website development & ecommerce

Website Development&E-CommercePRESENTED BY

WHAT WERE TALKING ABOUTKNOWLEDGE IS POWER

The purpose of this presentation is to educate you on the basic information you need to know if you’re going to own a website or e-store.

We’ll talk about basic terms you should know.

You’ll learn what your options are to either build a site yourself, or hire someone to do it.

Then we’ll teach you the basic information you should always include on your site regardless of what your business is.

Finally, we’ll talk about what options you have to promote your site online.

WHO WE ARE…ALL THINGS ARE BETTER UNDERSTOOD IN CONTEXT

We have been building websites for over 11 years.

We are a full-service company, so we focus on your website being one part of an overall strategy. This includes things like branding, websites, blogging, capture

pages, social media, SEO, SEM, and so much more.

We believe that knowledge is power – and we go the extra mile to make sure that our clients understand as much as they want to know about what we’re doing.

We are Inbound Marketing Certified, HubSpot Software Certified, and HubSpot Partner Agency Certified. Which basically means we know how to build sites that

have a job to do and can do it well.

WHAT IS A WEBSITE?BASIC TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW…

BROWSERThe software on your phone, tablet, or

computer that is used to access the internet. The most common ones are:

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer

DOMAINThis is what you type into a web address bar to access a website. For example, to access

our site, you type in the domain: synergysquad.com

WEB SERVERThe physical computer that your website is

stored on. The server typically lives in a server farm, and is connected to the

internet 24/7 and usually is cloned off-site to another server to reduce down-time.

WEBSITE HOSTING PROVIDERThis is a company that owns (or leases)

servers in a server farm with the purpose of storing (or hosting) your website’s files.

Your domain, email, and site can be hosted with the same, or different, providers.

WHAT IS A WEBSITE?BASIC TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW…

SITE-BUILDER SERVICEThis is software created by a web company that allows you to create your own website

quickly and relatively easily without you needing to know how to write code.

CMS SYSTEMCMS = Content Management System

Websites built with this type of software will allow you to add to, and update, the

content of your site without you needing to know how to code.

SEOSEO = Search Engine Optimization

This is the process of optimizing your site’s content and code to make it easier for search engines to read

and understand. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a monthly service that you should pay for

(if something is optimized it doesn’t need it again!)

SEMSEM = Search Engine Marketing

This is the process of advertising your business using search engines like Google,

Bing or Yahoo. This is typically done through paid ads like Google Adwords.

WHAT IS A WEBSITE?EXAMPLES OF HOSTING CONFIGURATIONS

This is the most common setup that we see with our customers.

DOMAIN(synergysquad.com)

EMAIL([email protected])

WEBSITE(actual files that make the site)

ABOUT THIS CONFIGURATIONThe domain should ALWAYS been in your name, so having a GoDaddy account in your name to host it takes care of that.The website can be hosted with your web developer in some cases if they offer it. This can make it easier to get support.

Your email can be hosted with a full-service cloud software like Google Apps (that’s what we use for our company)


This is one we see a lot that scares me…




ABOUT THIS CONFIGURATIONMy number one fear with this configuration is that if you choose a development company that isn’t a major player

in the hosting industry – you have the possibility of getting swindled and everything you paid for, or use to run your business,is at their mercy. I’ve seen bad things happen to good people when it’s set up this way.


This is one I see a lot… but it’s ok…




ABOUT THIS CONFIGURATIONWhile this one looks similar to the last slide, the biggest difference is that GoDaddy is a reputable major player in the

world of website hosting. While they have the typical “big company” mentality, they do play by the rules and willnot purposely screw you over. Google Apps is the same way – but with a better email interface.

or

READY TO BUILD YOUR SITE?LET’S LOOK AT YOUR OPTIONS

#1 SITE-BUILDER SERVICEThis a website software that is designed to make it easy to build a site without knowing code.

PROSTypically no up front cost to build

You can get a site up really quickly since there’s not any development time

They usually feature drag/drop interfaces to make it easy to build out your site

Hosting is included in your monthly fee, so you don’t have to worry about that

CONSHigher long-term costs since you pay anywhere from $40-$150+ per month

You don’t have as much flexibility to design the site to fit your brand

You are limited on the functions you can add to your site

If you want to leave, you have to rebuild your whole site somewhere else again.


