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Going through the process of having a website built can be like navigating a minefield. Not only do you need to think about the design of the site and what information to include on it, but there are a whole host of different content management systems and techie options to consider as well.
A content management system (or CMS) basically means you can log into your website’s admin area and update pages or content fairly easily without technical knowledge or worrying about mucking up the design of the site. If you have a blog, these are essentially content management systems and once you get used to the interface, they’re fairly easy to use.
In fact most days I hear about a different content management system for websites so the choice can be confusing. So, if you’re about to embark on having a new site built, you need to consider what you want it to do.
1. Ability to update the site
This is probably one of the most important things when having a site built; being able to update the website yourself quite easily without having to pay your web developer each time you want to change something. It will allow you to be spontaneous and add offers or new content as and when required. It gives you that bit of control over your content and means you can be much more proactive with the promotion of your site.
2. Built in optimisation
Your content management system must allow you to be able to update the optimisation on key pages of your site, which include title tags for each individual page, meta description tags, header tags etc. This is really important to ensure the site is optimised as best as possible.
3. Integration with social media
Ensure you can integrate social media activities into your website. If you have a twitter profile, Facebook or LinkedIn profile, you want these profiles linked to or even integrated, e.g your latest ‘tweets’. If you have a blog, you also need it to be integrated into your website preferably on your domain rather than a free domain, for example www.savvymarketers.co.uk/blog rather than savvymarketers.wordpress.com.
4. Ability to move your site
New websites can be very expensive and you don’t necessarily want to tie yourself down to a one off bespoke system, particularly if sometime in the future you decide to move your site for whatever reason. It’s best to go with a system that can be moved to another provider or host without having to have a brand new website built!
5. Reputable web host
Make sure your website is hosted with a reputable company. Cheap hosting can lead to your site being hosted alongside less than reputable sites, which can cause problems with the search engines. You also want to ensure your hosting company has security in place to prevent hackers getting into your website and inserting malware on it.
This is only a few of the things you need to consider when having a new site built, and best to think about all of these things before you choose which provider to use!
About Sam
Sam McArthur is an internet marketing consultant with 12 years in the industry. She helps professional service businesses with their internet marketing strategy, helping them to see significant results from their online marketing activities, particularly within the search engines. She also consults on the latest internet tools, technology and best practice techniques.
