Kleinburg Brewery
- design
- / web
Not every website is exactly the same. That’s because each website is designed with a specific goal in mind. And when it comes to developing your business’s website, it needs to incorporate everything that will help it drive traffic and convert visitors into paying customers.
But when designing your website, your web developer and designer needs to know a few important things from you to make sure the final project is perfect.
1. A list of websites that you like.
If you’ve got your eye on a few websites that you like, give the URLs to your web designer. That way he or she will have a better sense of what you want your site to look like. Explain what it is you like about these other sites so that you’re satisfied with the design of your site.
2. Your competition.
You need to know your competition, and find out what they’re doing well, and what they’re doing poorly. It’s a good idea to identify the good and the bad before getting your website project underway so that you can emulate what appears to work, and stay away from what doesn’t.
3. The goals of your website.
What exactly do you want your website to do? What do you hope to accomplish with your website? Make sure you pinpoint these goals, and communicate them with your web designer so that it can be developed with them in mind.
4. Timeframe.
When do you need your site up and running by? A couple of months? A few weeks? Is there a certain event coming up in the near future that you want your site to be ready for? Don’t give your web developer too short of a timeframe – usually it takes about 6 to 10 weeks to have a website developed with basic HTML, and upwards of 12 or more weeks for an eCommerce site.
5. Content.
Get your content written in advance of the site being developed and going live. If you provide your content to your developer, he or she will be able to understand your website a little better, and will have a clearer understanding of your needs.
6. Special features.
What sort of tools or automations are you looking for? For instance, do you want to be able to automatically email people who have opted in to receive notifications from you? Do you want the ability to upload many photos and automatically generate a collage? Things like this need to be communicated before your developer starts coding your site.
7. Your calls to action.
After you’ve attracted people to your site, what do you ultimately want them to do? Would you like them to submit an opt-in form to accept monthly newsletters? Do you want them to purchase a product or service? Whatever it is, your site should clearly indicate this for your readers to see, and therefore take action.
8. Budget.
You need to be realistic about how much you can spend, and how much the site development will cost you. Be up front with your web designer so he or she knows what can be accomplished with what you’re willing and able to pay.
Giving your web developer and designer all this information from the get-go will ensure a smooth process, and will improve the odds of you getting what you want.