SITE-BUILDER SERVICEWho is it good for?

GOOD CHOICEThe design (how it looks) isn’t a big concern.

You have a VERY tight budget to work with.

You need something up quickly that will share some basic information.

You don’t need complex functions (like memberships, forums, etc)

You need a site for a limited time only.

BAD CHOICEIf you have a defined brand style you want to

carry over to the site.

You want something you don’t have to rebuild later when you get bigger.

You want something you can add some higher functionality too now or in the future.

You’d rather invest more up front and save more in the long run.

READY TO BUILD YOUR SITE?MEET THE MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE SITE-BUILDER WORLD

Base service is free – but youalmost always need to upgrade

to premium for a domain

They have a free base service,but you almost always need to

upgrade to paid just for the domain

They focus on offering a decente-commerce platform that works

ok for smaller #’s of products

Base service is free – but youalmost always need to upgrade

to premium for a domain

They are specifically for largerE-commerce sites that have lots

of products to sell.


#2 INSTALL WORDPRESS ON YOUR OWN HOSTING AND GET A THEMEIf you are willing to learn, or are a little web-savvy, you can get hosting, install WordPress, and buy a theme

PROSYou have more flexibility over every aspect of your

site, from core code to design. You can have shopping carts – membership sites – and more.

You have lower up front AND ongoing cost to get your site up and keep it up over time.

You can still get a site up quickly. Slower than a site-builder, but faster than a developer could.

There are tons of themes available for WordPress

CONSYou have to have some level of skill or an ability to

Google and follow instructions.

Even good themes can be daunting to learn to customize and enter your content.

You’re completely on your own. You have to write the content, set up the site, configure the settings, fix

anything you might break, etc.


INSTALL WORDPRESS ON YOUR OWN HOSTING AND GET A THEMEWho is it good for?

GOOD CHOICEYou have a little tech-know-how, or you aren’t afraid to learn new stuff.

You have more time to invest than you have budget.

You want a site that you can add to, change, and modify as often as you want.

You have plans to add more features to your site in the future, but want to start with a good foundation.

BAD CHOICEIf all things internet-related are scary or

intimidating to you.

If you don’t have time to invest into building your website.

You aren’t really sure what you want your website to do or what information you want

on it.

READY TO BUILD YOUR SITE?USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INSTALLING YOUR OWN WORDPRESS WITH A

THEME

They’ve seen how popular WordPress is & have stepped up their game to offer solutions to make it easier to

install, configure, and keep up to date.

They have some great themes, and really supportive theme authors.

Some will even install the theme for you on your site for a reasonable fee.

They have tons of plugins and good support network to help you add almost any functionality to your site you want. We have the full membership ourselves and use some of their plugins on literally

every site we build.

FANTASTIC plugin to make it easy to add SEO to every page of your site.

We use this one on every site we build to make it easy to set and update SEO.

This shopping cart plugin (and tons of add-on plugins) will let you do literally anything

you could possibly every dream of doing with an e-store right inside your

WordPress website! It’s awesome.

We’ve been building on WordPress for over 11 years now, and we’re not afraid of questions, or even to jump in and help when you need us.


#3 HIRE A WEB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY TO BUILD IT FOR YOUThey handle all the hard stuff for you so you don’t have to.

For these next slides, we’re going to assume you find and hire a good, reputable company, with experience and references…

PROSThis is the easiest way for you to get a website.

You get a professional and everything that comes with them, like a design that matches your brand, help

writing your content, someone knowledgeable to plan your website’s structure, and help optimizing it.

You can still make updates to the site without needing to know code if the developer builds on a CMS system

like WordPress.

CONSYou will have more cost involved up front to get the

site designed and developed.

You run the risk of hiring a bad company if you don’t check references and check their portfolio.

Your time to launch a new site will usually be longer. While this can vary drastically from one developer to the next, even a small site with a fast company can

take 4+ weeks to build.

READY TO BUILD YOUR SITE?TIPS TO HELP YOU HIRE A GOOD COMPANY

ALWAYS ask for a list of references AND take the time to call every single

one of them!

Check their portfolio – they are a web company, so it should be on their site. If you don’t see design styles you like, then don’t be afraid to ask them to

provide more samples since most don’t put everything they do on their site.

The Devil is always in the details… so make sure you get a copy of their development

contract AND that you understand everything in it. Ask questions!

