Simple 3 step guide to starting a new website and online business

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Simple 3 step guide to starting a new website and online business

Starting a new website is like cooking up a new recipe; without a logical and methodical process, it can take new business owners many trials and errors before achieving success. Recipes come with unique ingredients, steps and a process to follow to increase success and create a cooking masterpiece.

Have you ever tried replicating a recipe without following the directions or using alternative ingredients? I know I have. My wife often comes home to my ‘creative cooking’, as she calls it, but the taste and presentation do not always fit the appetite. However, in this case, I’m referring to spending less than $50 on cooking experiments where the cost of failure is easily absorbed and used as a learning experience. However, when considering starting a new website, the cost is often a lot more than $50 and a few hours.

This guide will walk through the most common approach used to start and complete a successful website.

Step #1 – Preparing and collecting all your ingredients before starting your new website

The most logical step, but often the most neglected step, is planning.

Think of planning as preparation for cooking. How often have you started cooking a meal without checking if the ingredients are in the fridge?

As an entrepreneur, it’s important to plan before spending any money on any new business idea or website. If you haven’t put together your recipe for success, otherwise known as a business plan, I suggest reviewing this article “6 Things to consider before spending money on a new business idea”.

Increase your chances by having a structured approached to business; act like a successful business in your approach and success will follow. However, the reverse is also unhealthy in over planning and never executing. In other words, don’t get caught in analysis paralysis, but rather, focus on the essential and a process to act on it.

What is analysis paralysis?

Analysis paralysis is when entrepreneurs over-analyze or over-think a situation to the point of not taking any action — in other words, paralyzing the new business idea or website. Having a plan is essential, but no plan needs to be perfect. The incessant pursuit of perfection with your new business idea or website means it likely will die before even starting.

Does this state of mind sound like someone you know?

Have a look at this great article on Forbes that helps overcome the analysis paralysis of decision making.

Step #2 How to choose the right web development company for your new website

Choosing a web development company is like choosing your next business partner, family pet or career opportunity. In other words, it’s a decision that will stick with you and hard to change. As a rule, it’s important you choose wisely as this decision can make or break your business. For instance, it’s common for some web development companies to offer cheaper services than others. However, the cost is less important than the understanding they have for your web development project.

More specifically, it’s common for web development companies to misquote customers making the initial web development offer very appealing but ends up costing business owners more when all is said and done.

If unsure, challenge your web development company on their understanding of your business.

Pro-tip.

Chose a web development company that will challenge your ideas and help poke holes in your plan. Don’t pick a “yes man” web development company, who isn’t interested in seeing your business succeed. In most cases, these companies might cost less upfront but will end up costing you more long-term.

Have a look at this great article “8 things to consider when choosing a web development company,” which helps entrepreneurs make the smart decision when picking a web development company.

To summarize, when building a new website, there are hundreds of different ways to achieve the desired result. A large part of choosing how to start developing your website comes from the experience and expertise of your web development company. If you’ve taken the time to choose a company that cares about your project and has experience in your industry, it’s important to rely on their strengths and advise when developing your new website.

Step #3 The process of creating a successful new website and online business

It’s one thing to have a business plan, but it’s now time to convert that business plan into actionable milestones. In other words, web development companies shouldn’t start coding a website without having a design strategy first. The four most basic chronological steps to get a new website started are; design, develop, test and launch.

Milestone #1 – Web design, wireframe and setting the visual appeal of the new website

Web design is the process of gathering all the ideas and visually arranging them for presentation on the web. It’s important to complete your web design ahead of web development.

Here are the most notable elements of web design to consider:

  • The layout is how the visual graphics, ads and text will be displayed on the website. The goal is to make the most prominent elements stand out for higher customer appeal and conversions. In other words, go back to your new website goals. Your layout should speak to your goals.
  • The colours you choose will reflect your brand and convey what type of company you are. You’ve most likely heard the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, in the case of a website, your colours also have this effect on future customers.
  • The graphics are used to enhance the visual appeal of a website and make your website stand out.
  • The fonts are used to display your content on the website. It’s important to use various fonts to enhance a website design but stay within the most common web-browser fonts known as “web-safe fonts.”
  • The content is used to enhance the products and services of the site through text but also visual.

More importantly, the process needs to also consider the impact of the design towards the business goals. In most cases, SEO is a huge factor for any new website, which means the design should do its best to meet the highest standards of SEO upfront. It’s common for entrepreneurs to get caught up on the visually appealing side of design and think SEO later. However, that’s backwards thinking and often results in poor google ranking and customer conversions.

Milestone #2 Web development of the new website

Now that your web design is complete, it’s time to add zeros and ones and bring the project to life.

A good web development company should provide customers with a visual demonstration of what website pages will look like before starting code. 

One of the most common mistakes is to make changes “a la carte,” which can often result in hidden bugs because something is changed before initial development finishes. That said, don’t get me wrong, making changes is possible. We do them all the time, but clients must consider the potential impact it will have on the site performance and promised delivery time.

Think of it this way: the web design was done to offer a unified look across the website. If you change something, how does this affect user experience and functionalities across the website?

