During the early days of the internet, website development entailed hiring a web developer and other IT specialists but due to the increasing demand for website development for blogs, organizations, and e-commerce, business models were created to accommodate these demands at a lower cost. These lower costs include buying affordable domains, working around free templates, and making the most of affordable multimedia tools for e-commerce development. While lower costs help the bottom line, be careful not to jeopardize the quality and the results needed in conjunction with a website.
Advantages of website development
- Increasing website visibility
- Increasing customer base
- Mitigating security breaches
- Website features
- Managed IT services
- Increasing website visibility
The lifeblood of e-commerce is website visibility in reaching potential customers. Website visibility is similar to product positioning in the supermarket. Just as a grocery store wants their customers to easily find the items on their grocery list, a business wants to be easily found when a potential customer searches for a product or service via search engines.
With the incredible volume of websites that exist today, how do you compete to have yours seen first? Website visibility strategies developed and implemented by professional IT Managed Services are the answer! With the help of professionals, your website will be front and center when potential clients search on keywords that pertain to your business.
If you cut costs: If you do not have a strategy for making sure your website is visible and invest accordingly, you will lose potential clients and may not maximize your revenue potential. In addition, if you employ lower-cost strategies by various services known as “blackhat” practices, there is a chance that your website will be penalized by Google.
- Increasing customer base
The website interface is the first impression of your business to potential customers visiting your website. An appealing, friendly, informative, and convenient website interface is critical with respect to increasing your customer base.
Professional website developers will develop a strategic plan for the needs of your business and marketing purposes. A professional website development team is comprised of IT specialists, designers, quality analysts, social media experts, and content creators who pool their creative knowledge and technical expertise in developing your website.
If you cut costs: Do you have the expertise and time to create a website from scratch or rely on free templates provided by a website hosting service? The time and knowledge to create or manage the layout and platform feature for your website? You rely on service providers to take care of things like health and dental care, your car, home improvement given their expertise – why would you not rely on professional website developers for your website development needs?
- Mitigating security breaches
Security breaches can happen with websites, especially with little to no cybersecurity measures. Confidential data could be breached such as personal information for your clients, financial statements, and even operational processes. With data security breaches continuing to rise, it is important to invest in cybersecurity for your business.
With professional website development solutions, website development is more than just creating the layout for your business – they can also manage your cybersecurity. Investing in cybersecurity helps to protect your clients, your employees, your data, and your business and can save you the potentially large costs associated with a security data breach.
If you cut costs: Security breaches could affect your reputation especially if you are dealing with confidential data. Business reputation takes time to develop and only takes a few hours to destroy.
- Website features
Website features are important to your business especially if you are asking customers to complete forms or if you’re receiving payments online. Other features include marketing-related efforts such as sending newsletters, connecting to social media and chat forums. These website features will be effective for managing your business and your customer support.
Professional website developers will take care of website development tools to assist you with your business. They are specialists in developing real-time communication platforms and a database without compromising data security as well as other business development tools that optimize features for e-commerce.
If you cut costs: If you are not working with professional website developers, you may end up relying on templates or limited plug-ins provided by website hosting services. Although it may seem like this will work well for you on the surface, it is likely you will have limitations with available features. Aside from this, it will also be time-consuming for you to handle all features such as customer support, social media updates, creating newsletters, etc.
- Managed IT services
Managed IT Services handle most of your business needs in e-commerce as mentioned above. Aside from website development and cybersecurity, these teams maintain your website for marketing, customer support, and cloud storage. All these features could help your business succeed in the competitive e-commerce industry.
If you cut costs: You are creating risk for your business with respect to the items previously mentioned. Also, the return on your investment in your website may be slower than expected or worse yet, none at all.
Here are the services provided by professional website development:
- Direct brand management
Brand management begins with the conceptualization of an effective business plan. With Project Managers communicating directly and frequently to you, they draft the goals, marketing plans, social media strategies, logo creation ideas, taglines, etc. With a clear vision for these matters, specialists work together to achieve success for you and your business.
Direct brand management is not only about the development and execution of business plans but is also about managing customer relations. With a team managing your business website, you can focus on operations, meeting with business partners, and anything else important for meeting business goals and objectives.
You should hire a team if: They have a significant client portfolio with a focus on functional websites, managing active social media pages, and developing effective marketing strategies and testimonials/references available.
Professionals on the team: marketing strategists, project managers, web developers and designers, and social media specialists.
- Web design and development
What does a successful website look like? A successful website provides informative content, presents a friendly and organized interface, has functional features, and leads to an appropriate contact page.
Aside from developing an effective website, hiring an IT Managed Service also optimizes your website in the ranking of Google search pages. This strategy is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and takes place when a potential customer searches for a product or service aligned with your business and your website is ranked at the top for visibility. Combine an effective website and SEO and your business will move forward at a rapid pace!
You should hire a team if: Their portfolio of website development is diverse, has achieved desired results, and the websites of their clients are ranked highly on Google search pages. Take time to visit the websites that have been designed and developed by any organization you are considering hiring and decide if their style and strategies are effective for your business development needs.
Professionals on the team: SEO specialists, web/software developers, web designers, and other IT specialists.
- Content management
Another professional web development service that impacts the first impression for potential clients or helps to maintain current client relationships is content development. Content development is crucial for marketing purposes because it informs and educates customers about your products and services. Good content development is imperative for your business.
With a knowledgeable IT Managed Service, content development is handled by professional writers who have extensive experience in e-commerce copywriting. Content is researched, organized, and tailored according to SEO. With this professional touch, your website’s content will surely appeal to customers.
You should hire a team if Their team’s content development strategies have been effective as presented in their portfolio of website development services. If their content has been researched accordingly and written and edited effectively, then they are a viable candidate to consider working with, with respect to marketing needs.
Professionals on the team: content development specialists, copywriters, social media managers/writers, and web designers.
Are you ready to meet your team?
We have shared the advantages and services provided by a Managed IT Service for your business. If you are looking for a highly experienced team of IT specialists, marketing experts, and other professionals, there are a range of Managed IT Services online, but how can you be sure that they are the right team for you and your business?
The right Managed IT Service team to hire is the one that has an established, successful portfolio, who wants to discuss your business goals with you and cares about them, develops business strategies, and frequently communicates their progress with you. Our team does all of this and more. If you want to learn more about us, please reach out to Frank at fstephens@onlineCTS.com or (847) 894-6304.