Getting Started

So, you want a website...

Please keep both feet firmly planted on the ground, be well prepared and expect to be an active participant in the process.

There are a few different types of clients that come to us to get started on an internet project

1. An organisation without an internet presence.
2. An organisation looking to improve their existing internet presence
3. A new start-up that has a great idea

Depending on where you fit into the above will really determine how you get started. Like anything that needs to be designed and built, your website needs to start with a strong foundation. This means careful planning, a clear vision and well thought out objectives for both the short and long term.

Website solutions range from the very simple to the extremely complex and need budgets to match. We know that you may not understand where you fit on this scale, so an initial phone call or face-to-face consultation can be helpful and save a lot of time.

So what’s simple and what’s complex?

Small brochure-style websites might only require one or two meetings and are generally considered in the industry to be quite simple. On the other hand, for example, e-Commerce websites, trading portals, shopping carts, membership websites, company intranets or custom solutions are complex and need to be treated as such.

Consider how many times a traditional business in the high street changes its window dressing. The internet is no different and needs to have a focus on ROI like any other business venture. Three of the most important yet often overlooked aspects of successful online business solutions are the organisation’s ability to resource, maintain and promote.

While the costs of establishing and running an online business are lower compared to a traditional business, we never take short cuts. Hence we stress the importance of planning and due diligence in the early stages.

Generally, we need the following to help us get started

• Background information about your organisation
• A project requirements brief
• Business objectives and website objectives
• Brief regarding design look and feel
• Features and functionality
• Budget
• Timescales
• Specific instructions
• Your allocated resources
• Marketing plan

If you’re a new start-up, you may have the idea but be not quite sure how to implement it. In this case, we’ll go through a discovery phase that will narrow down your requirements and enable both parties to see the vision clearly.

We’re going to put a significant amount of time into creating a detailed proposal for you. If you accept it, we’ll be involved in your business for years to come. This gives us a responsibility equal to that of your accountant or your lawyer.

In return, we ask that you come prepared with as much information about your company as possible. To arrange to talk to one of our consultants please call our office on +61 8 9368 0777 or complete the request a proposal form.

For an idea of what we require, please download the following PDF. This will give you a basic structure to work from.