…to make sure you get the best ROI (return on investment)

If you’ve decided to take your business online, then you understand that in today’s business climate it’s important to have a web presence. Along with that you should also understand that just “having a website” is not the end of the journey. The first step to owning and running a successful website is understanding that you don’t just buy a domain and put something on it. The website you offer your customers and potential customers should be informative, dynamic (a blog is a great way to offer ever changing content), and should be optimized to draw in the traffic that will grow your business.

The following questions should be asked of any designer you are considering for your project.

• Will you use a pre-designed template or site builder for my website, or will it be an original design?

Designers who use pre-designed templates are not all bad. Some folks have spent their time learning the ins and outs of specific site builder, or specific types of website templates. If they know what they’re doing, their work should show this…in the look of the site. Keep in mind, that many sites done with pre-designed templates or site builders will have what’s referred to as a “cookie cutter” look to them, especially if the “designer” doesn’t know how to make many changes.

COST: You should expect to pay MUCH LESS for a site that uses a pre-designed template or site builder, than you would for an original design. Especially, if there aren’t many changes made to the basic template design. Basic changes you should expect would be use of your logo and color scheme, and insertion of your graphics and photos.

Original website designs typically begin from a blank page, and are hand coded by the designer. Finding a designer who does this means that you have someone who at least knows html very well, and in today’s online climate, a PHP programmer/developer would be ideal (PHP allows for so much more functionality).

Custom designed templates are typically the same as an original design…hand coded and designed just for you, but using a template to affect better load time and smooth transitions from page to page.

Want to know more? Read on…

Very close to the official launch of X-Streamers.com redesign. Very exciting! Lots of hard work by Trevor on the shopping cart!

…and why it’s important to do so

When you’re getting ready to hire a graphic designer, there are some basic things that every good designer will know and provide. You should be ready to ask the following questions and you should get the right answers…or you should move on to someone else. Price is not always the deciding factor when it comes to design.

1. What software do you use to create graphics?

This is important because you want clean crisp graphics, not only for print but also for the web. Did you know that you can go into programs like MS Powerpoint and MS Publisher, and create a document, then save it as a .jpg? This may seem like a really awesome and easy way to create a graphic, however there are issues with doing that…such as resolution. A true designer will have graphics software such as Adobe Illustrator (if hand drawn), Adobe Photoshop, Ulead PhotoImpact (great for photo editing), or CorelDraw. Keep in mind that while Quark, Publisher, and Powerpoint are all great Desktop Publishing programs, they are not intended to be used for logo design or website graphic design.

A good designer will provide you with final graphics that have smooth edges on the text as well as any other elements. Good graphics are very important to your business image. If your graphics appear to be designed by your brother-in-law’s friend with Powerpoint, your business will not be taken seriously. View an Example

2. Is there a difference between website graphics and print graphics?

The answer is always yes. If the person you are dealing with says “No”, you need to find someone else.
Interested in learning more? Read on…

I did it! I have my newly created Wordpress theme out to be tested by several people. I am very excited to start receiving feedback. Next step setting up shopping cart and affiliate program.