It can be hard to know where to begin when you need a new website. There's so much jargon, so many options, so much to consider and always someone with an opinion! Whether you need a new business website, or are about to revamp an existing site, forget the geek speak and read on...
Start with your objectives
As with any project, the best place to start is with one simple word - WHY. Before getting excited about all the wonderful things you can do online, simply ask yourself "Why do I need a website?". The answer "because everyone else has one" is not enough. Think about what you want your website to achieve, what results you want to get, how it can help your business.
Here are some examples of why a business might need a new or redesigned website:
- to attract new or different customers
- to build better relationships with existing customers
- to increase brand/business profile
- to improve market share or overtake competitors
- to launch or prioritise specific products/services
- to reduce overall sales costs or support time
- to attract investors or potential recruits
- to communicate information in a more flexible or timely way
Know your audience
The next step is to define WHO you want to reach, what motivates them, and how you want to interact with them via your website. Even if you're appealing to a broad market, you can think about what the issues are for different groups within your audience and why they might visit your website.
Depending on your business type and target market, it can be useful to define your audience in terms of:
- demographics (age, gender, occupation, income bracket)
- location (local, state-wide, national, international)
- personality (eg adventurous, conservative, practical, inquisitive, fun-loving, etc)
- interests (typical hobbies, politics, lifestyle choices)
- relationship with your business (current customers, potential customers, staff, suppliers, community, other stakeholders)
- priority (primary and secondary target audiences)
Once you have a handle on who you're after, think about what the barriers and benefits are for them when dealing with your business, and what you would like each of them to DO when they visit your website (such as buy something, contact you, apply for a job, tell a friend, etc). Think also about WHERE else they interact with your business (phone, ads, personal contact, etc) and how your website fits into the overall picture.
Do some market research
Who are your competitors? What are their websites like? What makes your business different? Which websites (in your industry sector or others) do you see as benchmarks or examples of good practice? Armed with this information, you'll be in a better position to know how you could make your site stand out from the rest. You might also pick up some handy tips along the way.
Write it all down
Put your objectives, audiences and market research in writing. This will help you brief a web designer, as well as giving you something to help measure your site against later. It needn't be a formal briefing document; a list of bullet points is often fine to get started with. See the downloads page for some example briefing checklists.
Set scope and budget
A website, like any other piece of marketing or communication, has to earn its keep. If you invest in a professional website, you want to know your investment will pay off. You can measure whether your website is doing its job by monitoring it against your original objectives. These may not all be in hard financial terms; you can also use softer measures like brand awareness or customer satisfaction.
Deciding how much to budget for can be tricky. Generally you get what you pay for, so investing in a cheap website might cost more in the long run, especially if you have to re-do it later. You'll also need to budget for ongoing costs - not just technical stuff like web hosting, but online marketing and content updating.
Defining project scope is very important. How big and complex a website do you actually need? A professional web designer will make sure your total website solution is appropriate for your objectives. For example, they'll ask how often you update content, to see if you'll need a content management system. They'll look at how your website fits in with your other marketing activities, to make sure your online brand is consistent and your website supports your business relationships. Don't be sucked in by bells and whistles or over-the-top whizzy designs; just make sure the proposed solution lets you achieve your objectives.
It's all just common sense really
It's amazing how many people say they want a website without really knowing why they need it, who it's for or what they want it to do. Technology has a tendency to make people worry about the detail and the mechanics of it all, rather than the important stuff (like what you can do with it). Forget we're talking about websites for the moment; just follow standard marketing and communication best practice, backed by sound common sense.