Whether you’ve been involved with websites for years or if this is your first time, here are a few helpful things to consider when beginning a new web project.
1. Branding
The first thing to consider is whether or not to do a complete rebranding of your organizational identity. Your website, if done right, should become the hub of all things related to your organization’s communication strategy. Thus, your website needs to reflect your organization’s brand, which in turn needs to truly reflect the essence of your organization. It’s just practical, and that’s why we typically do identity work and website development during the same process. If you are planning on implementing a rebrand, this should be done in tandem with, if not before, a web project.
2. Target Audience
Who are you really making this site for? Are there several types of people that you want to focus on and provide content for? Do they all need different types of content? It is essential to discover who your site users are, and why they are coming to your webpage. Are you trying to better communicate to an existing group who visits your current site? Or are you trying to reach a new group of people? Why are these people coming to your site? In short: what do they need and how can your site provide it? These are big picture questions, and we can help you answer them. But before anyone even sketches a wireframe, you have to ask “Who am I making this for?” Once you’ve figured out who they are, and what they need, you can move on to the next step.
3. Sitemap and Structure
Planning the sitemap and structure of your website is about making the important stuff be the first and most obvious thing a site user will see. We often ask our clients to define the top 2-3 things you want a user to take away from or experience on your site. Once we’ve established that, then that becomes the filter through which we plan out which pages and which types of content will need to be on the site and how it should be organized. Structuring the information in a way that makes sense to your site users is essential. If your site map flows like the hierarchy of your organization, it might make sense to you, but will it to your visitor? Developing a quality sitemap is not necessarily simple, nor is it easy. This is something we have a great amount of experience with, and we can help you guide your viewers easily to the information they need.
4. Content Creation and Updates
Believe it or not, people have shorter attention spans than they used to, and communicating in a clear, concise manner is essential on the web. Tell your story quickly and use terms that are easy to understand and relate to. Content creation is one part of the web development process that takes many clients off-guard at how much work is involved to do it well. Once you have a solid sitemap in place, you can see how much content needs to be created. Don’t be afraid to bring in copy writer who can bring a fresh voice to your copy and help keep your project from getting delayed because you don’t have time to create it yourself. Another consideration of content is updating it. Many of our sites have Content Management Systems that allow you to make updates to your site content as you desire. However, it is important to consider who will be making those updates, as that person should be a skilled communicator, familiar with your desired tone and style.
5. Media Capabilities
Pictures speak louder than words. Almost everyone is using video these days because it’s one of the most compelling story-telling mediums available. Many sites we build are specifically designed to feature video or imagery. For both of these elements you should have someone in charge of making sure they are the style you want and that the quality is high. We can generate incredible imagery to complement your new or existing site, and have connections with some video companies to help you get the video content you need.
Your website is an incredibly powerful tool, whether it be the focus of a new ad campaign or your primary revenue source. These are a few of the things you should take into consideration if you are building a new site. We can help walk you through each of these and get your project started right. So, what are you waiting for? Give us a shout and let’s get your new website up and working for you.
