The New Web Business Guide Introduction can be found here.

In Website Design Part 1 we went over The Design Your Website Quiz to find out how you will be designing your website. We covered;

A. I will be designing my own website.

B. I will be hiring someone I know to design my website

C. I will be hiring a company to design my website.

Chapter 6 - Website Design Part 1 can be found here

Website Design Part 2

D. I will just buy a website template or get a free template and use that.

E. I will be installing a CMS system like Joomla.

F. I don’t know.

I will just buy a website template or get a free template and use that.

A lot of people will tell you this is a terrible idea. There is a mindset that says if anyone else on the web is using the same template, then your website will somehow not be as professional as having an original design that you own all the rights to.

However, you have to keep in mind that someone else that used the template probably doesn’t sell the same thing you sell. The likelyhood of anyone seeing another website with the same template, then seeing yours is very low. So your users will not know the difference.

You certainly will not have the same content in it as someone else with the same template, so that is not an issue either. Take a look at this Runaway Teens Website. It was built using a free template.

Clicking here will show you it ranks number 1 in Google for runaway teens. Clicking here will show it also ranks number 1 in MSN for runaway teens. And clicking here will show it also ranks number 1 in yahoo for runaway teens.

So there is no seo reason for not using a free template or one that you buy for just a few bucks at places like monstertemplates.com.

I still recommend you have your own template designed, but if your budget is low, a free template can help you get your new web business off the ground.

I will be installing a CMS system like Joomla.

I am not a big fan of CMS systems, but some people like them and one person’s garbage is another person’s treasure. But do not believe that they are as simple to use as you will read they are. People who make a living installing them will tell you they are easy. Websites that sell these systems and addons for them will also tell you they are easy. They have their reasons.

I have had clients that wanted a CMS system. Most of them never end up using them because they find learning how to manage it is much more difficult than they were told. Unless you are willing to take the time to learn how to manage your content yourself, don’t go with a CMS like Joomla.

For those who are willing to put in the time to learn how to manage their content and believe they have the time to actually do that when changes need to be made to their site, then a CMS can work for you.

Some things to know.

1. There are a lot of free templates for these systems. Don’t let someone convince you that they are doing a ton of design work if they are just installing a theme. You can do that yourself once you learn how to use the CMS.

2. Don’t think that just because joomla.com says it’s so easy that anyone can install it, that really anyone can install it. Read the joomla forums and you will see just how many people did not fit into the “anyone” category and could not install it.

3. Beware of companies that try to sell you a CMS for thousands of dollars. Joomla and some others are free and some companies simply rebrand them as their own and sell them to unsuspecting clients.

4. On the same note, don’t think that just because Joomla and other CMS’s are free that you should not pay someone to install it and to get your first theme installed. People who do them all of the time can avoid many problems first-time users might encounter and they deserve to get paid for what they do.

Just go in with your eyes open. Don’t get taken and make sure you are really ready to manage your own content.

I Don’t Know

Don’t be embarrassed if your answer to the web design quiz was I don’t know how I will be designing my website. Most people who are starting a new web business are in that category.

For many people getting started is very confusing. There are web designers to deal with. There are coders and programmers to deal with. There are SEO people to deal with. There are internet marketers to deal with. There is adwords and other PPC programs. So people end up trying to hire good people in each category as they progress with their new web business.

Hiring a Project Manager

In my opinion, you should hire your SEO expert first. Let them help you plan your project from beginning to end. Let them pick the designers and help you create your business plan. Let your SEO person have the website built with SEO in mind so it is not an extra step.

Your SEO guide knows how the website will work and how it will be promoted later on and will have some features built in rather than it costing extra to add them later. By doing this you have an optimized website from the very beginning.

We can help you plan your project from beginning to end and take care of everything along the way. You deal just with us and we deal with everyone else for you. It’s simple and easy and you have someone to advise you every step of the way.

Call 786-317-8774 or email chris@seo.pn for more information and a free consultation.

In the next chapter of the new web business guide, we will discuss things you may want to add on to your website after the design is complete.