Tips for a Successful Small Business Web Site Design

1. Identify your goals. Why do you need a new web site or a redesign? Do you want to attract more customers or provide an easy to use tool for your existing client base? Or maybe you want to accept credit cards and sell merchandise online with an ecommerce enabled shopping cart?
2. Identify your audience. Who will use this web site the most? With a specific audience in mind, your web designer will be able to maximize the usability of your small business web site design. For example, kids will require an easy to use and playful web site, while professionals will be looking for a content rich and informative web site. Meanwhile, the elderly will require a web site that has a clear navigation with large text.
3. Plan your site. A small business web site design will be clumsy and difficult to use if it is not planned out well. Whether you use a pad and pencil or Microsoft Word - a sketch is a must. First, identify what sections you would like your web site to have. Look your competitors' web sites for ideas. Once you have main categories mapped out, try to identify several subcategories for each if you have a lot of content. If you are not sure, ask for advice - that's what web designers are for!
4. Pick a reputable small business web site design company. While looking through each web design company's web site, look for several things:
   • Do you like the web design? Is it clean and easy to use? Is it attractive?
   • Look through their portfolio. While you may not like every site, see if several stand out to you.
   • Call the company or send an e-mail. See if they respond promptly and answer your questions.
5. Determine your budget and timeline. Do you have to have the site up by a certain date? How much can you budget for your small business web site design? Be cautious not to set your budget too low, as you may pick an unsuitable web designer. You're better off spending more early and preventing frequent redesigns later. Also, do not set an unreasonable deadline. Be cautious about web designers that promise to meet a 1 week deadline. A reputable web designer will most likely have a work load and will know from experience that web sites are not launched overnight. A small business web site design will have to be modified and tweaked several times to meet a customer's needs. Plan at least 3 weeks for a small web site and at least 1 month for an ecommerce web site.