Web design and web development user-friendliness

Great, we now have a nice-looking website, but is it user-friendly? It’s important to make sure the web design and development offer users a clean and easy to use experience. If the website is too complicated to use, the referral rate and customer enragement could take a massive blow. As a rule, consider the user-friendliness of your website by paying attention to the following factors:

  • The navigation, how easy is it to navigate from page to page and perform actions. It’s important to consider the site architecture, menus and other navigation tools while keeping a focus on how users browse and search. In short, the goal is to help users navigate the new website with ease, allowing them to find valuable information.
  • The multimedia found on a website like videos and audios can help potential customers grasp the information easier and faster.
  • The compatibility refers to how well the website will perform on different browsers, operating systems and mobile devices.
  • The technology used can have a dramatic impact on the tools and resources available to grow. Most importantly, developing in a less common language will impact how much after support will be available.
  • The website interaction refers to allowing active participation from users on the website by adding comment boxes and opinion polls in the design.

Milestone #3 Testing the new website before going live

Different kinds of testing should be performed on a website before launching. In most cases, a large part of the testing is more technical and often completed by the development company. However, it’s recommended you take the new website for a spin.

In other words, as a child did you ever see buttons you weren’t supposed to press? Well, as part of your testing, it’s important to test all website functionalities and press all the buttons. If you are confused by the results, then your users will be too.

Below are the more common things to test while your website is in staging getting ready to go live:

  1. Checking all website content for spelling, grammar, punctuation
  2. Checking and testing all forms (newsletters, signups and more)
  3. Checking all images making sure they are optimized for web (reduce size for speed)
  4. Checking site speed (get your FREE score at uptrends)
  5. Checking mobile-friendliness
  6. Checking combability with other browsers
  7. Checking navigation of the website and menus
  8. Checking 404 error pages
  9. Checking your Favicon
  10. Checking your 301 redirects
  11. Checking all the title tags, meta tags and image alt tags
  12. Checking website HTML/XML sitemap
  13. Checking robot.txt
  14. Checking website analytics code like Google Analytics
  15. Checking Facebook pixel analytics (if needed)
  16. Checking social media integrations
  17. Checking website monitoring and alerts
  18. Checking website backup
  19. Checking traffic loads
  20. Checking protected pages if these require login
  21. Checking SSL Certificate

Milestone #4 The new website goes live!

Well, there’s not much to be said here – you’ve tested your website, and now it’s time to share the fruits of your labour with the world.

As discovered by many entrepreneurs, getting a new website on the web is just the start of an amazing journey.

In conclusion

Starting a new online business can be a lot of fun and an amazing learning experience. However, planning and execution are key to success.

Design the website with the end in mind, don’t skip steps and test your product before going live.

Have a website or a new idea?

At QPSdigital, we understand what it takes to bring a website to life and have experience working with business owners to design and develop their new website.

Visit www.qpsdigital.com for a free consultation to discuss your project goals.

We look forward to connecting with you,

Christian Duguay – Owner at QPSdigital

Sales Professional, Entrepreneur and Family Man

by qpsdigital
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Business Technology
Website templates: 8 things you need to know before starting your journey

Think of website templates or custom websites as the foundation for your online business. Similarly, if your home resides on a poor foundation, it’s expected that walls and roof will equally suffer on performance and longevity.  In essence, would you buy a home without having a house inspection? 

The common mindset when buying a home is to have a professional house inspector check the home from top to bottom. Buyers do this to discover ahead of time what may or may not be wrong with the house before making the purchase. Therefore, without proper diligence, buyers could be walking into a nightmare fixer-upper without knowing it, meaning the price they originally bought into was far from reality.

Template websites are of a similar approach; at first glance, they seem affordable and complete, which appeals to all new business owners. However, get an experienced web developer to look under the hood of a template, and you might be surprised at how much work is involved in getting it set up and customized.

Don’t get caught with your pants down!

Before choosing between a website template or custom website for your online business, it’s important you do your research and look at all the things you’ll encounter throughout your journey that website templates won’t tell you. 

The main differences between website templates and custom websites

Website templates are very popular and growing trend. We as web developers, use them all the time when engaging new customer projects. That’s right; we also use them; however, our focus isn’t around are they good or bad. The focus is rather around, making sure you pick the right website template and have the resources and team your business needs to make it work.

On a high level, website templates offer business owners the opportunity to use a website that is already programmed with zeros and ones. Whereas, custom websites are built from scratch, and your only limitation is your imagination.

When considering a website template, it’s important you consider the future of the business – one, two and three years from now. Your business strategy might require additional features and functionalities that a website template can’t offer.

Steps involved in getting website templates online.

You’ve completed your research, you’ve found the template you wanted, it’s now time to bring your new website online. So, what’s next? Here’s a list of items to consider in bringing your project to reality.

First, what’s the cost of the template?

Was the website template free, or what is it purchased? Not all website templates are made the same, and some are updated while others don’t offer any update support. It’s best not to rush the selection of your template and offer your developer ample time to select a good template that will meet your business needs.

Second, who will host the website template?

Be wary of free hosting packages as these will often offer very poor website performance and security.

Third, who is responsible for the planning and project management?

Who will be styling the website, creating menus and adding new website pages? Typical website templates only offer the main home page, and additional pages must be styled and configured by the business owner. On average, business owners can expect at 40-60 hours of customization before bringing a new website template online. That said, more complex websites could take much longer, and that’s also assuming your web developer knows what he’s doing.

