Guide to Having a Website Built

“Yeah, that depends…”

Does this conversation sound familiar to you? That makes sense: every website developer works differently, uses a different system, and may or may not give much thought to things like design and SEO.

Many uncertainties can be avoided by having a clear idea of exactly what you need. But what is that? What steps do you need to take, where will your budget go, and how do you choose a developer? This guide will help you form a clear and consistent vision for your new website.

Digital Climax is an SEO agency. That means our focus is on helping websites rank higher in search engines. We work on both existing websites and guide clients through the process of creating a high-performing, brand-new website.

We prefer to get involved right from the start, before a single line of code has been written and before major investments have been made. That way, we can contribute our insights on important matters such as website architecture and SEO strategy. Sometimes we even conclude that a new website isn’t the best solution.

Do you need a new digital home after all? Then we’ll make sure it’s SEO-proof from day one. Because contrary to what many developers claim, not every platform is SEO-friendly. Sometimes developers even commit a cardinal sin by not giving SEO any thought at all while building your website.

This guide will give you an idea of what to expect from your new website and ensure that the entire process goes as smoothly as possible.

Keep in mind, though, that not every company needs all the bells and whistles. So you yourself have a significant impact on the actual cost of your website.

A good website will last at least 3 to 5 years; in our experience, it’s often more than 5 years. Depending on the system, maintenance, and design, that timeframe can be longer or shorter. Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to replace your existing website every few years. You can easily optimize it or give it a fresh new look.

Factors That Determine the Price of Your Website

• Size
• Features (online store, calendar, etc.)
• SEO
• Copywriting
• Design
• Photo Shoot
• Multilingualism

Hidden Costs of a Website

• Domain Name
• Hosting
• Maintenance

Even after your website goes live, there are still costs associated with it. After all, it needs to be—and remain—accessible on the internet. That’s why you purchase a domain name and host your new website on a server. We call this “hosting.” Of course, there’s much more to say about domains.

The amount of maintenance your website requires depends on your Content Management System (CMS). WordPress, for example, is extremely popular but requires regular updates to plugins and themes. With Wix, on the other hand, these updates happen entirely behind the scenes. In that case, your maintenance costs are included in your subscription.

So it makes perfect sense that comparing quotes for a new website isn’t exactly a walk in the park…

1) Preparation

Having a website built starts with the necessary preparations. Feel free to draw inspiration for the design from websites that you personally find appealing. But be sure to also think about what happens behind the scenes.

• What are your goals? What features should your site have? What marketing strategy will you use to promote it?
• Which keywords do you want people to find you by? → Perform a keyword analysis.
• What pages does your website need? → Create a website architecture. Do this by creating a wireframe and using a sitemap generator.
• Think about what you’d like to change or add yourself.

Digital Climax helps you formulate clear answers to these questions. After all, thorough preparation and follow-up ensure a high-quality end result. It doesn’t matter who ultimately builds your website. Want to do it all yourself? Then our Digital Climax Architect can be a useful tool.

2) Introduction

Choose a (local) website developer and schedule an introductory meeting. Based on your preparation, draw up a thorough briefing for the meeting.

3) Quote

Thanks to your thorough preparation, all your quotes have been prepared with the same concept in mind. So now it’s time to compare apples to apples.

Having a website built may seem like a one-time project. However, you’ll continue to work with your web developer afterward as well—for things like hosting, maintenance, or changes to your website. So be sure to consider the long-term costs and, above all, whether you click with the person or company.

It’s best to consider these factors when deciding who will build your new website:

• Knowledge of Your Market
• Understanding Your Target Audience After the Initial Introduction
• Are they asking the right questions?
• Do they dare to think critically (and contribute their ideas)?
• Company Size
• Long-term costs (hosting, maintenance, domain name, etc.)
• Experience and Previous Projects
• How much input do you need to provide? (photos, copywriting, design…)
• Number of feedback rounds
• Cost of the website (of course)

4) Building a Website

The process of making your website effective varies from developer to developer. Be sure to set aside enough time in your schedule to provide regular input and feedback.

So don’t just think about design—think about SEO, online marketing, conversion optimization, user experience… These are all factors that are more important than the look of your website, and they’re part of Digital Climax’s DNA.

Do you just want a nice website? Feel free to use this guide as a starting point and find a web developer whose previous projects and style best match your needs and preferences.

For us, SEO is synonymous with improving your website. That includes conversion optimization as well. But it’s not always about getting more visitors. Start by taking a look at yourself, optimize, and then we’ll scale up from there.

