It may seem obvious, but when it comes to building a new website or revamping an existing one, planning is key. Whilst many of the key components don’t go unnoticed, many things are still left for consideration even when work begins. This often leads to modifications and costly re-hashing further down the line – so it’s vitally important that all avenues are considered and all content and functionality has been prepared in as much detail as possible.
What are your goals?
A marketing campaign with no clear objectives is unlikely to work – but despite a website essentially being a digital marketing tool few businesses approach it with the same mind-set. Ask yourself: how would you like the website to benefit you? What do you want it to do for you? If it’s fresh sales you’re after, then an SEO-led approach is needed with blogs or weekly content, regular updates, social media and more. If you simply need a point of reference for current clients, we need to look at the quality of your current content and see how the site can be optimised to convert and upsell to those who already use your services.
Who is your audience?
Although you may have a clear idea of how you’d like your site to be, it’s unlikely that you are the target demographic for your product or service. Even if you are, you’ll hold a different perspective of your business when compared with your typical customer. If you’re not clear on your audience this is a crucial step in determining not only the direction of your site, but your whole brand and marketing approach, too. It’s useful to think of your current best customers and work from there – as chances are your next one will look a lot like the ones you have now. They may also fall into different categories – so be prepared to create more than one typical customer profile for your business within one market.
Where do you see the website in the future?
Although it seems unusual to contemplate the future now when you’re only just thinking about designing and building a website at present, it’s crucial to have some sense of direction even in the early concept and development stages. Although things can (and do) change through the course of a business’ (and website’s) life, having an idea of where you think you’d like to go and how things will develop is important, as this enables you to work towards the goals you’ve set and cater for any refreshments or adaptations which may be needed as a consequence of changing climate or circumstances.
At Search and More, we approach website design differently. For more information on what we do and how we do it, head over to our Services page.