A good template should allow for high levels of customization within the template, and the goal is to make your website look unique and not identical to everyone else’s.

Forth, getting your CMS setup.

The installation of a CMS such as WordPress takes time, especially when using proper hosting servers and emphasizing site security.

Fifth, creating and implementing content for website templates.

The website is hosted, the template installed, and the CMS configured. It’s now time to start adding content to your pages. The uploading and maintenance of your website is the most time-consuming aspect of owning a website. Not only does it require significant time investment upfront but also requires a continued engagement daily, weekly and monthly.

Sixth, training and becoming self-sufficient on more basic tasks.

It’s great to have a team, and some web development companies will stay involved in all aspects of the business. However, set up your new website template in a way to allow the business owners to make some of the more common changes like changing a picture, adding a new blog post and changing some text.

Why custom websites typically cost more than website templates?

Like a book, a website template and custom website can often look the same when reading the cover. However, when you open the book and read through its content, the difference is often very obvious to any web developer.

Additionally, custom websites can offer some major SEO boosts to any website owner. Think of it this way: a website template is built for the masses with a lot of code that may never apply to your business, this code can easily affect your site performance which can result in the lower ranking with Google.  For more advantages of custom websites, have a look at this article by GoodManCreatives.

In essence, the coding structure, features and capabilities of a custom website are often much cleaner and more advanced while removing many potential weaknesses that website templates offer. However, custom websites do naturally take more time, and therefore are more expensive.

The cost associated with updating and refreshing website templates

In theory, it might seem like doing a quick website refresh, or an update that should be inexpensive. In some cases, this is true. However, it depends on what you’re trying to do.

The best advice is to plan, plan and plan.

Above all, building a website without knowing the direction of your business is a recipe for failure. It’s important you take the time of understanding your requirements today and those of tomorrow. In other words, if you haven’t put together a proper detailed strategy, I’d suggest looking at this article before starting an online business called, “6 Things to consider before spending money on a new business idea.”

The best way to avoid unnecessary cost when building your website is to be transparent with your web development team. It’s the job of your web development team to challenge and guide your journey. 

Why your business will need to update its website

Websites are meant to be ever-changing and growing as your company grows. If your website stays stagnant, don’t be surprised if your monthly traffic and customer engagement also take a hit.

There are many reasons why a business owner should consider updating their website, the most notable reasons are;

  1. Visual appeal
  2. Responsiveness & mobile-friendliness
  3. Compatibility
  4. Marketing
  5. Effective use of call to actions
  6. Design, images, and content
  7. SEO and website updates
  8. Security
  9. Usability

A great article that speaks exclusively to the importance of updating your website can be found at Granite5.

The differences between free and premium hosting services

There are a few types of hosting options: the most common ones are free hosting with domain purchase, a premium paid hosting and custom hosting. There’s no way to know what option will best suit your business without getting a better understanding of your requirements, however, in the case of taking the less expensive route, it’s a situation where you get what you pay for.

In essence, paid web hosting packages usually mean you are getting a much higher quality and better service from a reputable company that provides:

  • Higher quality and more personalized support
  • A better way to do automated website or server backups
  • A lower downtime and higher website uptime reliability
  • Better website security
  • A tailored hosting package (better speeds and optimized for your needs)
  • A scalable solution that can grow with your online business

What about those cheaper website template offers?

It’s like we said before, it’s a matter of you get what you pay for. In many cases, customers who opt-in in doing cheap in the front end, end up paying more during the life of their website fixing and updating things later.

Cheaper website template offers, come at a price. It might look like everything you need is there, but often there’s always hidden cost behind the curtain. Your goal is to understand this cost before jumping.

For example:

When looking at the Shopify partner program, you’ll notice they advertise an average of $10,000 in profit when setting up a new e-commerce website by one of their development partners. That said, a simple Shopify template still needs a certain level of set up and customization for anyone looking to build a new online business.

Further, consider the following before moving forward:

  • The website template chosen is good and popular (a less popular theme is less likely to get any updates or fixes in future)
  • The website template is properly configured and won’t have hundreds of hidden bugs
  • The website page layouts are configured properly
  • The website theme offers extensive backend customization
  • The website template offers proper security
  • Who owns the website domain, or intellectual property?
  • Is the service transferable?
  • Will it include or offer additional technical support after purchase?
  • What’s the response time when issues occur (because they will, they always do)?
  • Are you locked into any payment plan?
  • Will it include regular CMS maintenance and updates?

The importance of choosing the right web developer for your next website template or custom website

Choosing the right development team can make or break your business. As web developers, we’ve had hundreds of calls over the years with clients saying they wasted so much money and time already doing it all wrong.

The most common mistake is to use a development team who doesn’t truly understand your business. It’s your responsibility as business owners to challenge the development team and emphasize the planning stage of your website before starting.

In essence, if a development team is disorganized and unresponsive in the earlier stages of your new website, be wary of how this could translate it, you’re their ability to code and support.

For more information on how to choose a proper web development company, have a look at this article “8 things to consider when choosing a web development company”.

To sum it all up here’s what you need to do when building your new website

It’s simple, don’t cut corners. Take the time to properly assess your needs and requirements before choosing which route is best suited for your business.

