Are All Website Designers the Same?

With today’s growing technology and the number of new website designers coming out of school, it seems there are website designers on every corner, pushing their designs to everyone from individuals who want a personal profile page, to large Fortune 500 companies whose websites run in the $100,000 range and up. It’s one thing to “dabble” in website design and come up with a website that merely “exists” out there on the internet. The question you need to ask yourself in this… Why do you want a website? If it is simply to have one to say you have one… then you can be like thousands of amateur designers out there that find the cheapest hosting and a “build your own website for free” package. The excitement of finally publishing a site for next to nothing is soon tainted by the realization that your site LOOKS like someone’s mother designed it. I have several clients of mine that can testify to that fact.

What initially started as excitement… soon became pure embarrassment… to the point that they removed the web address from their advertising. But please note this.. Design is NOT EVERYTHING! I have seen some beautiful websites built by some very talented graphic designers. These websites usually open up with rich colors, flash animation, music, ALL the bells and whistles. They make you say WOW…… but… how did you find them? If you found them on the first page of a search engine, Congratulations… you have found a REAL Website Designer who KNOWS what he/she is doing. But this is a rare occurrence. Often times the nicest looking websites can’t be found anywhere on the search engines. The client usually paid a hefty price for a nice looking site.. but where did it get them? Not much further than they were before. Building a beautiful website that nobody can find unless you tell them where to go is like paying thousands of dollars for a Beautiful Billboard, and then sticking it in the middle of a field on a farm in the country. What good is it for your business if nobody sees it without you telling them where to look. Let’s look at the main goals of owning a website:

1. Company Validation: A company that has a well designed website looks credible. People are more likely to use a company that has established a web presence.
2. Information: You can say more about you and your Products/Services through a website than you could EVER say in an advertisement or sales pitch. And it conveys this info in a non threatening way! People can read about your services on their time schedule.
3. Introduction: Thousands of people everyday go to search engines like Google, MSN and YAHOO every day to search for products and services… and they are immediately introduced to companies that have the products and services they are looking for through the company websites. Who wouldn’t want to be introduced to people LOOKING for products/services that they provide!
4. Make Money: E commerce has revolutionized the world economy. Look how many companies are now able to market and actually sell their products online, limiting the need for a sales staff and accounting department. Everything but the shipping is automated… (and they may be soon too).
5. Save Money: A website can drastically limit the number of phone calls your company receives by simply answering the client’s questions through a website. Think of the money that would be saved each day if your company were to reduce your incoming customer questions simply by 50%.

Key Web Concepts does not claim to be the BEST website design company out there… but we can promise you that we are better than most, and can build a website that will “WORK for your business!”.. and can do it for a lot less then you might think! Please feel free to check out my website and some of my client’s sites and contact me for a FREE consultation at your convenience!

Jim