Kleinburg Brewery
- design
- / web
Getting as many details as possible before designing a website for a client is very important. There are plenty of things that a client will need to communicate to the web designer before a project is started in order to make sure that everyone is on board and clear about what needs to happen.
Here are 6 things that clients should discuss with their web designer before having a website created.
1. What Their Business is About
Before a website can be designed, it’s important that a client be very clear to the designer about what exactly their business is all about. There’s no point in making the site highly technical-looking when the business is a baby supply store, for instance.
It’s also important for the client to relay what their specific philosophy is, and how they would like to comes across to their clients. The web designer essentially needs to know as much much about the business as possible before coming up with designs for the website.
2. Who the Website Visitors Are
A website design should appeal to the specific types of visitors that are perusing a client’s site. For example, a site design that is set to appeal to retirees is going to be much different than a design set to appeal to 30-something professionals. Having a solid idea on who the client’s customers are is important when coming up with the right look and feel of the site, as well as any accessibility issues.
3. What Visitors Will Be Doing on the Site
Not every website is developed to accomplish the same goal. Each site is different, and therefore has different goals. While some websites are there to offer information, others are there to entice visitors to buy something.
Before designing a site, it’s important that the client explain what it is exactly that they want their site visitors to do once they’re there. The architecture for an informational site will be much different that that of a site where products are to be purchased.
4. The Budget
It’s important for clients to divulge how much money they are able to put forth for the development of a site. Certain people will have no idea what it would cost to have a website professionally designed, which is why it’s important to discuss the issue of money up front before a business relationship is even established.
If a client is not willing to talk honestly about money, they probably won’t be forthcoming about details about the design process either.
5. Long-Term Plans for the Site
Many clients may say they just want a few pages up, and don’t have a huge budget. What they might not tell a web designer up front is that there may be plans in the works of setting up a full-fledged eCommerce site next year or so when they are ready to launch new products. They may not relay the fact that they’d like to have a social network for their clients in the coming months.
In such cases, the entire site will need to be rebuilt from scratch. Knowing these details up front will make things much more streamlined for both the client and the web designer.
6. Who Will be Responsible for Site Updating
The answer to this will have a big impact in the type of CMS that the web designer will use. It’s helpful to know how tech-savvy the client is if they plan on being the ones who are responsible for updating the site. If they want the web designer to be the person updating, it’s important to discuss and establish a maintenance agreement, which will of course require extra fees.
As in any other line of business, having all the pieces of the puzzle first is crucial before starting any project. When it comes to web design, knowing exactly what the client wants and needs is essential to developing the perfect website for their business.