Keep in mind, there’s nothing wrong with a website template. However, it’s your responsibility to review and understand what you are buying and getting before starting. At first glance, it’s normal for website templates to look very appealing, but it’s also in your long-term best interest to work with a web developer that understands the language and work required to bring your project to life.

A good website is worth the investment when done right, and your website is your hardest-working marketing tool. Take the time to shop around and compare your options but more importantly, consider the impact of your decision above the price.

Low price today, is often, higher price later.

At QPSdigital, we work with our client’s hand-in-hand to develop websites they are proud to call their own. If you’re interested in seeing how we can help you on your next website template or a custom website, then connect with us at www.qpsdigital.com or complete our FREE online questionnaire to get started.

We look forward to connecting with you,

Christian Duguay – Owner at QPSdigital

Sales Professional, Entrepreneur and Family Man

by qpsdigital
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Business Technology
8 things to consider when choosing a web development company

Choosing your web development company is like choosing your life partner, your next family pet, your next car or your next career. Once the decision to proceed is made, it’s very hard to walk away. Keep in mind, it’s not impossible, but the headache that follows makes the journey of starting a new online website a very unpleasant one.

When hiring a web development company for your new website, it’s important you take the time in choosing the right team. Sometimes the right team might also not be the most expensive, or the least expensive.

In most cases, the web development team will gain access to all of your website’s modules, including backend super administrative permissions. Think of it this way; it’s like giving your web development team a key to your cottage home, with full permission to visit and enjoy the facilities anytime they choose.

If someone had access to my home, I’d make sure it’s someone I liked and trusted.

The typical journey for any new website owner in choosing the right web development company

Ask any new website owner how the web development of their website went, and you’ll most likely have them laughing or crying. Both expressions are the same; the typical answer will be “which version of my website are you referring to?”

Don’t be alarmed; this is simply part of the entrepreneurial journey that most of us face. However, there are logical tips and tricks you can consider to avoid the most common mistakes made when choosing a web development company.

How to determine what type of website you’ll need

It’s difficult to determine your web development needs if you don’t know how your business will attract customers and make money. Part of any successful new business or a new website is planning. It’s important to have a completed business plan and, most importantly, to have a validated business idea. I’d recommend reading the following article “6 Things to consider before spending money on a new business idea.”

First and foremost, for your web development company to have success, they will require as many details and information on what you’re trying to achieve. In essence, if you limit how much information you share with them, then you are also limiting how much impact they can bring to your success. The more information you share with your web development company, the easier it will be for them to help map your journey.

There are different types of websites, more commonly known as templated websites and custom coded websites.

What is a website template?

In short, think of a website template as a cookie-cutter approach to building your website. Overall, it’s a fantastic way to get your ideas on the web fast. However, the largest downfall is customization; once you start adding more custom features to your template, it’s often less expensive to create a custom platform using a web development company. In other words, a website template is a premade webpage, or a set of standardized webpages that allow some level of manipulation with text, tables, images, videos and other visual elements to create a complete website. For additional references on what is a template website, have a look at this great article by Techopedia.

There are many examples of great template websites on the web, like Shopify, PageCloud, Wix, or WordPress. Keep in mind, templates can be a great starting point for any new website owner but are very limited. It’s important to understand your branding guidelines and expectations for your business before choosing this route.

Our experience as a web development company

As an experienced web development company, we receive numerous monthly request from customers to help set up their template website. Basically, website templates are more of a “one size fits all” type of solution. In most cases they come equipped with tones of extra features your business doesn’t need, and often these features can create a coding conflict when trying to add custom features and functionalities to the template. Often the cost can be as expensive to “fix” the website later than to engage a company to help build your website from the very beginning.

What is a custom website?

The largest factor that can help decide whether you should consider a template or custom website lies within your business plan. In other words, build with the end goal in mind.  

Here are six things to consider when choosing a custom platform:

  1. Created just for you, it’s your website and your intellectual property.
  2. The code is clean; in some cases, this can also dramatically increase your website load speeds focusing on the core principals of your website and not having any unnecessary coding.
  3. The website can be customized for growth with your business journey in mind.
  4. Little to no limitation, the sky is the limit on what can be done.
  5. You’ll have a personal and dedicated team with years of experience that can help guide you and avoid common pitfalls.
  6. Enhanced SEO capabilities, if your website isn’t ranking properly with Google, then it’s going to make growing your website much more difficult

The cost of sharing limited information with your web development company

A common trend for new website owners is to be so excited about their new project but limiting how much information they are ready to share with the web development company. New website owners have the mindset that their new business idea is revolutionary and that by sharing it, they risk having someone steal it.

Your web development company is there to help you, plain and simple. By not sharing everything, you limit how much influence your web development company can have in helping create and guide your website journey.

It’s better to have a web development company that challenges your ideas, than one who only cares of accepting the status quo and billing hours.

If you have concerns around the confidentially of your business idea, then I’d recommend drafting a proper Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and having both parties sign it.

What is an NDA?

