Getting Started

This outline will walk you through the various steps, which are necessary to complete when you are going from "NO online presence at all" to "24/7 open for online business."

You are welcome to contact us before beginning this process or at any stage along the way. We are available to clarify any questions you may have, and are happy to make suggestions if asked. There is no charge for this initial consultation.

We recommend that you keep this page for ongoing reference. If you follow these steps, the process of getting online will be smooth and seamless:

1. Identify who will head up the web project. Will it be you, or one of your staff people? Give that person responsibility for making final decisions.

While a number of people may provide input, it is essential to choose just a single individual to speak for everyone. We have found that when the site design process is ruled by a committee where everyone has equal final authority, it ends up costing the organization a lot more than it should, and often takes considerable more time.

Typically what happens in the case of multiple voices is this: we are told to add content; someone else calls and says to change that content; the first person calls back to ask why the content has been changed, and tells us to restore it to its original form.

Every time we follow instructions and subsequently go back and forth on these alterations, there may be a charge to the company. So, identify ONE person as the contact between your organization and Going Big Labs, and REQUIRE everyone else to go through this contact.

2. Please read the "Be Prepared" Section, which we assembled for the purpose of providing our clients an overview of all the various aspects, which go into the early development of a web site.

Have all the people on your staff who are working on the web project also read the paper, and then begin brainstorming. Ask someone to take careful notes during these sessions, type the notes up, pass them around for added input, then gather all the revisions and discuss them at a second session.

At the end of this process, you'll all be "playing on the same page," and will be hopefully speaking with one voice, which, as mentioned above, is crucial.

3. Determine your budget. There are three criteria to this budget:

what you want;
what you need;
and what you can afford.

Ideally they are close to the same figure, but ultimately, it is what you need and what you can afford that will determine the first stage of your web presence.
Remember: a web site is a flexible process, and you can always add more pages and content over time. The most important thing is to build a strong foundation.

Most web design companies will either charge extremely high prices, or simply not put their prices online because jobs will differ so much from one to the next. Although we do not agree with this process we cannot define a price until we have a feel for what you want. We will, of course, submit an estimate once the scope of the site is defined.

4. Begin gathering your materials. These materials will include:

company brochures and / or catalogs;
press releases;
articles written about your company;
newsletters, etc.

These materials will also include graphics:

company logos;
staff photographs;
product photographs;
building and / or office pictures, etc.

5. Choose an Internet Service Provider to host your site, and a Domain Name for your Internet address.

We At Going Big Labs LLC we are full services and can host and maintain your website if your organization needs these services. Otherwise the onus to secure these services is on your organization.

6. Begin thinking about integrating your web site into your marketing and promotion plans. Once you have completed the steps listed above, we'll all have a better idea of the complexity of your site, which will allow us to provide you with both a cost estimate and an estimated completion date.

However, getting online is only a first step, and to make your web presence truly effective, it must be thoroughly assimilated into every phase of your company's public relations.

Experience has shown us that whatever the completion date you may be anticipating, you would be wise to add 15 to 30 days to that, as there are always last minute additions and changes that delay implementation.

Plan on highlighting your web site address in all your advertisements and mailings after that later date.

7. Finally, it is always a good idea to educate yourself as much as possible about the new world of electronic commerce. Free markets are experiencing a seismic shift in the way business is being transacted, so the more you know, the better.

As mentioned at the top, you do not need to walk through this process in a vacuum - we are continually available to offer assistance. And once your web site is published on the WWW, you can count on us for ongoing maintenance and revisions. But for now, the important thing is to....

Get on the WEB!!


Pricing

Getting Started




Consulting Services

HLPTEC Services

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Research Services

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