Whether you have an existing website or a brand new venture, you want to be sure that your brand and vision is shown in its true form and integrity. Prior to staring your Web Development project or going out for competitive bids with qualified agencies, we recommend that you figure out a few of the critical components such as: what you want to sell, or if you want your website to serve as an information portal for others to contact you directly. We have provided you with details on the five critical step to consider before you begin your web development process, which we believe will help you gather all that you need to ensure that your project is a seamless one.
1. What are you in the business of selling?
You don’t have to always sell a product online to get your piece of the pie. Many companies have informational sites that are comprehensive and engaging. Websites can vary in functionality based off of what solution it is offering. If you are looking for qualified leads, then a lead generation funnel should be considered. If you are looking for eCommerce to sell a product, then a sales conversion funnel should be considered for your business model.
2. Know Your Competitors
It is further advisable that you list out your competitors and see what they are doing differently. You could use that as inspiration to figure out what you want for your future website. What features are they utilizing within their website? How is the website with interaction? Can you find information easily? Is the website content easy-to-understand? Is it compelling?
3. How much are you wiling to spend for your website?
This one is rather tricky, as one of our services is web development. As much as clients want to have the ‘luxuries’ on their websites, they forget that there is actually a person who is designing, programming, editing, copywriting, you get the idea. It is not something that is slapped together, it takes a lot of time, and if done correctly, it is a true science and strategy. If you are thinking of a $500 budget, then you are better off using a pre-existing theme to start, and putting aside funds towards a custom solution. Word of advise, if it seems to good to be true that someone will give you a fully functioning website with all the creative ideas, it is likely too good to be true. Why would you sell your product for $500 when it is well worth $3,500+? Food for thought.
4. How quickly did you want to launch your website?
As seasoned professionals in the industry, clients often say that they want to launch “as soon as possible.” However, be realistic in your time lines, because some of the material that you may have is not likely going to be used for your website. On the average, we give our clients a few weeks to gather the following: content, high resolution pictures, copy ideas, branding, logo, and anything else that they may want featured in the infrastructure. A simple website project can take anywhere between 3-5 weeks, because you have to also test on other web browsers such as: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Explorer. Don’t forget that many of these have different versions, because not everyone uses the most up to date web browsers.
5. Planning Your Functionality
Websites are extremely fluid and dynamic and can become large scale based on any given set of requirements. Knowing what type of functionality you want is important for your web presence, and a rather critical time sensitive step. For example, if you require individuals in your business to be able to update content on a consistent basis, then you may require a content management system. Now let’s take this one step further. For example, let’s just imagine that you have several departments that require access to different sections of the website. You may require that your users have different types of access levels and administrator privileges. This is a classic example of a functionality build-out. You can see how vital it is to plan these types of projects in advance in order to avoid delays, and cost-impacts.
There you have it, the five most important elements prior to starting your web development projects. All these notes will save you time, resources, and more importantly your investment when working with an agency during your development stages.
To Your Success