Thinking of an NDA as a secret a trusted friend once shared with you but sworn to secrecy. However, if you were to share the secret with others, your friend wouldn’t have much of a leg to stand on from a legal standpoint. Well an NDA takes the concept of keeping secrets to the next level by contracting the agreement in words and adding some legal obligation to privacy. A great source for getting your NDA drafted is LawDepot which offers a free NDA document customized for your business in minutes. For any legal advice in regards to NDA, it’s recommended you consult a legal lawyer. 

Determining your technological compatibilities versus that of a proper web development company

As expressed before, when hiring a web development partner, you are hiring a business “technology” partner to your business. Ideally, the web development company will have years of experience building and helping businesses start and grow their websites.

It’s important to ask yourself how much work and time you’ll need to personally dedicate in setting up, customizing and learning the technology.

The trick is, be honest with yourself. If this is not your core business strength, then outsource to a technology partner and focus on what you do well. Trying to do everything just okay to save a little money can have major impacts on your business growth and go-to-market strategy. 

Does your web development company have prior experiences in your industry?

Working with a web development company that understands your industry is crucial. If you hire a company that has never worked in medical, asking them to develop a medical app, rest assured, their web development will come solely from what you ask them to do. Meaning, your web development company will be limited on any creative thinking they could apply towards your industry.

At first, this might seem okay but having a web company understand your industry can save thousands of dollars and valuable time.

For example: At QPSdigital, we have extensive experience working within the automotive industry. We’ve development features for customers they didn’t even know they needed or existed. If possible, it’s important to have a technology partner that knows more about your technology requirements than you do. Imagine the impact this can have your business growth and success.

Who will own the intellectual property; you or your web development company?

Typically, when you’re working on a custom platform, it’s because you want your site to build and tailored for your business idea. Meaning, having the code shared with others and not owning the intellectual property is probably a bad idea.

Most importantly, don’t take it for granted that the intellectual property is yours. Make sure to ask your web development company about intellectual property and to bind the arrangement in writing legally.

In this scenario, I’m not referring to patenting your idea but mostly referring to who owns the code once the project is completed. It’s recommended you consult a legal lawyer for any advice around intellectual property. 

Factor in all the costs of running a successful website

Web development companies have a variety of ways to charge for their services from hourly to fixed. Knowing which cost is best suited for your business is entirely up to you. From our experience, neither matters. What matters is the attention to detail placed by your web development company when planning and building out the project scope. If this process is rushed, it’s a clear indication of how they might rush your website coding. This is a personal red flag.  

Beyond the initial website design and website development, there’s also ongoing cost and fees that need to be considered before starting.

Hosting your website on the internet

Website hosting is a service provided by many companies that allow business owners to post their website on the internet.

In most cases, your website development company will offer an additional monthly or yearly service to help you achieve this. There are hundreds of different ways to do host your website on the web. Most importantly, you need to consider the size of your website, the amount of traffic you’ll have, and the ability to grow your hosting as your website grows.

There are really two common types of hosting, for one, using hosting companies like GoDaddy or Bluehost. These providers offer basic hosting packages which are excellent services for small websites and more commonly used by website templates. Often, business owners will opt-in to a more tailored approach when hosting their custom website solution with Amazon Web Services or Rackspace.

Discuss your options with your web development company and pick a solution that meets your business growth initiatives.

On-going website support

Once your website is live, it’s normal for things to come up like changes to design, bugs and fixes. The initial website launch should match your previously established statement of work. However, as you grow, it’s normal for things to come up. Some web development companies include a certain level of support as part of their hosting plans, while others will charge an hourly rate for any changes. That said, without having a full understanding of what type of revisions a customer might require, it’s hard for web development companies to identify the best on-going website support solution. Typically, going with a quote charged hourly is the safest bet.

That said, some development companies offer even more services to clients removing the digital management of technology. If you require help with more features, then discuss it with your web development company ahead of time and make sure those services are available up front.

Additional charges that might come up

Without being too specific, some common expenses can occur as you grow your website. Here’s a list of more common items that might come up:

  • Email setup
  • SSL certificate
  • VoIP phone number (1.800)
  • Lead generation with Facebook, Google Ads or other services
  • Blog and content creation
  • SEO initial and ongoing strategy
  • 3rd party cost for API integrations

To conclude, choose a web development company that understands your business

Most importantly, your web development team should have an ethical standard and believe in your business ideas. Otherwise, you’re just another project and might never reach the full potential you deserve.

At QPSdigital, we understand businesses and strive to provide clients with the best service possible by challenging our customer’s ideas and being involved in the creative process from start to finish.

Connect with us today for your free consultation at www.qpsdigital.com or complete our online questionnaire.  

We look forward to connecting with you,

Christian Duguay – Owner at QPSdigital

Sales Professional, Entrepreneur and Family Man

by qpsdigital
5 Views1
Business Technology Tools
10 things to consider when choosing your company business name

Choosing your company business name is like building the foundation for your home. The walls and roof are only as strong as the foundation they reside on. In other words, if your foundation is cracked or poorly built, it will affect the performance and longevity of the home.

Similarly, think of your company business name as the foundation for your new business. Your company business name will be the front and center of your brand; it will drive your customers’ first impression on who you are, what you do, and what products or services you sell. 

Also, consider the cost of rebranding later if you rush the process in choosing your new business name. It’s important to validate your business name, gauge its relevancy, consider its growth potential and measure its effectiveness with prospective customers. 

