Scaling through Accessibility - Part I
The process of building any business looks pretty similar from the big picture view; execute business planning and strategy, define the core of the business, develop the brand image and story, determine and define the scope of products/services, create a logo kit and marketing materials, implement sales logistics, and then start selling. Assuming that your business emerged from a direct consumer need, you should already have your target market identified and included in your business strategy. With all of these foundational milestones completed, what is the next logical step to scale your business? It can be incredibly tempting to scale your business by increasing your number of employees, opening a new location, onboarding a new product/service line, or even diversifying your products/services. While these strategies can be effective, they are also very time consuming and costly methods. There is a path of less resistance to explore first.
Perhaps the most cost effective, and logical, next step would be to scale your business through accessibility. Taking your business from a local presence to a regional, national, or even global presence can be achieved by building a website for your business. There are, of course, additional steps to be taken in order to scale your business,however, creating your website should always be step one. If you are just starting out, creating a website for your business defines the moment in your journey that you are ready to show the world what you’re all about, and what you have to offer. This is the pivotal moment where your business jumps off of the drawing board and into action. Regardless of where you are in your business journey, your website should be a complete reflection of you and your brand; share your brand story, your products/services, and provide accessibility to your end users so they can take advantage of all you have to offer.
Making the decision to create a website for your business is a multi-tiered consideration process. Before any action steps are taken, it is imperative that you are able to define the scope of the project. In order to do so, you should be able to answer each of the following questions in a clear and concise manner. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it should be enough to get you started.
Do you have an ideal launch date for your website?
Are there any outside considerations that may affect the desired timeline, such as alternate projects or launches?
Can you define the who, what, when, where, and how of your product/service sales?
Who is your ideal website visitor, and what demographics and buying patterns do they associate with?
What action(s) would you like your website visitors to take before leaving?
What type of social media experience would your visitors be interested in engaging with on your website?
What type of written content would your visitors be likely to engage and/or relate with?
How would you define your industry, and how does your business stand out above the rest?
What brands inspire you and why?
Do you already have a domain purchased? If not, do you have a domain name in mind, and have you checked the availability yet?
Once you are able to answer each of the questions above, you will arrive at your first actionable project decision. There are two primary paths to start out on when building a website; templated or coded. The path to using a coded website is by far the most expensive and time consuming of the two methods, while a templated website is user friendly and cost effective to get you started.
Depending on the needs of your business, coded websites can run you anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000+, and a minimum of $1,000 to $3,000 annually to maintain. These figures are standard market costs associated with a developer coding a custom website. In addition to the cost, the amount of time a coded website can take ranges from 30 to 120+ days. There are definitely scenarios in business where the cost and time of such a project is completely justified; complex design attributes, high server demands, certain APIs, and so on. Additionally, if your business is classified beyond the SMB (Small to Medium Business) sector, you will reach a point in your growth when a coded website will become necessary to scale. In those instances, partnering with a developer would be the logical path. As you explore potential developers, look at their portfolios to see if you match with their styles, and read their reviews to get an idea of what others experienced and what you should expect from their process. Once you narrow the field to 1-3 options, request a consultation from each one to determine the best match for you and your business.
If your business is classified as a sole proprietorship, start up, or SMB, your path of least resistance is that of a templated website. There are a number of options out there in today’s business world. When researching which platform to go with, you should be looking for options that are design-driven, user-friendly, performance-focused, mobile-capable, and able to provide all of your desired features and functionality. Additionally, you will want to consider SEO capabilities, secure connection (SSL certificate) management, platform support, and how long you’ll be able to scale and support your business with the feature and functionality provided. And finally, perhaps the most important aspect to consider when researching templated website platforms, is whether or not you could self-manage (or in-house manage) your site. All of these types of platforms are designed for exactly that, but they all have different interfaces and experiences to offer. It is important to determine which one best suits you and/or your webmaster, and which option you feel most comfortable maintaining on your own post-launch.
The final component of determining which path to start your project on, is deciding who will build and manage your website. If your business fits into one of the scenarios listed above that would justify a coded website, then your options are to hire an external developer to partner with (project managers will often have their own team), or to assign the project to your internal programming department (assuming you have one).
If you have determined that your business can be successfully created and sustained with a templated website, you can hire a designer/consultant to build and/or manage your site, or you can choose to build it yourself. The primary decision-maker in this choice will be the importance of time vs. money to you, and how much control you want to have in the overall process.
If you choose to build the website yourself, you will have to first learn the ins and outs of the platform, and how to use it. Then, you will have to determine the site map, styles, template (if any), and design. After that, you’ll have to write all of the content, create all of the web pages, set and build out all of the forms, assemble the design and content of each page, and so on. All of these things take much more time for you, than they would for someone with a mastery skill level. Additionally, it is important to remember that you get what you pay for. Even if you are willing and able to devote all the time in the world, without the expertise in every aspect that goes into building a website, your business won't be able to reach its true potential.
Partnering with a designer/consultant for your website project may seem like a big investment, but it can (and should) be the most cost-effective and result-producing path. The right partner will be experienced, knowledgeable, cost-effective, and passionate about your business. They will guide you from day one of the project, through roll-out, and post-project support. They will bring their expertise to every major component of the project, and apply the latest industry knowledge and trends throughout. Depending on the needs of your business, a designer/consultant will run you between $1,000 to $10,000 for the initial build. Should you choose to retain them as your webmaster, you can expect to pay $100 to $2,000 annually from there. As you explore potential partners, the process from here is the same as sourcing a developer mentioned previously; check their portfolio and reviews, and request a consultation from your top 1-3 choices.
Whether your path involves a coded website, or a templated one, once you have made your decisions you are ready to start your project. If you’ve decided to partner with an expert for your build, they will provide you with a comprehensive project map and timeline, and will champion the accountability of each stakeholder. If you’ve chosen to take the project on yourself, it is incredibly important to educate yourself on project management, UI/UX design, branding, SEO, analytics, and APIs, prior to taking your first step on the project. Walking into a major project without the proper knowledge-base will become frustrating, time consuming, and costly. Learn, practice, then execute.
Remember, regardless of where you are in your business journey, your website should be a complete reflection of you and your brand; share your brand story, your products/services, and provide accessibility to your end users so they can take advantage of all you have to offer. While building and managing a website for your business can seem daunting on the front end, the results will speak for themselves every time, by increasing brand recognition, accessibility, market scale, and acquisition points. Your website will bring your brand vision and core purpose to life.
When you’re ready to take the next step, we’re here for you.
