1. Will I be able to manage the content on my new website myself?
It depends on whether or not you opt to use a CMS (content management system) as part of the initial website design. CMS enables users to log in to the backend of the site and make changes, additions, or edits to any of the pages specified as part of the system. It’s usually setup to be really straightforward and easy to use. While adding a CMS to your site is more expensive initially, it saves quite a bit in the long haul due to the fact that no ongoing developer fees will be necessary for content maintenance.
2. I’ve heard that using Flash might not be the best way to go…is this true?
In general, using Flash as a platform to build an entire website is probably not the best idea. It can cause several usability and accessibility issues, while also blocking important information from the search engines (which is bad for SEO). However, using a Flash component or two—such as a rotating image header or the like—really shouldn’t cause too many problems.
3. Is it necessary to pay ongoing monthly maintenance fees for web design?
Usually the answer is no to this question. But it is important to note the distinction between design maintenance fees and ongoing SEO or web hosting fees. The latter two are generally separate altogether from the web design process as far as maintaining ongoing service goes. If you are paying an ongoing monthly web design maintenance fee, it’s probably a good idea to find out what will be done as part of that service—does it include content updates or perhaps just important security updates, etc.?
4. Should I use a separate 3rd party blog solution or build the blog into my website?
This kind of depends on your overall SEO strategy. Sometimes have a blog on a separate domain or sub-domain can actually have benefits to SEO. Other times, this might not really be the case. Either way, it’s probably a good idea to discuss this with your web design and SEO pros before making the ruling either way. If you’d like to weigh the options here with us here at WSpider, we’re just a phone call away and always happy to help!
5. Can I just use the web content provided by my franchise or by the manufacturers of the goods I’m going to be selling online?
No. First of all, it may not be allowed—you’d have to check with the content owner first to make sure it’s okay to re-publish any content on your site. But just as importantly, even if you are allowed to use the content, you’ll want to have your own unique content on the site to custom-tailor your SEO to your own needs and keywords and also to avoid duplicate content penalties from the search engines. They don’t like sites that simply re-post content that exists elsewhere without adding any additional value for visitors.