Understanding your business plan before confirming your name

In prior articles, we reviewed the importance of a company business plan. If you haven’t set up your business plan, I suggest reading,“6 Things to consider before spending money on a new business idea” before investing in your new business.

The core message was “measure three times and cut once”, therefore increasing your chances for success by planning and validating.

In other words, don’t put the horse in front of the cart. It’s important to understand and validate your business ideas before choosing your name. Once your ideas and business plan have been validated by non-biased 3rd party customers, it’s easier to get a feel for what your company does and who your company serves.

What industry and customers does your new business serve?

Let’s consider successful companies like Google, Kijiji, Nike and others.

It’s easy to feel like your company name should be something unique and different from anything customers have seen before. Though this is not a bad idea, it’s also an idea that could end up costing thousands or millions of dollars to educate your market.

Therefore, consider using a name that drives excitement but remains relevant to your industry.

If your industry is automotive, then consider having a distinction in your name that speaks to automotive or shows a certain level of relevancy. A name like “Amazing Wheels” could represent many different types of automotive businesses and be a great play on words. However, if your company sells car parts, and your name is “Amazing Wheels,” the name could be misleading towards your companies’ actual products and services. This may confuse your customers which is the opposite of what we’re trying to do here. Instead, we could try a name like “Car Parts World” in this scenario – this would speak to the variety of parts and the industry that the business is in.

Need help searching for creative name ideas? Consider using business name generator tools while keeping track of your companies’ purpose. Below are three great examples you can use to generate some company names:

You’ve now got some company names to share with family, friends and customers

It’s time to share these with friends, family and non-biased 3rd party customers. If possible, have a list of 5-10 different names without identifying which ones you prefer. The goal is not to force people in choosing the ones you want but rather to see which ones they prefer based on their understanding of what your company does. Try asking the following questions:

  • Why did they choose those company names?
  • What made them like those company names?

Another great technique is to have them rank their favourites in order from most liked to least liked.

Once you’ve received this feedback from a few sources, you’ll have more data you can use to decide on which name will best fit your new business. It’s also possible that you’ll need to start the process over and come up with a new list of company names. However, keep in mind, it’s best to do this right now then spent thousands of dollars later re-branding and educating customers.

What geographic areas will your new business serve?

The goal is to choose a business name that is relevant to the area your company serves. It’s common for new business owners to include words like their city, province or state, or country in their name. In essence, geographic identifiers are a great business practice to tell customers which markets your company services explicitly. Overall, it creates a sense of reassurance with customers that your products and services are available in their area. However, it’s important to consider your overall business growth potential. Therefore, review your business plan and answer the following question: are your new business products and services local, national or global? 

For “Joe’s Repair shop,” it would be sound to use “Joe’s Repair Shop + City”, providing customers with a clear understanding of which markets “Joe’s Repair Shop” provide services.

However, if your business is more of an online e-Commerce storefront, and your audience can be anyone, nationally or globally, then it’s a good idea not to include a geographic area within your name. The last thing you want to do is add Canada, when you also serve US, UK and other countries.

For more information, you can review an article by Entrepreneur.com, which does a great job highlighting the basics for creating a business name.

Don’t choose your business name without considering these four key elements

Number 1 – Legal aspects and is the name already used?

It’s wise to choose a company name that is unique and not used in your industry. In other words, don’t copy someone else’s name. Instead come up with something similar but original. As a business owner, the last thing you want to do is pay thousands of dollars setting up your logo, branding, domains and website content without validating your ability to use the company name. If someone else in your industry is already using this company name, it’s possible you’ll get a cease of use letter forcing your new company to take it down. However, depending on the size of the business, this may not happen. IN any case, it’s still a good practice to think ahead and own a company name you can truly call yours.

If you find yourself in a position where your heart is set on a particular company name already in use, owners can draft a letter to whoever else might be using the company name and request permission of use.

All-in-all, for anything related to legal advice or consulting, you should contact a lawyer for help.

Number 2 – Is the domain name (URL) available?

A common mistake made by new entrepreneurs when choosing a company name is spending money on logos and branding to realize the name isn’t available on the web. Therefore, if your business will require a website and online digital presence, it’s important you make sure the domain name is available.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a name for your website on the internet. In other words, it’s your digital street address used to guide customers to your webpage. For more information on what is a domain, you can review the following article by website.com. 

Checking if your business name is available via a web browser search

It’s good practice to do a little research on a company name before claiming it as your own. The easiest way to see if a domain is already available is by searching your internet browser. If the website is coming up, then this most likely means someone else is already using the company name. However, this doesn’t mean it might not be available on a different domain name extension. The most common domain name extension is “.COM”, however, this doesn’t mean your website wouldn’t be able to operate on a “.org “ or “.net.” In essence, thousands of different domain extension are available to business owners. If you’re unfamiliar with which one best suits your business, then we recommend reviewing this article by Domain.com that shows the most common domain name extensions and the most common industry they represent.  

What tools are available to help me check if a domain name is available?

Another great tool that can is the GoDaddy domain search. For instance, try putting your company name into the GoDaddy domain search bar, and GoDaddy will display a list of potential domains that are available for your company name. Additionally, the search will display various options using various domain name extensions automatically for you.

