Misc

Thinking about a new website? Consider this

Author
Maja Krajewska
Published
26th March 2023
Length
3 minute read

If you’re looking into rebuilding your existing website, or looking to transform your digital brand completely, there are certain aspects you should consider before signing on the dotted line and paying your deposit.

Step one would be to find an agency with a strong portfolio of work and a brand ethos that reflects your own – if you’re a serious legal advisor with no time to mess about, opt for a well-established agency with the right expertise. On the other hand, if you’re a business training and consultancy organisation, search for an agency that has strong design skills which would enable you to not only sell your services but tell your story and experience with your website concept.

They must have the correct expertise to put forward ideas of functionality and features to stand out from the crows and your competitors.

 

Once you have found your match in terms of an agency, make sure to explore your options in terms of the website itself – are you looking for a low-budget, quick build that will give you a fresh look or would a custom build be required?

Allow enough time internally and consult with your experts to make an informed decision.

A template website will allow you to choose from a prebuilt design, your developers will then set this up as a website and add your imagery and text. This approach limits what you can do in terms of design, layout and originality as it’s an out-of-the-box solution.

When it comes to a custom website, is designed from the ground up, you’ll have control over every detail of the site and receive a completely original design, that matches your requirements exactly. This approach of course takes longer and therefore is more costly however we believe the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages when it comes to custom design and build.

If you’d like to read more about custom design versus template, check out our thoughts here.

 

Make sure to put time aside for preparation.

It’s important to know the ins and outs of the project, so you’re prepared for all the questions your web developer will be asking. If you’re wanting complex functionality or anything such as a booking system or translations – make sure you’re set on what you need and provide your developer with this information. For example, if you’re a café wanting to set up a booking system, you’ll require information such as: the amount of tables, number of guests minimum and maximum, time allocation as well as anything you’d like to know about your guests before the arrive.

Content

The website truly becomes a masterpiece when content is added and it becomes a useable solution. Original photography and structured copy can make or break the site.

We strongly recommend that you put time aside to create content for every page of the site and consider how the user will navigate to include links in the relevant places.  This can be a hefty job and takes longer than you think, therefore we recommend this is assigned to a full-time member of staff or outsourced to an agency. Original imagery will always be better than stock imagery – it adds authenticity, grit and a real face to the name – it effectively breaks the ice between you and your potential lead. We highly recommend taking photos on your iPhone, as even those will add originality to your content – it will grab attention too! After all, why invest in a custom designed website and use stock imagery?

 

A website project can be a big piece of work, therefore choose an agency that you trust and a team that will advise you well. It’s all about a partnership – it’s a marathon, not a race! To read more about our website projects, check out our flow here.

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