two My business needs a website but I'm not sure what I should be asking for. Can you advise?

A website can mean a number of different things depending on its purpose. The first thing to think about is the purpose of the site, what function you want it to perform. The following is an explanation of a few different types of sites:

Brochure Website

A brochure website is basically the online equivalent to a printed brochure. It will give information about your business/organisation, maybe including lists and images of your products or services. It will give contact details, possibly including an online enquiry form (like on our Contact page) but doesn't provide any direct means to order and pay for your products online.

Ecommerce Website

An ecommerce website is an online shop front, providing a searchable catalogue of products and shopping cart facility, usually with secure online processing of credit card payments.

Community Website

Community websites are interactive sites that allow users to login and provide content in some way, for example through a forum or online photo gallery.

Blog

A blog, or weblog, is an online publishing site that can be used as an online journal or means to publish articles or news items on a particular subject. These sites provide a means for the site owner to easily add content and for users to leave comments.

Do your requirements fall within any of these broad categories, or maybe incorporate particular features from one or two? Or do you require something that isn't mentioned here? Either way, contact Webfooted Designs to talk it through.

There are other things to consider when thinking about what should go into your website. Have you already got images that can be used or will you require photographs to be taken of your products/premises, or maybe some stock photography to add a visual aspect to your site? Will you require multimedia to be added to the site (for example sound or film clips)? Our client questionnaire can help you organise your thoughts.