Make sure you like them. I can’t stress this one enough! Building a

website is a process… and your developer is in it with you for the long

haul, so you need to like them.

Your website performs best when it’s part of your overall strategy for your

company. If your developer can assist with areas, then you’ll have a more

cohesive plan for growth.

WHAT DO YOU PUT IN YOUR SITEGENERAL TIPS THAT APPLY TO ALL COMPANIES

Every business is unique, and you need to evaluate your own goals specifically, but there is some content that every business should always include on their site unless they have a very very good reason not to.

EVERY SINGLE PAGE OF YOUR SITE SHOULD INCLUDE

Your company logo

A navigation bar

Easy to find contact information

If you have an e-store, then you need to have a way to search your site


YOUR SITE SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE THESE PAGES:Home Page

Get it across VERY quickly what you do and why you’re awesome at it. Make it easy for someone to find the information they want.

About PageInclude information about your company’s history, and any other information

that makes you a good choice for your customers.

What You Do Page (Services, Products, etc.)Whether you have an e-store or provide services or just want to list your products, you need at least one page

that communicates that your website visitor in a way that’s easy for them to read and understand.

Contact Us PageInclude any and all contact information someone could use to reach you. This could include things like: phone, fax,

email form, hours of operation, a map to your location, written directions, etc.


YOUR SITE MIGHT ALSO INCLUDE THESE PAGES:Staff Page

Featuring at least the founders, or other key members of the team

Testimonials PageUse social proof here if possible. If the testimonial was left on other site like Facebook or LinkedIn, be sure to

reference the original site in some way so it gives credibility to the testimonial.

Categories Pages (e-Store)You might consider breaking your products up by category and making it easier to navigate.

News / Blog / Resources / Whatever you want to call itWhatever you call it – this would be your company blog. It’s used to keep your

site ranking higher, and drive more traffic.

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR SITEGET PEOPLE TO CHECK IT OUT AND BECOME A CUSTOMER FOR YOU

BLOGGINGThis is a long-lasting way to grow your site. Think of it like this…

Your website is a library

When you first put your site out there, your library only has a few books that are all about you(no offense, but most people won’t be searching about you… only about 20% will be)

Each article you add to your blog about a topic your clients will want to read adds another bookto your library that someone might want to read. (80% look for this content in a search)

The fuller your library is, and the more topics your library has, the more likely someone is towant to come there and find what they’re looking for.

The more often they come, the more likely they are to know you, trust you, and buy from you.


LANDING PAGES AND DOWNLOADABLE OFFERS

Once you have them coming to the site thanks to your awesome blog articles, you need toconvert them into a lead for your company.

By creating offers – like ebooks, whitepapers, guides, checklists, and more – and then askingthem to provide some information in exchange for that content, you can capture them as a lead.

Landing pages help you promote the offer, and contain the form they fill out to get it.

Call-to-action buttons on the articles take them from the article to the landing page… like this:

Article > Call-to-action button > Landing Page / Form > Thank you page with download


SOCIAL MEDIA

Almost every type of business should be on social media somewhere. At the very least,you should be on LinkedIn & Facebook unless you aren’t going to do anything with it.

You wouldn’t show up to a business meeting your pajamas… you shouldn’t show up on socialmedia unless you’re posting regularly to it and you take the time to fill out all your info .

There is no right answer to which networks work best for your business, you just have totry it out and watch what works and see what you want to keep doing.

With all of them though, you want to focus on engagement (likes, comments, shares) more thanyou worry about the total page likes or followers you have.


PAID ADVERTISING or PPC

When people think about paying for advertising, they think about traditional Pay-Per-Click (PPC)but there’s more options than that…

Facebook also has Promoted (or Boosted) Posts for as little as $1/day and you can choose your audience.

Twitter has promoted Tweets. Pinterest has promoted Pins. Etc.

Many of these social ads are cheaper, easy to create, easier to manage, and don’t require the intensekeyword research that traditional PPC campaigns require to be successful.

With any paid campaign – make sure you have a targeted goal for when they click the ad – monitor the successrate of the ad – and continue to tweak and refine your process until you’re happy with the results.

THANKS FOR WATCHING!NOW YOU’RE BETTER PREPARED TO HAVE A SITE THAT WORKS FOR

YOU

YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS PRESENTATION AT:http://synergysquad.com/061115slides