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Why should my horse-related business have a web site?
What is the process to get a web site up and running?
How much does it cost?
How long will it take?
What will I need to do in the process?
Should I just build my own web site, or get my cousin to do it?
How do I get started?
My business is not horse-related. Will you build a web site for me anyway?
Why should my horse-related business have a web site?
The World Wide Web has become the most widely used method of gathering information and communicating across the globe. Today professionals and hobbyists alike use this technology to search out and evaluate horses for sale, potential breeding stallions, training services, tack, feed, etc. Our industry is catching on to the many advantages of using the web in marketing.
Web sites are amazingly cost efficient compared to traditional print media. For the price of designing and printing a full color, full-page ad in a magazine once a year, you could have two or three pretty nice web sites! You can publish as many pages as you want, use as many colors as you want (for the same cost), keep your content fresh, and otherwise have a lot more flexibility with a web site. If an error does appear on a web page, it can be corrected immediately. You can preview and proofread your web site privately as many times as you’d like before it goes ‘live’ (becomes available to everyone online).
Another advantage to a web site is the size of the potential readership. Your site will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… so that excited new reining enthusiast in Spain can pick out his first mount from your web site while you’re snoozing in bed. He doesn't have to wait until morning, and perhaps lose interest or find another source. Instead, he can pop you an email - and suddenly you have an interested customer who’s taken the initiative to contact you. Isn’t that what you want from advertising?
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| A great web site can give you the edge in today's competitive marketplace. |
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There is a caveat to all of this. A web site is a little like raising a foal – though you’ve done the work of the initial planning/paying for this magical thing to come to life, you can’t just walk away and hope it survives. You do have to plan for what happens after it arrives. With a web site, that means you should think about how you’re going to handle the email responses. How often do you want to update the site to keep visitors returning or to brag about your barn’s accomplishments? I can help with those decisions from the start.
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What is the process to get a web site up and running?
Once you’ve made the decision to have a web site built, the first thing we do is buy your domain name to reserve it. This is the ‘www.myhorsebusiness.com’ part that will direct people to your web site. You’ll need to choose a name that’s easy to spell and pretty easy to remember. You may have to think of a few different variations to ensure that one is available. Though this fee is paid directly to the vendor online, I’ll help with the technical end when we set it up for no charge.
| A web site is the perfect place to showcase your new foals. |
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The next step is to plan out your site. Think broadly… what are you trying to accomplish with a web site? Who are you trying to reach? What sort of information needs to be presented to them? What is unique about your business? This is where I can help by being a sounding board for your ideas and thoughts. (I’ve also developed a planning questionnaire for you to ponder and complete. You can print it out here.) We’ll ultimately build a site map, the blueprint of the structure of your web site. When we’ve decided on how many and what type of pages you would like included, you will be invoiced and the first half of the total payment is due.
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Meanwhile, you’ll be gathering images (win photos, foal pictures, logos, etc.). Files are usually too large to email, but you can send them to me by burning them onto a CD or by regular mail for me to scan if you’d like. (Don’t worry; you’ll get them back.) I don’t charge to scan photos or work with documents, but you will be billed for any postage costs to return your items.
During this time, I am also developing a feel for the personality of your business and how to convey that personality visually. We’ll talk about colors (if you don’t already have particular business colors) and types of layouts that you like and don’t like. I encourage you to surf the Net a little and let me know of any sites that you particularly liked, or that you hated (and why). As we are working on the site map or after we have it completed, I will design one to four comps – rough sketches of different layouts that I think might work. You’ll hopefully be able to choose one or modify it with suggestions until we have a definite winner.
(An observation: Everyone is a little different in this process… some people want to be very involved every step of the way. Other people want to be inconvenienced as little as possible by the process and would prefer to have the designer ‘run with it’. I am fine with either method, or something in between. After a few initial conversations we will quickly get a feel for where you, as the client, lie on that spectrum… and proceed from there.)
Once the site structure is planned and the general design is agreed on, I can move forward and begin to write the code for your web site. During this time at key points I will put your site-in-progress up on the net and send you a link to its temporary location (not at your domain name yet) for you to review.