The domain name seems unused, but I can’t buy it, why?

When performing your research, it’s possible a domain name might look unused but shown as unavailable. That often is the case when domains are for sale by the domain owner. Therefore, it’s best practice to enlist services from GoDaddy.com, namecheap.com, domain.com or any other domain name company who offer services to locate the seller and arrange a purchase. However, be warned, doing this will come at a cost.

Number 3 – Is the social media name and business page available

Great, you’re one step closer to having your business name!

Next, it’s time to make sure the social pages for your company name are available. Go to the major social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and start reserving your business name under these channels by creating a business page.

Number 4 – How easy is it for Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant to understand your company name

The use of mobile devices is only increasing. Customers rely more and more on their mobile devices to research when making buying decisions. Consider the following impact voice assistance apps have on customer engagement.

Note the following stats by a variety of credible online sources:

  • 46% of people use voice search to find a local business daily, according to SeoExpertBrad.
  • 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020, according to ComScore.
  • 30% of searches will be done without a screen by 2020, according to MediaPos.

In essence, company names that are hard to pronounce could result in lower mobile engagement with prospective customers.

Try testing your new business name and making sure the top three voice search engines clearly understand what you are saying and can translate your company name into a search query.

Don’t skip and choose your company business name right the first time

To conclude, there are different types, reasons and purposes for a company name. Therefore, make a plan, evaluate your company names effectiveness and relevancy towards your products, services, industry and serviceable geographic areas. In other words, choose a company name that speaks to your business plan. Lastly, don’t cut corners when choosing your company name and regret your decision later. 

Now that you have your new company name and hopefully your new company domain, it’s now time to start building and bringing your new business ideas to life.

Finally, working with a company that understands business and digital transformation

QPSdigital is an experienced web development and web design company that works with all types of businesses from start-up to established companies. We not only understand the web programming world, but we also understand what it takes to grow a business. If you are looking for an experienced team, then connect with us for your free consultation at QPSdigital. 

Ready to go? Then visit our free online questionnaire to get started. The questionnaire was designed to help us understand the basic elements of your digital project.

We look forward to connecting with you,

Christian Duguay

Sales Professional, Entrepreneur and Family Man

by qpsdigital
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Business
How to create a kickass elevator pitch versus company description for any new online business

The journey for any new online business must start somewhere.

First, you’ve drafted your idea and received third party, non-biased customer feedback.

Second, you’ve drafted your business plan.

Third, you’ve prepared a personal financial plan to help support your living expenses for the next years while your business is in development and growth mode.

If not, try also reading, “6 Things to consider before spending money on a new business idea”.

Why you shouldn’t rely on your business description to pitch your new website and online business

We hear this all the time: entrepreneurs and new business owners excited about their ideas but not prepared to verbalize their ideas to customers and investors. Being able to pitch your business idea is part of the basic preparation for any new business owner. You never know when you might meet someone who could make or break your business.

Preparation is key, try to avoid using your company description to pitch your new online business idea.

Anyone looking to start a new website, startup or small business will require both a company description and elevator pitch. In essence, a company description should not be used to verbalize your business ideas to future customers or investors. You’re more likely to bore your audience and have them disengage with your new online business idea.

Both of these are created and constructed differently for different purposes. On a high level, the company description is often used to help rank with Google. Let’s be fair, how many people read your full company description? Whereas an elevator pitch is used to engage in a meaningful and short conversation. The goal is to transfer your excitement towards your new online business idea to prospective customer or investor.  

The purpose of an elevator pitch and things to consider when writing it

The purpose of an elevator pitch is to say just enough to generate interest with your audience. The main mishap amongst entrepreneurs and new business owners is the level of internal excitement generated when someone is genuinely interested in listening to our new business ideas. That said, we allow this excitement to overtake the conversation and what should have been an elevator pitch turns into a full-blown sales pitch. In most cases, this will deteriorate and disengage those listening with your idea. You’ll be sitting there wondering, what did I do wrong, wishing for a do-over.

How long does the average elevator ride take? Unless you’re going up the Trump Tower, most elevator rides last no more than 45-seconds. That means, your elevator pitch should be no longer than a brief elevator ride. When an elevator pitch is done right, your audience should feel like they just watched the latest blockbuster movie and got left on a typical Hollywood cliff hanger. Reminds me of watching Lord of the Rings for – The fellowship of the ring when Frodo says “Sam, I’m glad your with me” and that’s it. That scene had you begging for more!

If done right, you should have your new customers or investors in suspense, eager to know more.

The most common mistake after delivering a good elevator pitch is to turn the elevator pitch into a full-blown sales pitch. Try avoiding this. In some cases, it might be your only option. However, the goal would be to schedule a proper sit down to discuss the new business idea further. At that moment, it’s hard to walk away, but walking away shows you aren’t desperate and makes your customer or investor wanting more. It’s common for many entrepreneurs and small business owners lose the attention of their captive audience because they tried to cram in too much information at once.

How to prepare a proper elevator pitch?

