synergia

Acquiring a website is a good decision.  It can also be a costly venture featuring deep dissapointment, big investments and high blood pressure.  Here are simple steps to take when starting the journey that save you a headache later.

1.  Secure your name - Figure out what you want the name (domain) of the site to be.  For instance, ours is synergiakenya.com (synergia.com was already secured by someone else long ago).  If you take too long, there are at least 2 billion people on the planet any one of whom might get the brilliant idea to secure a domain that was perfect for you.

2.  Answer the why question - Is the site for trading purposes, a catalogue, just for show…. This will keep designers from selling you features you don’t need and allow you to decide how much you are willing to spend.

3.  Shop for a designer - Find someone who ‘gets’ you.  Not all designers understand your language.  Ask for quotations and mock-ups during the tendering process so that you establish if you can get along with the firm / individual designing your new front office (that’s what a website really is).  Design and construction are usually done by the same business  but sometimes you might find a great graphic designer with poor website construction skills.  Split the two.  Its worth the headache to get the right site.

4.  Establish time frames - Set them in stone!  If you leave deadlines open ended, your project will cost more, take longer and take new forms as time elapses.  Save yourself the headache.  Establish a realistic deadline and stick to it.

5.  Establish copyrights - Websites sometimes have images.  Ensure the designers divulge the legality of the images they use.  Avoid exposing your business to copyright infringements law suits by getting license information in writing.  Also, protect your brand by registering your mark.  By establishing your own copyrights you keep the world that is surfing your site from encroaching on your intellectual property.

There’s a whole lot more to the process of course.  These are just the top 5 we had in mind today

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