In order to create a website that meets the needs of your most important target audiences, you have research into who those people are, and why they are coming to your site. It is not uncommon for one business to have multiple primary user groups. For example, a website for a doctor’s clinic would likely select their patients as their primary audience. However, if the healthcare professionals who work at the clinic also access the website in order to update client information, schedule appointments, respond to public inquiries, and post updates, and then the internal healthcare professionals should be considered primary users. Before contacting a website development company, it is essential to narrow down your user audiences, identify why they come to your website, and consider how you change your site to better meet their needs.
Your company’s logo, colour scheme of your branding and the visual branding guidelines document. These are all things to consider when investing in building a website. The more clear, consistent, and contemporary your branding is, the more visually appealing your website will be. However, it is important to remember that the website development team you hire will likely not be responsible for the brand identity of your site. Thus, the responsibility is on you to come to the table with your branding guidelines in hand.
In 2018, no business should be investing in a website that is not being built for mobile first. With 51% of global web traffic originating from mobile devices, skipping on responsiveness is one of the assured ways to hinder the success of your site. You want to ensure that your design is optimized for how images, text, logos, and other elements will look on smaller screens since many of your visitors will be accessing your site from a tablet or cell phone. Ask your web development company if they are familiar with a mobile-first design, sensory design, and adaptive design, each of which is necessary when creating a website with mobile users in mind.
What is a CTA? A statement or question motivates your website visitors to do something. For example, including the statement, “Follow us on Facebook for more exclusive discount!” at the end of a blog post inspires readers to take action by following your business on social media. As a rule of thumb, every page of your website should have at least one CTA. It is also critical to remember that when you include a CTA on your website, your visitors should immediately be able to complete the suggested action by clicking on your button. For example, if you include a CTA that says “Download Our Catalogue Here!”. your visitors should be able to click on the word “here” and instantly be taken to the download link. Complicated CTAs or broken links will leave your users feeling frustrated.
Never make the mistake of building a website that will only meet your current needs. There is no better time to factor in the future than while you are in the process of a website redesign. Too often, business owners spend an excessive amount of cash on building a website, only to realize a few months down the road that there are already new functions that they require, and they don’t have the ability to make them happen. Simple things like avoiding single points of failure are necessary if your website is going to continue to meet your business requirements for years to come. Ask yourself, where will we keep our website data, how will we access it, and how frequently will we back it up? Always aim to minimize the likelihood that your website could be compromised if one thing goes wrong. Having a backup plan and a backup, backup plan is always better than realizing you are stuck with your current situation because you did not plan.