Once your site is completely coded, approved by you and ready to be uploaded so that it’s accessible from your domain name, the second half of payment is due. When payment is received and all is uploaded, I’ll submit your domain name to search engines. It will usually be picked up and ranked in search results within two to four weeks - but you can start inviting people to check out your new site right away. We’ll also set up your custom email account(s) if you’ve chosen to use them.
Congratulations! You’re a bona fide web site owner! Get ready to have complete strangers contact you, looking for what you’re offering. If you sell one horse or one saddle or a few entries to your event, your web site (and your time and trouble) has paid for itself already.
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How much does it cost?
When considering cost, remember to factor what’s included in the price. Some designers charge by the hour. (I frankly don’t want to spend the time figuring it out – and I think many people appreciate a flat fee so they know what to budget from the start of the project.) Some designers charge extra for photo retouching or scanning your photos (I don’t). Some won’t host web sites, some do (I do). What seems to works for me is to give you a definite price for a web site that will be the least technical maintenance or hassle for you. Check out what’s included in all web sites on the web design info page. You can click here for current rates.
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How long will it take?
Whether your site is finished in four weeks or four months depends principally on you. How quickly you can supply photographs, logos, color samples (if you already have colors) and the written content of your web site will largely determine how soon you can begin asking friends, family and customers to check out your new site. This is often the hardest part for people having a web site developed… getting photographs taken, collecting existing photos, taking the time to write the content. However, on the designer’s end it is extremely difficult to design a complete web site (or even single web pages) without knowing what will go where. Having the raw materials to begin with is crucial because things like image file sizes, the amount of text, the number of navigation buttons, etc. will all need to be taken into consideration to make your web site attractive and easy to use. Planning really is everything.
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What do I need to do in the process?
Please check out the process of web design to get an overview of what happens from start to finish.
At the ‘minimal involvement’ level, you will need to gather the images you want to be used on your web site and get them to your designer as soon as possible. You’ll need to give your ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ on things like the proposed site map, color combinations and general layouts soon after they are presented to you. If you want copy/text written for you, be forthright about it from the beginning. At least then you can edit it together, rather than having your designer wait til you find the energy to write five pages worth of text at the end of a long day at the barn!
At a higher level of involvement, have fun with it! Let your creative juices flow and provide your designer with all sorts of copy and a specific layout you want to see utilized. Ask questions if you’re curious to better understand what goes on behind the scenes. It really is your web site, after all.
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Should I just build my own web site, or get my cousin to do it?
There are many simple web programs out there and lots of places to buy a template-based web site. But take heed: the statement ‘anyone can build a web site’ is comparable to the phrase ‘anyone can ride a horse’. Results can range from fantastic to mediocre to downright disastrous, both in design and functionality.
As a former professional horse trainer who transitioned into self-taught graphic design, my experience has been that it takes far more hours to master a complicated design program than it does to start a two year-old. Any program capable of creating great web sites will make you earn your accomplishments. I found the process of horse training quite a bit more intuitive...
In pure hours saved, it makes sense for most horse people to find a capable web designer. They need to be technically proficient enough to have your gorgeous and functional new web site easily found by potential customers. Ideally, they are familiar with your audience and what types of sites often appeal to them (and which turn them off). Above all, you should feel comfortable talking to them and have confidence in their ability to complete a web site that you’ll be proud of - on time and at the price you’ve agreed on. They should be able to provide the ongoing support that will make your web site hassle-free for many years. It’s my hope that you’ll choose Electric Spin Enterprises for your web needs.
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How do I get started?
One good way is to simply surf the web sites of other people in your particular end of the industry. Notice what sorts of pages they’ve included and what may seem to be missing. Make little notes as you check out web sites to remember what you’ve seen.
A more direct route is to print this planning questionnaire and thoughtfully fill it out. It can be used as a solid starting point when we begin work on your site. (Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the planning questionnaire. You can download it for free by clicking here.)
Or you can do it the good ol’ fashioned way by giving me a call at 720.890.8908. I’m happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
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My business is not horse-related. Will you build a web site for me anyway?
Sure! Though Electric Spin Enterprises specializes in services for the horse industry, I'm happy to help you with your graphic art and/or web needs. Email for more information.
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Are you looking for the reining, cutting or reined cow horses you've seen advertised on the web and in national magazines? Visit our equine division. |
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