So you need a new website. Take it from us – you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle by doing some simple research before diving into the deep end.
We get loads of people asking us where to start and what they should consider when building a website, which is great – we love working through the process from start to finish – but if you’re looking to get the ball rolling quickly (or are just super-organised), we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the 6 essential factors you should consider.
The objective
This might sound obvious, but you need to have a clear objective for your website. Is it to create an online presence for your company? Is it for personal use, such as a blog or portfolio? Are you selling products? Is your website a place for customers/clients to contact you? Without a clear objective, it’s almost impossible to get started.
Find examples
Research your competitors’ websites or find websites you like the look of. Not only will this help to narrow down your website’s objective, but will give us an idea of what kind of style and design you want to achieve from your new website.
Content
This is arguably the most important factor for a quick turnaround. You may already have a website and are happy with the content – that’s fine, it’s easy to transfer copy. If you have absolutely no content AT ALL, you need some. Whether you write it yourself or get someone to write it for you, the content helps to create a site map (a map of where everything goes on your website), which is the basis of any website. We have a brilliant copyrighter if you need some (or a lot!) of new content.
Branding
Without branding, your website has no identity. Even if your site is intended for personal use, there still needs to be an element of branding – “Joe Blogg’s Portfolio” will suffice! For large companies, we’re talking logos and any other branding material you may already have. Alternatively, we can design all kinds of branding material if you’re looking to spruce up or modernise your current branding identity.
Colour scheme
Your colour scheme may coincide with your branding, or maybe you have a clear vision of you’re your website will look like. Colours aren’t necessarily the be-all and end-all, but it definitely helps to know the “feel” you’re going for from the outset. We understand that picking colours to use on your website isn’t as easy as it sounds (there are SO. MANY. COLOURS) but we’re pretty well-tuned at picking colours that complement each other.
Images and video
Last but definitely not least, images. Images images images. When was the last time you visited a (good) website without any images? We bet it’s NEVER. Images of products, your local area, your team members, your premises, images of EVERYTHING relevant to your website/company are useful. The more personable, the better. We can use stock photos, but these aren’t always a great idea, especially if you want your website to be totally individual and specific to your company (anyone can buy and use stock photos). It’s also best to keep your images up-to-date, so if you’re revamping an old website with old images, we’d recommend getting a professional in to take high-quality updated photos or even a state-of-the-art video. It’ll be worth it, trust us!
Of course there are plenty of other factors you need to consider when building a website, but these 6 points are a great starting point. If you can nail the above nuts and bolts (excuse the pun) you’re at a really great starting point. In fact, we’d say you’re ready to take the plunge!
So what’s stopping you? We’d love to hear from you. Just click here to get the ball rolling.
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