Advice For Choosing A Web Partner for Your Health and Wellness Practice

CHOOSING A WEB PARTNER

FOR YOUR HEALTH & WELLNESS BUSINESS

YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT.CHOOSE YOUR WEB PARTNER WISELY!

Where To Start 5Two important aspects: your website and your web partner

Your Goals 7What you want to accomplish with your web presence?

Various Plans 12Which approach is right for your business?

What To Look For 16There are so many developers, so how do you choose?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

www.hyperweb.ca n [email protected] n +1 (888) 302-2272 3

AN IMPORTANT DECISION

It can be hard to find a web partner

that meets your needs and is a

good fit for what you’re trying

to accomplish.

Building a website for your wellness organization is an important

part of drawing in potential customers, growing your business,

and sharing your message. And even if you don’t know anything

about websites or how to make them, there are lots of people

who are equipped to help craft your vision of the perfect website

in order to make it a reality.

Choosing a Web Developer for Your Health & Wellness Website4

WHERE TO START?

Your WebsiteBefore you can decide if a web partner can provide what you need, you

have to know what you need in a website. Developing a plan for your

website and some ideas about content and design will give you a

starting place in discussions with developers.

Your Web PartnerAfter you know what you want in a website, you can take your notes

to potential web developers and match your needs to their skills. That

way, you can be sure that your finished website will be exactly what

you want from a qualified, experienced web developer.

To help you find the perfect web partner for your website needs, this eBook provides tips and instructions on understanding what you need from a website and what to look for in a web developer. With this information, you’ll be on your way to a dynamic, effective website that will be an asset to your business growth.

When it comes to thinking about the online presence for your wellness practice, there are two important aspects of web development and partnership that you need to think about: your website and your web partner


Did You KnowCanadians are the heaviest users of the internet in the world, according to a report from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).

The agency’s 2013 factbook reports that Canadians have been spending an average of 45.6 hours on-line per month, compared to 40.3 hours in the U.S. and a world average of 24.4 hours.

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Who am I trying to bring to my business?Take some time to research your target audience and craft a description of these clients. The

decisions you make about your website and content, such as colors, word choice, and layout, will

be geared toward attracting this particular demographic group.

The more specific you can be in answering this question, the more effective your online market-

ing efforts will be. This determines your target audience.

Think about what kind of clients you are trying to attract.

• What are their characteristics? • Are they middle-aged women? Young professionals? Families? • What do they want from your business? • Are they already knowledgeable about health and wellness? • Are they new to health and wellness and trying to change bad habits?

YOUR GOALSThe first step that you have to ask when developing your website is what you want to accomplish with your web presence. This will help guide the development of your website and help you maintain it in a way that draws potential clients to your business. To accomplish this, there are specific questions you can ask about your business and goals that get you started in the right direction for your website development.


WHY DO YOU WANT A WEBSITE?

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• Are you looking to ad business functionality (ie: Online Bookings)? • Are you trying to establish thought leadership? • Is this a way for your target audience to contact you? • Do you want to sell products online? • Is the purpose to establishing your credentials?

Not only will these goals guide your content, but will help you determine whether or not your

website is successful based on whether or not these criteria are met.

When you decide why you want a website, you can use these goals to determine your criteria

for success. For example, if you want to use your website for online sales, then one of your

criteria for measuring success might be a four percent increase in online sales.

THE PURPOSEWhy do you want a website? When you decide why you want a website, you can use these goals to determine your criteria for success. For example, if you want to use your website for online sales, then one of your criteria for measuring success might be a four percent increase in online sales.


WHAT DO WE HAVE?One important aspect of a website is the content you make available. If you are changing or updating a current website, chances are you already have content you can use to build your new website. It may need to be reworked or updated, but it gives you a starting place for what goes on your site.

Existing Materials? Even if you do not have a current website, you may have content you can take from other

sources and use for the website.

Does your professional association have resources to leverage?

Do you have flyers, whitepapers, or other print materials? If these materials share the same

message you want to convey on your website, you can use this content as a starting place for

what goes on your website.


Even if you have an outstanding website that is dynamic and user-friendly, if it is not generat-

ing clients, the time you use to maintain it is a waste of time for your business.

There are a wide variety of tools and resources that can be used to track KPIs (Key Perfor-

mance Indicators) to determine ROI (Return on Investment). Find tools that can be used for

your specific needs to ensure that the data you have is accurate and relevant to your efforts.

Answering these questions, along with others, will give you a good starting place for building

your website.

MEASUREMENTHow Will You Track Your Efforts? It is important to remember that the time you spend building and maintaining your website is an investment into the marketing efforts of your business. For that reason, you need to have a way to track how effective your website is at accomplishing goals for your business.


MONTHLYVERSUS

ONE-TIME

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WHICH APPROACH?Even the simplest website is going to have costs for your business. This is especially true if you’re starting from scratch rather than updating your current website. In addition to the time and effort it takes to create content, there are costs involved with the “backend” of the website, which includes things like hosting costs and hiring someone to write the code for the site. There are two ways the development costs of a website can be managed: one-time startup costs or through monthly subscriptions.

