I was recently in a meeting where the client had really done their homework. They knew exactly what they wanted from their website, who their competition was and so much more. This was a mutually beneficial situation, as it allowed us at Engage Web to hit the ground running.
Here are the five essentials you need to know about your business before getting a website.
1. Know your market
Who is this website going to be aimed at exactly? For instance, are these the sorts of people who are going to be browsing social media, and therefore, could social media advertising be valuable? Are they the sort of person who are going to shop around? How do you envisage they find your website? What imagery and colours would you associate with this type of person?
2. What’s your business’ USP?
Decide on your unique selling point (USP). Remember that there are probably already established websites out there fulfilling exactly what you do, so how will your website stand out from the crowd?
3. Who are your competition?
That leads me on to considering what your rivals are doing right. Often, it’s tempting to try and plagiarise content from other websites, but that is punished harshly by search engines. Look for the designer details – is it how the fonts all work well together, or is it how the site is fluid with animations? Getting a little insight into your industry can help open doors you never knew existed.
4. What functionality are you after for your site?
What are your website goals? People might think the only goal for a website is to sell product, but this is far from the truth. Often, a goal for a website could be as simple as getting someone to spend more than two minutes browsing the site, therefore planting a name inside that person’s head. Another goal could even be to grow your social media following or newsletter signups. Everything is measurable in web design.
5. Do you really need to start from scratch?
Sometimes, people insist they need a brand new website, when in reality all they need is a redesign of their existing one. What doesn’t work on the current website? Do you have the wording you want? Have a deep think about the messages you want to put out on to the web.
Of course, all the above is great for web designers, but it should also help focus you as a business on the exact trajectory you are aiming for. After all, a website isn’t just a website – it’s a front window into your world of business.
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