Whether you’re getting your tired old website redone or getting your first website, it can be challenging to know where to start. If you’re engaging the services of a website company, they will help guide you through this process. What follows is what you can expect from your website company and what you will need to provide.
First step: Getting the look right
Let’s start with how your site should look. Your website is an important spokesperson of your company, all the while silently speaking on your behalf, attempting to sell your products and services in your absence.
Your website needs to look professional and it should accurately reflect the company brand, looking like part of the business.
The first thing you’ll need to provide the website company is your company logo. Do you have your logo on file and can you supply this in jpg or eps format? Email this to your website company prior to your meeting, or after.
At your first meeting, you’ll also be asked what websites you like the look of. This will help illustrate to the designer how you want your website to look, so have a list on hand of four or five websites you like. These can be in any industry. Referring to these websites at your meeting, outlining what you like and what you don’t like, will help shape your new website – both its look and content.
The website content
What pages do you want on your site?
This can be sorted out later but it helps to have some idea at the outset. The usual pages are: home, about, services and/or products, contact. These pages should be on your site at the bare minimum.
Special requirements
Besides being a sales tool, what other, more specific requirements do you have of your website? For example, do you need names collected from a website enquiry form and automatically added to a back-end database? Do you need weather apps on display, or live video streaming?
Any special requirements like these need to be mentioned early on so they can be factored into the website build. Your website company will help guide you on this.
Imagery
Without any pictures, website pages are uninspiring, uninteresting, boring blocks of text.
Either supply (professionally taken) photos, or ask your website company about stock photography. Many website companies have access to stock libraries containing thousands of photos.