One-Time Startup CostsIf you decide to develop your website through one-time startup costs, you will likely have a con-

tract for specific deliverables over a set length of time, which will come to a cost that is agreed

on by all involved. In this way, your website is looked at as a one-time project.

The Pro’s One of the benefits of taking the one-time startup costs route for developing your website is that

it is less expensive over the life of the project. You know what you’re getting up front and how

much it is going to cost. Once the initial project is finished, you’re done paying for it.

Another benefit of this option is that you can do the maintenance on the website yourself. If you

need to update content or move some things around, your CMS (Content Management System/

Software) can help you. That way, you don’t have to pay someone every time a small change

needs to be made.

The Con’s A drawback of this option is that there will likely be more upfront costs for the website develop-

ment rather than smaller costs spread out over a longer amount of time. If your business is just

starting or you are making a lot of major changes all at once, this will add on to your initial costs.

Another drawback is that if you need someone else to handle maintenance or significant

changes later on, you will have additional fees for those services. If you don’t have a lot of

experience creating or maintaining websites, this can become very expensive.


Monthly SubscriptionsIf you decide to use monthly subscriptions for the development and maintenance of your web-

site, it is more like putting someone on retainer. There will be a contract that includes certain

deliverables, and your business will pay a monthly fee to cover them.

The Pro’s One of the biggest benefits of using monthly subscriptions to manage the building and main-

tenance of your website is that the upfront costs are significantly lower. Rather than looking at

the website as one large project, it will be seen as an ongoing project. Your business will pay for

services along the way, which can be more manageable for businesses.

Another benefit is the ability for the maintenance of your website to scale with your business.

For example, if you start out as a small, sole proprietorship and then grow to a midsize wellness

organization, the needs of your website maintenance will change. Most often, you can change

your contract and monthly subscription services to meet the changing needs of your business.

The Con’s However, this option has its downsides, as well. Over the life of your website, monthly subscrip-

tions can add up to higher overall costs, even for things you may not need. This needs to be

figured into your overall budget for the business.

In addition, you may be locked into a contract. Once the website is finished, you may decide you

want to continue the maintenance yourself. However, if you have a contract, you will be obli-

gated to continue the monthly subscription costs for work that you don’t really need.


CONSIDERED MOBILE?Ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly will not only mean mobile users have a positive experience visiting your site, but it will likely increase overall traffic.

Device Accessing Web 2011 2012 2013 2014

Desktop PC 91 86 73 59

Mobile (Phone/Tablet) 9 14 27 41

Generally, when people think of website development, they imagine

their sites on desktop or laptop computers, but in 2014 mobile devices

account for approximately 40% of web traffic. So the chances are, that

when people want to know about a business, such as where it’s located

or if it’s still open, they reach for their phones or tablets.

The Internet has become a way for people to get instant and up-to-

date information about any topic at any time. Any question can be

answered as soon as it’s asked and plugged into a search bar.

Mobile technology has advanced to better meet the needs of users

who demand instant information. Where mobile devices were once

only phones, they are now mini computers that people use for every-

thing from searching and browsing, banking, booking appointments,

email, status updates and gaming.

A dynamic, mobile-friendly website will ensure that your website is

accessible to all potential clients, whether they are at home, on the

train or walking down the street with their phones.


WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A WEB PARTNER

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KnowledgeWhat education and accreditations does the web developer have, if any?

While a formal education is not required to be an excellent developer, taking

the time to obtain degrees and accreditations shows a level of dedication to

web development that is useful when forming a business partnership. You

want someone who is serious about your needs, and if your web partner

has degrees or accreditations, it is likely your developer will understand how

important your website is, and will be professional every step of the way.

That doesn’t mean a developer without a formal education or accredita-

tions can’t do an excellent job on your website. But it is one area to take into

consideration when looking for a web partner.

WHAT TO LOOK FOROnce you know what you need and want for your website, it is important to find the right partner to help you make your ideas and goals a reality. Finding the right web partner to create and, if you choose, maintain your website can mean the difference between driving clients to your website or wasting resources. When evaluating your options for a web partner, there are sev-eral areas that need to be carefully considered.


There are a lot of areas in development, and it is nearly impossible for one

developer to be an expert in all of them. However, with experience, web

developers can gain knowledge in new areas of development and become

comfortable and confident in several areas.

This makes a web partner more adaptable to your specific needs. Whether

you need someone who can do all the programming and offer insight into

content development, or someone who understands the complexities of using

search engine optimization for social media visibility, partnering with a devel-

oper who has both breadth and depth of knowledge means you won’t end up

with a developer who doesn’t understand how to do what you need.

Your web partner should also have a depth of knowledge

that meets your needs for creating your website. What

areas of development are they familiar with? What areas of

development are they experts in? Some development areas

include:

Development

• Design

• Programming

• Content Development

• Video Production

• E-commerce

• Hosting

• Security/Maintenance

Marketing• Search Engine Optimization

• Social Media

• AdWords / PPC

• Remarketing


ExperienceKnowledge is important, but experience is where web partners take what

they’ve learned and put it into practice. Is your potential web partner

established in the industry with years of experience, or is the web

developer fresh out of school?

