Creating the perfect website isn’t easy and there is a lot more to developing your new site than meets the eye. Sure it’s a given that it should look good however there is so much more to it than that. We receive so many emails from customers who only consider cost in the early stages, however it could be argued that your budget should only really be decided upon when you know exactly what it is you want out of your site.
There are a number of questions and factors you should take time to seriously think about when looking at a new site. Write down your goals, aims and expectations so that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. This will help to give your web designers a clear understanding of what you are looking to achieve and ensure you both share the same vision.
As with a lot of things in life, careful pre-planning will take you a long way. So before you pick up the phone to ask for a price for your new website, pick up a pen and a piece of paper, and make some notes on the following questions.
Why do you want the site?
It could be to inform customers of your services or to sell your products. The site could also be used as a method of data capture to be used for future marketing purposes. It could simply to be used as a way to promote your companies’ services. It is very important to understand the end-action you wish your customers to take.
What do you want to achieve with the site?
Are you looking to open your business up to a global marketplace? Are you looking to increase new customer acquisition? Will you be aiming to increase your sales and average order value?
How will you measure whether the site is a success?
Will this be number of hits your site receives? Will you measure success on new customers or increased sales?
Who is the competition?
Who are your main competitors? What do you like/dislike about their sites? How do you hope to differentiate yourself from them?
Do you require new branding, re-branding and logo?
Will your site reflect the same image online as offline? Are you looking for your brand to be brought up to date?
What pages do you require on the site?
Are you looking for a small 5 page micro site or a 500 page + site? Are you looking for any bespoke functionality? Would you like to communicate with your customers via a blog or a newsletter? Does your site need an enquiry form or a secure client login area?
For ecommerce sites do you know how many products you have and how many categories you will need? Do you require customers reviews or a customer support section?
Who are your target audience?
Are your audience the same online as offline? Primarily what are you looking for customers to do when using your site?
What is your budget range and when do you need to project to be complete?
Are you flexible or is your budget and timescale set in stone? It is good to have an idea of budget even if you are flexible as the possibilities are endless when creating a site, and it’s very easy to get carried away adding cool features. It’s also worth considering if your project can be broken down into stages, as this could help make the cost much more manageable.
What happens next?
Once you’ve collected your thoughts and written them down you should then contact web designers for quotations. The chances are they will want to have a thorough chat about your needs. Designing a website is not a small task, and it’s important to make sure you have covered everything when providing a quotation.
It’s also important to discuss your brief with a web designer as they will be able to provide insight into your goals. They will be able to tell you what is feasible and what is not, what is going to increase the price dramatically and what will keep the price down. From there you will receive a written proposal and quote, that should hopefully have covered all of the points that are important to you.
A better end result
Asking these questions in the very early stages of planning your website will ensure that the end result will meet your expectations. It’s important to get it right and be confident you have included all desired key aspects of the site. A new customer’s first impression of your business could be through your website, so it is vital that it reflects who you are as a business and what you are all about.
Your website should act as an effective tool for your company – not just an extra expense. Having a clear goal for the website and what you hope to achieve with it will help to ensure that it plays a vital role in the success of your business.
