Here are 3 things to consider before you approve a website design. These important items easily get lost or forgotten in the excitement of finding a web designer, choosing a design, and getting everything ready to go live.
Ensuring these three items are on point before you approve your design will save you a lot of time and money later by avoiding the hassle of a redesign years before it should have been necessary.
The goals of the website.
You can’t design or plan an effective website if the site goals are not the main priority of the design.
Before you approve a website design, the goals of a website are crucial in determining its overall design, functionality, and content. They help to guide the development process and ensure that the site is meeting the needs of its users and achieving the desired business objectives. Some general goals for a website include:
- Education: Websites can be used to inform users about a particular topic, product, or service. They can be course or information based.
- Sales: E-commerce websites are used to sell products or services directly from the site.
- Lead Generation: Websites can be used to collect contact information from potential customers in order to generate leads for sales teams.
- Brand awareness: Websites can be used to build brand awareness and establish a company as a thought leader in its industry.
- Communication: Websites can facilitate communication between a company and its customers, such as through live chat or help forums.
- Customer support: Websites can be used to provide customers with self-service support options, such as FAQs or knowledge bases.
- Community: Websites can be used to build and foster community among users, such as through forums or social media integrations.
Having clear and specific goals for a website can help ensure that it is effectively meeting the needs of its users and achieving short and long-term business goals.
Long-term plans for your website.
Is the site temporary or do you want it to grow with your business over many years?
If you want your company to grow large and you have budgeted funds, you shouldn’t consider a website builder platform. Build your own custom website or use WordPress, so you have the option to add functionality that will match the needs of your growing company.
Having a long-term plan for your website, before you approve a website design, is important for several reasons:
- Process Guiding: It helps to establish clear goals and objectives for your website, which in turn helps to guide the development and design process.
- Anticipe Changes: It allows you to anticipate and plan for potential changes in the industry or market, such as new technologies or trends, which can help to ensure that your website remains relevant and competitive.
- Identify Importance: It enables you to identify and prioritize the features and functionality that are most important to your target audience, which can help to improve user engagement and satisfaction.
- Strategy Review: It helps to ensure that your website is aligned with your overall business strategy, which can help to drive revenue and growth.
- Website Measurement: It allows you to continuously monitor and measure the performance of your website, and make necessary adjustments to optimize it.
Overall, having a long-term plan for your website can help to ensure that it is effective in achieving your business goals, and that it remains relevant and competitive in the long run.
Speed of the website.
Find out if the designer understands how the speed of the website impacts your google ranking before you approve a website design.
The slower it is, the less likely google is to share it at the top of search results. Many non-coding designers create beautiful sites that are too slow for Google and visitors do not stick around for more than a few seconds while waiting for your site to load.
Here are several reasons why website speed is important:
- User experience (UX): A slow-loading website can lead to a poor UX, causing visitors to become frustrated and leave the website.
- Search engine optimization (SEO): Search engines take website speed into account when ranking websites in search results. A faster website may receive a higher ranking and therefore more visibility than yours.
- Conversion rate: Slow-loading websites can negatively impact conversion rates, as users abandon the website before completing a purchase or desired action.
- Bounce rate: A slow-loading website can lead to a high bounce rate, where visitors leave the website after only visiting one page.
- Accessibility: A slow-loading website can make it difficult for users with slower internet connections or older devices to access the website. This may also impact existing customers or employees trying to access your site while at the cottage or traveling abroad.
- Mobile optimization: A slow-loading website is particularly detrimental for users accessing the website on a mobile device, as they are more likely to be on a slower network and the search engines consider mobile experience over desktop experience when ranking search results.
So there you have it! The 3 things to consider before you approve a website design. If you’d like to know what else you should consider before approving a design or designer, check out my e-book on How to Save Thousands of Dollars When You Build (or update) Your Website While Getting The Exact Design You Want!
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