For most people, the first thing that comes to mind when they hire someone for web design is this..
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how is the website going to look? What they do is hire some freelance web designers who focus FIRST on how the website is going to look.
As a professional web design company and online marketing company, we are here to tell you that this could be the biggest (and over the long run - costliest) mistake you're going to make! We are not here to say that the design of the web is not important - it is, but the question is this..
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should the web design or online marketing factor be placed first on the priority list? The truth of the matter is that if you plan to use your website to reach out to a bigger audience base, the aesthetic value of the website is of very little importance.
All the plans for flash intro and fancy extras would only become an obstacle for your online marketing efforts later on.
If you're asking if there is a difference if you were running an offline business and not an online one, the answer is NO.
Regardless of whether you're trying to sell an affiliate program online through your website or trying to get someone to come up with the web design for a furniture shop tucked away in a small corner of town, you're trying to reach out to people who can become your potential customers.
If you're running an online business, interaction, communication, transactions will most probably be done online.
Whereas if you're a boutique in a shopping mall, you deal directly with the manufacturers or dealers of your products but you're trying to set up a website that acts as a portfolio or online brochure for your business.
Core communication may not be done completely online but the objective remains..
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you're trying to reach out to your potential customers.
And it won't work in your favor if the flashy design annoys them or the web design is ineffective.
Imagine if you are trying to start a small mobile phone shop, the first thing you would want to look into is the location because you want to open a mobile phone shop where there is traffic, little competition and somewhere where there is a demand for what you have to offer.
You think of all this BEFORE you open up a mobile phone shop and this is precisely what you do when you start looking for someone who could come up with a good web design for your business.
Sooner or later, believe it or not, you WILL be looking into some online marketing tactics which could bring you closer to the people who are your customer base.
For that, a short term, mid-term and long term plan needs to be in place right before you start building your website.
You're in it for the long haul, not weeks or months, we are assuming.
Where and how you're going to be bringing in the 'crowd' to your website forms the core of how you will eventually run your online marketing campaigns in the future.
You want to analyze if there is a demand for your products/services and where your target market is located.
The keywords you use determine how your potential customers find you and this is something that should be well thought-out BEFORE the web design process is started.
The conclusion is this..
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never fail to plan because if you do, then you plan to fail.
It matters not whether you run a small, medium or an international brand name company..
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when it comes right down to the nitty gritty details of web design and online marketing, the similar traits are as clear as the in a sunny lagoon.