|
|
|
|
| |
| Websites can of course vary from the
simple to the complex. From the plethora of
features available you need to select what is most
appropriate for your business and your budget.
While personal consultation is the best way to determine
a style of website which best matches your requirements,
the following list (in roughly ascending order of
complexity) may help stimulate your thoughts about what
you would like. Of course, you don't have to go
for everything at once, and for most businesses, a
staged implementation is the best approach. |
|
|
| Domain registration |
|
If you have not
already registered a domain name for your
business, this is a good first step to
take. A simple, memorable name makes it
much easier to promote your website and for
customers to remember your e-mail address.
The domain name for a website is typically of
the form: www.business-name.co.uk
or www.business-name.com
etc. The domain name can also be the root
for your mailbox addresses of the form: your-name@business-name.co.uk
or info@business-name.co.uk.
A domain name does not need to cost more than a
few tens of pounds for two years'
registration. Early registration can help
secure the name of your choice before the
cyber-squatters get it! Internet Insight
can help you select and register an appropriate
name for your business, or visit www.nominet.org.uk
for more information.
If you already have a mailbox account with an
Internet Service Provider (ISP), e-mail can be
forwarded from your registered domain to your
existing mailbox account. Should you wish
to change your ISP (eg. because of poor service)
you can change to another and simply update your
e-mail forwarding. That way you can keep
the same mailbox address, and do not need to
inform all of your e-mail correspondents. |
|
|
| Single web page |
|
Once you have
registered a domain name, it is a relatively
small step to have a single web page which gives
basic contact details about your business.
This enables you to start putting your web and
e-mail addresses on your next batch of
stationery, brochures, visiting cards, with
compliments slips etc. and poises you in
readiness to extend your website whenever is
appropriate. You may also want to include
a form on your web page for visitors to request
a copy of your latest brochure. |
|
|
| On-line brochure |
|
You may already have a brochure
for your business. The next step may be to
put this brochure on-line - either as a series
of web pages, or as a document that customers
can download and print. This could be a
relatively straightforward task depending on the
brochure size, complexity and graphics involved.
A website can potentially extend the life of a
brochure by providing time critical information
such as: prices, calendar of events, currently
available products etc. In addition, you
may be able to avoid wasted brochures (eg. at
the end of the year) by reducing the print run,
and referring customers to your website for the
latest information. |
|
|
| On-line ordering |
|
Depending on the products or
services you have on offer, the next step may be
to provide on-line ordering. If you have a
clientele of regular customers (eg. you are
selling wholesale) it may be practicable to link
your customer's orders directly into your
existing stock control / invoicing process -
saving on errors in transcribing and typing
orders.
At this level of complexity it is harder to make
general comments that are useful. Internet
Insight can assist you by making recommendations
based on an analysis of your business processes. |
|
|
| Web shop - on-line
payment |
|
Full web shops include on-line
payment with secure credit card transactions
tied to order submission. There are now a
number of web shop software packages available
which can be used to build an on-line
shop. They typically range in price from a
few hundred to several thousand pounds, and are
likely to involve increased rental from your web
hosting service to support active pages and
security features. Internet Insight can
make recommendations based on detailed analysis
of your requirements. |
|
|
|
|
|
