A website is the business equivalent to a woman’s trusty little black dress (LBD) – you’ve just gotta have it if you’re going to be in business. As it can take an entire day of scouting dress shops to find that perfect LBD, designing your website requires a lot of thought and imagination. It’s not an off-the-rack experience!
In this short(ish) guide, we will cover the 5 Things You Need to Know Before Designing Your Website.
1. FUNCTION
While a LBD is the go-to garment for a variety of events, you might want to choose a less formal look for a casual day of shopping or something a little more spectacular for a black tie function. The same applies to a website. Ask yourself:
- Why do I need a website?
- What function do I want the site to fulfill?
- What is my industry?
- Who is my target audience?
- Who are my clients?
A website – like your trusty LBD – has to be both beautiful and functional.
If the main purpose of your site is to build your brand, you would need an online brochure with information about your company and products or services. An ecommerce site is more suitable to people who want to sell their products online.
Understanding the function of your website will ensure that you apply features, and obviously an aesthetic design, that will ensure that it meets your desired outcomes.
2. PROBLEM AREAS
Just like the average female body with its curves that many of us try to hide under the perfect LBD, a business often has issues that can be solved with the right website. It’s all about finding the right “fit.”
While updating a website with a more modern design, images and content will make it look better, it will not solve business problems. Think about the REAL issues that you want to address:
- generating more sales by accessing a larger global audience
- delivering solutions to more people, more quickly
- streamlining your work flow
It’s a matter of applying the right technology to encourage the changes you want to see.
Addressing the above issues will help catapult you towards living your life unbound.
What are your core desires – your reasons for being in the business you chose? What motivates you? How can it get even better? Let those questions guide you to the right answers.
3. SIZE
Bigger is not always more beautiful, particularly if you don’t have the content to fill up those spaces. Save money by starting small and adding more content pages as you go along. A small, basic site only needs about 4-5 pages, namely:
- Home
- Products / Services
- About
- Contact Us.
Fill the pages with beautiful, engaging and interesting content and you will see that less sometimes really is more.
4. ACCESSORIZE!
E-commerce is growing daily and if you sell products to a national or international market, you can only benefit from an ecommerce site. An ecommerce site requires a shopping cart, a merchant account, SSL certificate (for secure transactions) and a payment gateway.
It will make it easier for clients to purchase from you, which, with the right marketing strategy, will certainly increase your revenues and catapult you towards creating the lifestyle you desire.
5. MAINTENANCE
Who wants to run to the dry cleaners all the time?
If you want the ability to frequently upload new content to your site or add pages, you will want a content management system (CMS) that allows you to do just that. We at Unbound favor WordPress, which supports with a range of fantastic plug-ins to customize your experience.
It’s always a great idea to speak to someone who can help you assess your needs and desired outcomes before dashing headlong into designing your website, and we’re available to do just that. After all, we’re known for our unbound creativity, helpfulness and professional service.