DIGITAL GROWTH


WORKSHOPS


Are you and your business taking advantage of the Digital Growth Programme’s fully- funded workshops? Book now to avoid disappointment (eligibility criteria applies).


D2N2 13 November: Developing effective content for the web (Derby)


14 November: Working with digital images (Rushcliffe)


14 November: Ready, steady, sell – your ecommerce action plan for selling online (Alfreton)


15 November: Getting ready for cyber essentials (Gedling)


15 November: Data and making the most of your business relationships (Derby)


19 November: What’s new in Google Analytics and metrics 2018 (Derby)


20 November: What’s new in WordPress 2018 (Chesterfield)


21 November: Ready, steady, sell – your ecommerce action plan for selling online (High Peak)


21 November: Protect and prepare: secure your business against IT fraud and data (Bassetlaw)


22 November: Growing your ecommerce business (Rushcliffe)


22 November: An introduction to paid social advertising (Mansfield)


27 November: Improving productivity with cloud and mobile working (Bolsover)


LLEP 16 November: Email marketing for success (Leicester)


21 November: What’s new in Google Analytics (Leicester)


21 November: Planning an effective website (Melton Mowbray)


22 November: International marketing and selling cross- border (Leicester)


22 November: Getting ready for Cyber Essentials (Harborough)


27 November: Understanding Google Analytics (Hinckley)


27 November: Working with digital images (Leicester)


Places are limited so book your place soon at www.d2n2- digital.co.uk/events (for businesses in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) or www.leics- digital.co.uk/events (for businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire).


66 business network November 2018


Consumers are looking for your business online, more than likely via a search or a referral of some kind – indeed, 90% of searchers haven’t made their mind up about a brand before starting their search (Status Labs, 2018). Clicking on a link to your website


is an intent to engage with your business and you simply can’t afford to waste that opportunity. That’s why you need a quality website that works hard for your business. I’m regularly asked what the best


option is for developing a company website that nails customer engagement and increases conversions. That’s a big one to answer, here I’ll address the question of off-the-shelf vs bespoke websites and look at the pros and cons of each. Firstly, what’s the difference? Off-the-shelf website products


are available to anyone, they are generally not expensive to create and can be live and working hard for your business in a relatively short period of time. In contrast, a bespoke website will often cost more and take longer to build, however as its built just for your business it has the potential to add considerable value to your offering. To help you make an informed decision on which route your business should take let’s look at the benefits of each.


OFF-THE-SHELF Products like Wix, Squarespace, Jimdo and WordPress.com allow you to quickly set up a website by choosing a theme, creating pages and adding your content. A bit of domain name config and you are up and running for as little as £10 per month. Your time will be the biggest cost as you’ll be doing the leg work in terms of creating and publishing the content. If you want to add more features


there are loads of plugins, extensions and integrations to choose from. This is fantastic but be aware you can overload your site with plugins or worse still unwittingly introduce security risks – remember, you don’t always know and trust the developer that built the plugins on your site. Depending on the platform or


theme you choose you might have some performance or SEO work to do to increase your website’s visibility in search results. That said, these platforms are much better than they were just a couple of years ago. Considering the ease of set up it’s a compromise most can accept.


BESPOKE Usually built by a digital agency or freelancer, a bespoke website is designed and coded around a set of specific requirements you have as a business. Probably these requirements can’t be met by an


ABOUT ROB GREGORY


Rob is a founding director of Magnifica, a tech agency based in Chesterfield. He has 20 years' experience helping businesses implement effective software solutions. From custom software to website development, his message is that


technology must be used to simplify business processes and provide a true return on investment. Rob is one of the Digital Growth Programme's consultants.


off-the-shelf product. Either all code is bespoke or something like WordPress.org is used as a start point and then extended. Often a graphic designer will create a one- off look and feel then a dedicated user experience and a development team will help turn that into a working website. Technical SEO will be built in


from the start and any extra features will be developed for you. With bespoke you get the extra


benefit of increased security, ownership and a website optimised for your business, not for the mass market. This all comes at a cost however, so you really need to calculate whether it’s really the right choice for your business.


RETURN ON INVESTMENT The investment you make might be your time if you choose off-the- shelf or money if you go bespoke. The key is to make sure you see a return on your investment quickly. Remember, a website is never finished so you’ll have to keep investing to remain competitive. If you’re a small or new business


off-the-shelf is probably best for you, if you have more demanding requirements then bespoke might be worth exploring. One final thing to remember is to


shop around and get quotes. If you choose the product route make sure you try before you buy.


Website wisdom


Off-the-shelf vs bespoke Digital Growth Programme consultant Rob Gregory looks at the choices available when it comes to investing in a website, and what the right option might be for your business.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76