HELP! I need a website – Where do I start?
You need a website? Great. Now what? Where do you start? Many people start the website creation process by immediately looking for a web design company. But before you start making those phone calls, it is wise to do some homework!
First and foremost, do you have a company logo? The logo is ALWAYS the first place to start! If you have a logo, are the graphics readily available to hand over to a web designer? (Ask your printing company or whoever designed the logo for the graphic files if the files are readily available). If you don’t have a logo, then you should request a logo design along with your website design when you hire a web design company. If you do have a logo, since you are designing a brand new website, does your logo need freshening up? Now’s the time to make sure your logo is fresh and up-to-date before venturing forward with the website.
Second, what are your color preferences? If you have a logo and other printed materials, what colors are you currently using? Always stick with your current branding colors, unless you are planning on a “new do”. If you don’t have any color preferences, then you can do one of two things: Either you can leave it wide open for a web designer, or you can review some cool sites online, and pick out some color combinations that you like. Remember, this website will be a representation of you and your company and your specific style and color preferences.
Third, what is it you want to accomplish with your website? What specific tasks do you want to accomplish? Are you simply looking for an online brochure that maps out all your products or services, or do you need specific functions attached to your website? These functions might include an online shopping cart, a membership area, an event registration, online coupons, online calendar or forms to gather specific information. What exactly is it that you want your website to do for you and your clients? Also, who is your target audience? When people visit your site, what information are they expecting to find? How can you make the experience easier for you and your clients?
Fourth, what keywords represent your company products and services? Keywords strategically positioned throughout your text help search engines determine what your company is about and what services you offer. Ask yourself, what words would people type into Google in order to find what you’re offering? Now take the next step and Google your competitors. What keywords are they being found by? What keywords are they using throughout their website content? And finally, ask yourself, if you had to narrow it down to the top 10-15 keywords, what would they be? (Keywords can also be a combination of words, such as “health products” or “hair care”). The point is to carefully consider what specific words or word combinations you want your website to target.
Fifth, what pages do you want to include on your website? To start with, most sites have a “Home”, an “About Us”, and a “Contact” page. From there, you can add further pages, such as “Services” a “Photo Gallery” or “Testimonials”. You can also review your competition’s website and identify the pages they are using, and then make your own modifications. Remember, you can break down your navigation even further with drop down menus. For example, if you were a furniture company, you could break down your products with a drop down menu that includes: dining, living, bedroom, outdoor, office, lamps, accessories. Try to lay out exactly what content you want included in your website, and even go one step further with sample page layouts.
Sixth, what style website are you interested in? This is the fun part! You get to browse through the World Wide Web and bookmark all the sites that you really like — the sites that make you say “Wow!” Whether it’s the color combination, the layout, the navigation, the type of content, the graphics, the slideshow, or the background… the sky is the limit. Now is the time to pinpoint what you like and what you don’t like in a website. To help with your search, go to Google and type in a specific style… such as “modern website design”, “blue website design”, “furniture website design” , “fun website design”, “corporate website design”, “contemporary website design”, etc… Try some different combinations and see what comes up. You can then bookmark or screen print the sites that catch your eye, and make a note what it is about that site that you like. And now that you’ve done your homework and have your information in hand, you are ready to start seeking out a professional web design company!! Because you put the time in to collect all of the pertinent preliminary information; you have a better understanding of what you really want in your new website. The end result will be a more defined and positive website design experience that results in a much nicer website tailored specifically to you and your company. Taking the time to follow through with these six simple guidelines will be well worth the effort in the long run!
Author: Kally Stehouwer, Web Developer at Courtland Consulting