So you want a new website? Before you plunge straight in, there are a few things you need to consider:
What is the main purpose of the website?
Many people don’t think about this hard enough, they think they need a website “because someone told them” or “my competitors have one”. It is true, most businesses should have a website, but you should consider exactly what you want your website to do before you start.
There are a number of things a website could do:
- Deliver information
- Encourage people to sign up to your newsletter
- Sell them products
- Get them to sign up to your services
- Get them to call you / contact you
- Sell a membership
Think about the real reason you want a website and let your web designer know this. A good website should lead the user through the website and to your ultimate goal.
What is your target demographic?
The way your website will look and feel needs to appeal to your potential customers:
- Are you appealing to one sex over another?
- Are your customers older or younger?
- Is your target market other businesses or members of the public?
All of these questions can have a significant impact on the design of your website.
Do you have a logo and brand guidelines?
Brand guidelines will tell your designer what fonts and colours to use to ensure that your website is consistent with your brand. If you are considering a new logo, I advise you to do this first.
Who are your competitors?
It’s important to make sure your website stands out from your competitors, especially in a crowded marketplace. Remember, your potential customers will also be looking at your competitors’ websites as well. Which leads onto…
What are your USPs?
What sets you apart from your competitors, in other words, why should potential customers buy from you rather than your competition?
It’s not enough to simply have a website, it needs to set you apart from all your competitors. And it needs to convey trust to potential customers.
Assets
It’s never too early to think about what assets you want to include on your website.
What are assets? Assets are the text, images, videos and any other content that you put on your website. A good website is designed around the assets so it’s important to have these ready for the start of your web design project. You may need to hire additional services so think abaout the timeframes for these:
Images
The first thing that users notice on your website is the images. This means that the quality of your images will help determine whether they stay on your website or leave. Think about the images you want to use – do these reflect you / your products in the best way? Do you need to hire a photographer?
Words / text (also known as copy)
Are you comfortable writing the text yourself or do you need to hire a copywriter?
This list may seem daunting, but thinking about these early will save you time and money and will give you a website that works for your business.
Do you want advice on any of the above? Contact me for a chat and I’ll give you some helpful advice.
