If you’d like your website project to go smoothly and painlessly (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t want this), here are some things to do:
📐 1: Know your business plan — even if it’s not final or perfect.
🎨 2: Solidify your visual style.
💿 3: Get some content.
📢 4: Know your marketing plan.
🤝 5: Partner with the right designer/developer for you.
Get these things settled, and your website project will be much easier. I promise! I’ve worked on so many website projects over the last 15 years, and these things make a massive difference. Let me explain!
1. Knowing your business plan;
It’s okay if you don’t have this finalised or perfected yet. But knowing this reduces the fussing around with deciding what features to have on your website. Decide who your business is for, what message they want to hear, and how to shape your offers. Work with a business coach if you’re stuck here.
2. Solidify your visual style;
Having decisions made on your brand’s visual style can save back-and-forth with your designer, trying to decide how things should look. When you have your visual identity worked out, you not only save on decision making, but you have something you can use again and again in other marketing collateral. Work with a brand designer if you’re stuck here.
Having a brand style guide in place eliminates decisions in how your website should look. This saves significant time and effort during the design phase, as all visual elements, from colours and typography to imagery and logos, are already defined. It ensures consistency across the entire site, reflecting your brand identity accurately and professionally.
3. Get some content;
It’s way easier to design a website layout for content, as opposed to trying to write/source content that fits a particular website layout. If you don’t know what content your website should have, you may need to go a little deeper in your business plan.
4. Know your marketing plan;
If you build it, they won’t come. A website without a marketing plan is like a birthday party without invitations. If ads, SEO, or email marketing are part of the plan, then your website can be built around things.
5. Partner with the right designer/developer for you;
If you have a particular way you like to be communicated with… If you want to be more hands on… More hands off… Find a partner who accepts the way you work. If you don’t like meetings, find a web designer who doesn’t need meetings all the time. If you want to talk on the phone every week, find someone who’ll do that. The last thing you need is to be stuck in a process or communication style that doesn’t suit you! Find this out by looking at testimonials of the web designers or developers you’re shortlisting.
Summary
After 15 years in this industry, I’ve worked with many kinds of businesses in helping them get online. I’ve lived and learned, and know I’m proud to share this information with you. Because yes, when you have these plans and guidelines in place, your website project will have less hassles. By following this advice, I hope you too can ensure your website project goes smoothly.
I hope this information was useful. If you think it may help someone you know, please feel free to share it with them.