling website then build it up with more content and more functions.

Are starting a new business or organization and need a website? Call us at 707-794-9999 to start the discussion.