I was asked a while back by a client to write up something on the top things that businesses or individuals should have ready before they start to design a website if they do not currently have one. I gave it a lot of thought, and the end result seemed to be very valuable to them so I thought I would share it.
Planning for a New Website
1:) Images and Graphics
How do you want your company represented visually? Do you have the logos and images that will make up the site, and if not, will you be able to get them? TIP: Designers can help by obtaining photos from sites that license them but there may be additional costs.
2:) Site Content
Websites are made to give clients and prospects information – do you have this readily available or are you willing to create it? The biggest thing the businesses can do to make the web design process easier and faster is to make sure that the content is ready. TIP: Copywriters can be used to create content and proofreaders should be used to make sure original content makes your business look professional.
3:) What is your measure of success?
Are you looking for direct sales, leads, or just sales support? The site design is an investment and should be designed simply in a way that gets a carefully planned result and minimizes other distractions.
4:) What is going to be your measure of a conversion?
To measure the success of your website investment, it is important to define what action(s) site visitors are going to take to meet your measure of success. Goals can be created around these actions and adjustments made to reach and exceed these goals.
5:) What is your plan to deal with site conversions?
Giving site visitors many ways to contact your business is tempting, but a better plan may be to streamline your process and make the site deliver interested leads in a more consistent and predictable way.
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