Website Design Basics – What You Need to Know Before You Build a Website
There are many reasons for wanting a Website. Among them are:
- To take advantage of the global marketplace that is the Internet, and sell products.
- To show that your business venture is legitimate.
- To make information more readily available to customers.
- To migrate businesses processes online.
Knowing the answer to the question “Why do I want a Website?” is the first step – the first answer to a long list of questions that need to be addressed if the Website is to be a success.
When designing a Website for a client, I always ask the following questions, or variations on them. I don’t always get all of the answers, and even when I do, I’m not always allowed to address them in the design. However knowing as many of the answers as possible is a big step towards the goal of a successful project. Documenting the answers in a creative brief or similar document is also helpul in keeping focus on the goals.
Questions:
- Who will be visiting the Website and what will they gain by doing so?
- What specific actions do you want visitors to take when visiting your Website?
- How will visitors find your Website? If they use a search engine, what terms will they type in to find your company?
- What is your market niche?
- What is your position or desired position in that niche?
- Who are your competitors? Do they have a Website, and if so, how would they answer these questions?
- What do you want to accomplish in this business venture?
- Where do you see it being in 5 years? How can the Website help you achieve that?
- What business processes will the Website be a part of, and how can it improve efficiency?
- Which processes do you want to move completely online, which do you want to move partially online, and which do you want to keep offline?
- Do you currently have a branding strategy? What is it?
- What do you want a visitor to come away thinking about your company, products and services?
- How will the Website be used in your overall strategy to promote your products and services?
- What montly budget are you willing to allocate to the promotion of your Website so that it satisfactorily achieves its goals?
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