About Marcia’s Website Design…
Q U E S T I O N S
-and-
A N S W E R S
What is the right number of pages for a website?
5
Home, About, Contact, Product/Services, Reviews
5 is a typical offering by design and hosting companies to fulfill customer basic needs for a “brochureware” website.
8
Home, Shop, Cart, Checkout, About, Contact, Services, Reviews
8 is a typical offering by design and hosting companies to fulfill customer basic needs for a basic e-commerce website.
What’s the best way to attract visitors to a website?
PAY THEM!
Some form of bribery is not unheard of.
You can legitimately drive traffic via contests. But if the goal is to gain repeat visits, you must create a desire to visit repeatedly.
Google Ads, Social Media, Blogging
It depends upon your objectives. Who do you want to visit? Why should they visit? To buy? To learn? The answer: Use the methods to attract visitors where they are.
How long does it take to build a website (large or small)?
5 Hours
I can build a site in 5 hours. …But it usually takes gobs of time before building begins to organize all the content on the site.
50 Hours
This amount of time is more realistic. In fact, many of my best sites have take 75 hours or more. This includes meetings, correspondence, writing, curating photos and videos, building and launching.
What are some differences between
a site that’s designed to inform and build awareness
versus a site that’s designed to sell products and/or services?
Inform / Build Awareness
Content is king! These sites educate via images, video and text. When done well, they may include interactive components, such as BNI University.
Product Sales / Services
Amazon. Get you to the milk aisle fast! Grab a snack on the way out. Fast ‘n’ easy is the goal.
The similarities should be to create a great experience:
Make it easy to find what the visitor is looking for.
Will it be a fun road trip? Or “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”?
How do you match the business/personality with the design?
Relaxing & Serene
Professional Business
Playful & Fun
Elegant & Upscale
What’s the most fun website you’ve built?
Portfolio Website
Education Website
How do you handle budgeting and payments
(particularly for those on limited income)?
Budgeting
I ask early on if the client has a budget in mind. And I provide ball park estimating on request. If the budget is wildly out-of-line with the client’s needs and wish list of site features, I’m honest about prioritizing what can be accomplished under the budget. As we progress through due diligence, I provide a formal proposal and estimate, offering options around needs and wishes.
Payment Policies
A deposit is required to begin any website project. The percentage varies depending upon the size of the project. Progress billings are common during the project, which can range from as little as month from start to completion or longer than a year.*
*Long project completion is attributed 98% of the time to client schedules.
M Y S K I L L S
to build a website
O R G A N I Z A T I O N
V I S U A L S
V I S I T O R / E X P E R I E N C E
R E S E A R C H
How to Identify Potential Referrals
W E B S I T E S / W I T H / P R O B L E M S
OUT-OF-DATE WEBSITES
NOT RESPONSIVE
POOR NAVIGATION