There is nothing wrong with partnering with a web developer who has

only recently graduated. However, after gaining experience through work-

ing in the industry, a web developer can get a better understanding of how

to use what has been learned to create websites that clients respond to.

Experienced web developers have a broader understanding of the com-

munication and development process. They know tips and tricks to make

things easier or to help websites run more smoothly, and these are the

kinds of things that aren’t learned in the classroom.

In addition, a web partner with a lot of experience means samples of work

that you can look at to find out if the developer’s skills and expertise match

your needs for a website. You can ask for references or to see samples of

what the developer has done to see whether or not the developer’s experi-

ence in creating and maintaining websites has been successful.


CommunicationCommunication is an integral part of a successful partnership. Under-

standing your potential developer’s communication style will help you

understand whether or not your partnership will work for your needs.

What is the developer’s primary mode of communication? Phone calls?

Emails? Texts? Does this work for you? Does the developer answer

phones and return missed calls quickly? These questions will help you

determine if the developer will be available in the ways you need for the

working relationship.

Another aspect of communication to consider is whether you commu-

nicate directly with your developer, or if there are barriers that must be

met. For example, some companies use “tickets” to address mainte-

nance needs. The ticket is created and passed on to a developer who

then gets in contact with the client to address the problem. This may be

effective to keep track of client needs, especially for large companies,

but it means the client is not speaking directly to the web partner to

address individual needs.

Ultimately, you have to determine whether the developer is focused on

customer service or not, and how you feel about it. Finding a developer

whose communication style meshes with yours will help create a stron-

ger working relationship.

Management StyleThough your web partner is not your manager, he or she does manage

issues that arise in your partnership. How does the developer handle

issues that come up? When finding a web partner, you need to find

someone whose management style blends with yours for a successful

working relationship. There are two basic approaches: proactive and

reactive.

Proactive ManagementIf your web partner takes a proactive approach, it means he or she is

actively involved in your needs. He or she sees issues as they arise—

perhaps before you do—and takes care of them immediately. The

proactive approach means the web developer is focused on the success

and future of your business.

Reactive ManagementThe reactive approach, on the other hand, waits for you to identify

issues then deals with them. This doesn’t mean this type of developer is

not focused on your success, but he or she waits to see what is impor-

tant to you before taking action.


THEN WHAT?When looking for a web partner, think about what a developer can provide for you and your business beyond the physical website. While the website is the foundation of your working relationship, it is important to remember that it’s a tool for your company to use. Consider how your web partner can help after the website is complete. They should be able to guide your practice through the ever changing landscape of the internet.

YOUR BUSINESS EVOLUTIONCan your web partner help you with your online marketing objectives? The primary reason companies create websites is as a marketing tool. An effective developer will

be able to integrate your marketing goals into what is provided through your website creation.

Is your developer utilizing trends for your benefit?

Technology is constantly evolving and advancing. In order for your website to be relevant and

engaging to audiences, it is important to utilize new trends whenever possible to show that

your business is focused on the best way to provide for client needs. After all, you don’t want to

be the one wellness organization that has a website that looks like it was created decades ago.

Evolving trends can keep you on the forefront of your industry, and ensure that you’re utilizing

the latest tools and resources available for your website to be an asset to your business.


Once your website is established, what will

your relationship with your developer be?

Will your developer continue to work with

you as you grow your business? Will your

developer continue working with you to

address problems and continually improve

your website?

Your relationship with a developer shouldn’t

end when the website it launched. It should

be an ongoing relationship because your

website is a dynamic, changing resource that

adapts to the changing needs of your clients.

Make sure you web partner is going to be

around when you need them again.

LOOKING AHEADWhat does the future hold? Your web partner should be thinking about the future of your website and business instead of viewing it as a job to do and be finished with. Will they still be around?


IN CLOSINGYour website is an important part of

your organization, and it’s not an area

of marketing that you can just call

“good enough.”

Taking the time and effort to find a qualified,

experienced web partner is the key to your wellness

websites success. Not only will your web partner

help you create your perfect website, but he or she

will continue to work with you after the launch to

ensure that everything continues to run smoothly

every step of the way.

There’s no reason to feel overwhelmed about

finding a web partner or trying to build your

website on your own. Arm yourself with the

knowledge in this eBook to match your needs with

a web partner’s skills. If you do, your website will be

a valuable marketing tool in your organization, and

you’ll be growing your business before you know it.


HOW TO FIND USHyperweb.ca 2272 Mowat Ave, Unit 6 Oakville, ON, L6H 5L8Phone +1 (888) 302-2272email: [email protected]

LinkedIN: linkedin.com/company/hyperweb-caTwitter: @hyperweb1Facebook: facebook.com/HyperwebCommunications Google +: plus.google.com/+Hyperwebca


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