CMS

There are hundreds of content management systems in the world. Each has its pros and cons. Therefore, carefully analyze what you want to achieve and, consequently, what your CMS needs to be able to do.

• Would you ever like to add an online store? (Recommended: our guide to having an online store built)
• Would you like to edit photos yourself?
• How much creative freedom do you want in design?
• Do you want to build your own landing pages?
• Does your site include any complex features? Or will you need to add them in the future?
• Would you like to have updates and maintenance performed?

Responsiveness

Responsiveness means that your website displays clearly on different screen sizes, from smartphones to tablets to laptops and large screens. These days, it’s a standard requirement, and Google also places great importance on it. So be sure to double-check this during your initial meeting with the developer.

Speed

Another factor for SEO: a website needs to load quickly.

Changes to Your Website

Do you ever want to make changes to your website? How does that work? Can you make them yourself? And do you actually want to be able to do that yourself? If not, do you have to send an email, call, or submit a support ticket? It varies from one website builder to another, and it’s precisely those small differences that shape your working relationship.

Think about your marketing

It takes blood, sweat, and tears to attract visitors to your website. We’ve often hoped very hard for that, but unfortunately, it didn’t make any difference in our numbers.

Fortunately, there are ways to turn your new website into an investment rather than an expense. The key is to focus on marketing. Of course, we recommend SEO. However, there are many other options as well, including SEA, social media, newsletters, and offline marketing.

Hosting and Maintenance

Even after launch, your website will continue to incur costs. Although the recurring costs of running your server are usually lower than you might expect, we’d still like to bring this to your attention to help you avoid any surprises.

Every web developer has their own approach, pace, and cost.

Be sure to check out the developers behind our SEO label. We’ve reviewed their projects and verified that the technical foundation is solid.

That way, you can be sure that the foundation of your new site is solid.

Here’s an (incomplete) list of web developers to get you started:

*These have not been validated for the SEO Label; check out that list on the SEO Label website.

* Listed by country and in alphabetical order / ** For a three-page website with content provided by the client:
Is your name missing from this list? Let us know and we’ll add you.

Also consider the following matters:

• SEO Migration: How to Avoid Losing Traffic When You Launch Your New Website.
• Technical SEO audit: Be sure to double-check that everything is in order before the launch.

Even better: let Digital Climax guide you before you’ve even written the first line of code.

The best developer is different for every client. For a startup, budget may be a more important factor, while an SME or corporate organization is primarily focused on growth.

So let’s get back to your preparation: make sure you know where you want to go and what it will take to get there. With these tips, you’re sure to make the right choice.

• Check out the reviews of your potential website builders, preferably on an independent platform. Try sorting them by most recent and by star rating.
• Reflect on your introductory interview: How did it make you feel?
• Compare quotes: Which one fits your budget? What’s included? How well has your briefing been translated into a quote?
• Check their track record: Do their previous websites match your style? Do they have experience with a similar project?

Weigh all the factors on the scale and assess how well your needs are being met.

A new website comes with a hefty price tag. To save money, you can build one yourself. In that case, you’ll mainly be investing your time in the project. Do you really want to grow your business and attract customers with your website? If so, you’re better off hiring an expert.

1) Think about SEO before you even get started

You build a website to attract customers. So be sure to consider SEO even before you write a single line of code. Analyze your keywords, research your competitors, design your website architecture…Or make it a little easier on yourself and hire us to guide you through the development of your website from start to finish.

2) Think about your marketing

Your new website is the hub for all your marketing efforts. Make sure it’s set up to be effective. SEO, SEA, social media… They all need to work together to attract visitors—and therefore potential customers.

3) Compare quotes

Don’t just go with the first developer you come across. Compare their quotes, schedule introductory meetings, and above all: take your time to choose the right partner. Getting a low quote from your neighbor’s second cousin’s friend—who also builds websites from time to time—sounds tempting. In practice, we haven’t seen this turn out well very often.

Digital Climax is the right place for that. We used to build websites ourselves, but today, as an [SEO agency], we make sure your website shows up in search engines.

Web developers probably don’t always agree with us (otherwise they’d be going against their own interests), but a new website isn’t always the logical next step, even though it often seems that way.

Would you prefer an independent second opinion from experts in various systems? Contact us, and we’d be happy to help you improve your Google rankings. We’ll start with your existing website and get it back on track. But if a new website would be a better solution, we’ll let you know right away. And we’ll be happy to explain how we can guide you through that process.