Here’ are the most important elements to consider when writing your elevator pitch:

  1. The first sentence that comes out of your mouth should focus on hooking the future customer or investor, leaving them eager to hear more.
  2. Describe your product or service, and if your mom doesn’t understand it, then it’s too complicated.
  3. Describe your targeted audience and market. In other words;
    1. Who will be buying your products and services?
    1. What industry are you targeting?
    1. How large is the targeted market?
  4. How are you going to make money?
  5. If you have a customer proof source, it’s time to use it. The goal is to create a way to show potential customers or investors that you’ve done your homework and others like what you have to offer. More importantly, you’re trying to create the fear of losing out.
  6. Who is behind the company? Investors don’t always invest because of great ideas but invest because of great people. It’s common for prospective investors and customers to take a risk on a new online business if they believe they have what it takes to make it.
  7. Who is your competition?
  8. What strong and different competitive advantages does your new business idea have? Avoid sounding like everyone else. It’s time to show why you are different.

Now that you’ve pitched your new business idea, what’s next?

Like any good sales person would tell you, you’ll need a close-close-close. It’s time to for an actionable request, something you want or need help with that your audience can offer.

Is your goal to get their business card, to schedule another meeting, or to ask for a referral? 

It’s important to mention; the close can look different for different types of audiences. Try to have a few different ways to request help and don’t pitch your idea without knowing what you want from them first. Experienced sales professionals always seed, and direct customers in their journey by being selective and carefully calculated. It’s your job to close the elevator pitch with an actionable result to help grow your new online business or startup.

Lastly, the most important thing to remember when delivering an elevator pitch is your tone, posture and level of confidence towards what you’re selling. It’s your job to practice and be excited to share your new online business ideas. If prospective customers or investors don’t feel this excitement in your delivery, it’s unlikely they’ll engage in further discussion.

Below are three great additional resources you can use to write your elevator pitch:

  1. How to Write an Elevator Speech – Business Know How
  2. Elevator Pitch Examples from Successful Startups – Slide Bean
  3. 7 Steps for Writing a Powerful Elevator Pitch – The Balance Small Business

How to prepare a proper new online business description

To start, let’s review the main purpose of your business description and how and why to use it. In short, when building a new website, the main purpose is to showcase who you are, what you do, and how people can engage. There are two elements to consider: text and visuals created for your prospective customers, and those created for Google.

That’s right! It’s a catch 22.

If you don’t build and write your business description with Google in mind, it could hurt your chances of coming up on Google searches. The intent is to make Google feel like what you are selling is relevant to the type of searches being done by customers on the Google Search Engine.

The most common four new website and online business descriptions required

That’s right, not one but four or more types of different descriptions are required. The first is your typical company description, the second is your social description, the third is your directory listing description, and the fourth is your meta description. All these descriptions serve a different purpose for promoting and describing your website across different mediums.

First, your new website and online business company description

The main purpose of your online company description is to offer a compelling and interactive about us page, including a company description that not only potential customers enjoy, but Google finds relevant. For example, if your description speaks to plumbing, but you’re a carpenter, this will confuse customers and most likely result in poor Google ranking.

Don’t copy and paste your description from your business plan, but, rather, tailor your business plan description for your website. Keep in mind, customers reading your website description are different than those who would likely read your business plan. Try to cater your message to the appropriate audience.

Here’s a great article titled ‘How to Write a Killer “About Us” Page’ that can help you focus on the essentials.

tips-and-trick-to-create-a-good-company-description-for-new-online-business
Top tips on how to write your about us page

Lastly, it’s important that your company description is used only once on your website and not reused on any other platforms. The idea here is to avoid duplicate content on the web when Google crawls your website. In essence, if Google deems that its duplicate content, it can penalize your SEO ranking having you lose customers instead of gaining them. Still unsure? Have a look at a well-written article by a reputable SEO company called Moz.

This also means that your description needs to be original content, don’t try and take the high road by copying someone’s else description. Attempting duplicate descriptions has higher chances of hurting your ability to grow with Google.

Second, your new website and online business social description

Similar to an online company description, your social description is built to engage your social networks. As recommended before, this description should be customized and unique to avoid duplicate content.

Third, your new website and online business directory description

Similar to an online company description, your new business directory description is for sites like Yelp, Manta, Yellowpages and other local business directories. This description is built to showcase your business products and services without duplicating the same description found on your new website.

Fourth, your new website and online business meta description

A meta description is a meta tag that will help describe the content of your web page for search engines. Note, this doesn’t affect your ranking but will entice customers to click through to your page when using search engines. Keep in mind; the meta description should be no more than 155-160 characters.

Learn more about meta descriptions by review this article on Shopify.

Pick a team that has experience in helping startups, entrepreneurs and new business owners grow and succeed

To conclude, there are different types of company descriptions, and these should never be used to pitch your business. It’s important all your descriptions are unique and tailored for different mediums. More importantly, don’t duplicate your content since this could hurt your chances to rank with Google.

It’s now time to start building and bringing your new business ideas to life.

If you are looking for an experienced team that not only understands web programming but also understands the journey for any new entrepreneur or online business owners, then connect with us for your free consultation at http://www.qpsdigital.com. It will be our pleasure to guide you through your new website and online business journey.

Visit our free online questionnaire to get started. The questionnaire helps with identifying the basic elements to consider for any digital project.

Best of luck on your journey!

Christian Duguay

Sales Professional, Entrepreneur and Family Man

by qpsdigital
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