So You Think You’re Ready for a New Website?
You’re ready to hire a web designer and launch a new company website. But are you really ready?
Most web designers will ask you to complete a questionnaire to determine scope before they create a fee proposal. The questionnaire is a valuable tool for you as well. It forces you to make decisions about your company, your products and your market.
Here are some top questions to expect:
- Is the company branding completed? Your logo, color palette, fonts and imagery should already be established. Good website design is consistent with existing branding and marketing collateral.
- Have you bought the domain name (URL)? Don’t wait on this important step, as you may miss out on the exact URL you want.
- Is your web content written, or do you at least have a very good idea of what content you want to present?
- What are your top services or products? Services or solutions are likely to be the best web pages to optimize for search engine optimization (SEO).
- Do you know who your ideal market is? What is their profile?
- What do you want users to do once they are on your site? Make a purchase? Email or call you? Quickly find pertinent information?
- Do you know who your competition is? This information is imperative for SEO strategy.
- What sort of imagery do you have in mind? Make sure your budget includes funds for purchasing images or custom illustration.
- Do you want to include a blog? A blog is very good for SEO. But it takes a time commitment and a talent for writing. Who will take on that task?
- Is your company social? Establish your company’s social media accounts. You’ll want to link to them from your new site.
- Do you have a designated employee who will take the lead on the website project? To keep the project on track, it’s crucial to dedicate the time as well as money.
It’s not unusual for companies to completely rethink their website during the questionnaire process. An effective website is not a test drive, and deserves serious consideration. Be ready to do your homework!
