Finding the Designer for Your Online Business Opportunity Site

A Home Business Article Contributed by Sharon Hill

Let's Build it, So They Will Come - to Your Online Business Opportunity

The biggest hurdle to the opportunity of creating your online business is designing your web site. Unless, of course, you are an accomplished web designer - which most entrepreneurs are not. How do you find the right person(s) or firm?

Knowing What You Want on Your Online Business Opportunity's Site

The first item on your web site design agenda is knowing what you want. While you may not be savvy enough to know the web design lingo, you certainly have some idea of what you want displayed on the site's pages, and the various messages you want to convey. Make a list of all the photos, logos, and other art work you want on the site.

Does your online business opportunity have a name as yet? Have you designed a logo? If not, you'll need to accomplish these things. As sole proprietor, securing your business opportunity name, online or not, is usually as simple as deciding on the name and going to the local city or county office and paying $20 or more for a business license.

For a logo you might secure the help of a local community college graphic arts student, or a graphic arts company or advertising agency (the latter will cost you a pretty penny as compared with the former. If you plan on advertising with your local newspaper, and it's a decent sized daily paper, their graphic arts team can generally do a great job of logo design for a much lower cost than an ad agency.

And then should you need to place your advertising in their publication they have your art all ready to go.

Now make some notes about the copy you want included on your site. Look at other sites - particularly those in the same industry. Contact information is a must, of course. You'll also need to include products, pricing, guarantees, mission statement, history of firm, yours and other pertinent party's bios; and whatever articles, white papers, or other materials you want to give away for free.

It's best to also create a media relations page that would offer all press releases online, as well as downloadable versions of yours and others' photos and contact. If, at first, you are the only employee, disguise this by creating more than one e-mail address on your site. You may have, for instance, sales@mybestballoons, customerservice@mybestballoons, billing@mybestballoons and PR@mybestballoons.

You may need to hire a writer/editor to put together cohesive, organized, well-written web site copy.

So, Who's a Good Designer for Your Online Business Opportunity's Site?

As with anything or anyone else you choose, your first best source for a web site designer or design firm is the recommendations of folks you trust - business associates, friends, family. Make sure you have a list of three or four for comparison of expertise, turnaround time, and rates.

Ask each of these designer's to give you the names, contact and URLs of former clients. Look at their sites, call them and ask if they would recommend the designer. Make sure you are hiring someone that not only has the technical training and expertise to set up and maintain the site, but also has the creativity to put together a great design for you. This combo may require a firm that offers a team of folks to help with this.

Ask if the fees include domain name registration, hosting and maintenance. While the registration is not a must (you can easily accomplish that on your own) the maintenance is crucial. Unless the price is very significantly higher, you're far better off going with the team that quotes a heftier price tag but offers maintenance. Technical assistance and updates can cost a great deal if not initially offered as part of the package.

Before you choose your designer make sure you're in agreement on the time line for completion. You may want to write in a cost reduction should the designer fall behind on the schedule.

Finally, don't be afraid to keep looking for the right design firm for your online business opportunity. This is one field that offers you many candidates.