Getting a new website designed for your business is always an exciting time, it creates a feeling of growth – whether it is a businesses first, or a replacement for something that may have become outdated or behind the times.
But, to maximise the end result, several things need to be considered and research should be undertaken. Without this, there is a risk that the website will fall short in some areas. It can also result in the building process taking longer than it should, potentially costing the business more money.
Remember, we are experts in web design and development. And, although we often unearth interesting information during our discovery phase, nobody knows your business and your industry like you do! So, taking some time to think about the below pointers can really make a difference.
Know Your Competitors
It is likely that as a business owner, you will have a pretty good idea of who your competitors are, however online competitors can be quite different to local competition.
So, there are several ways to look out at who you might be going up against.
Google is always a good place to start. Entering search terms similar to your businesses will effectively generate a list of competitors that you might be going up against. Also, tools like Semrush allow you to see which competitors are scoring well for keywords and who is getting the most traffic, as well as providing other helpful insights.
Our latest friend, Chat GPT, may also help compile a list of competitors, though always be aware that there can be glaring errors.
Doing your competitor research can then generate a good list of do’s and don’ts. What is successful for them? What isn’t? This is a great place to start.
Know Your Audience
As we’ve said, nobody knows your industry like you and therefore you should have a good indication of audience groups. This can, occasionally, be taken for granted though. Perhaps who your audience are, aren’t who they once were. Or, maybe your audience has grown so the requirement is to appeal to more people.
Basically, letting us know your audience before we design and build a website is going to massively improve the finished website.
One key factor here is the website copy, with it necessary that copywriting is written with the correct audience in mind. Now, copy can be supplied by the client, or by our in-house specialist. Although many people think writing website copy is straight forward, this is not the case.
Good website copy needs to be hit the right tone about the business, be complete error free and consider SEO. We highly recommend leaving it for the professionals.
Learn more about the importance of using a copywriter for your site.
Know Your Features
Having a good idea about what features you need on a website to make it effective is another way to make sure the process is swift. Generally, the type of business dictates the required features, but not always.
By ‘features’, we mean aspect of a website that users can actively engage with. So, does the website need to be able to take bookings? Or, are there product or service sales that will be going through the website?
Other features can provide online courses, or even portals for clients or employees to use. Our previous blog looks at key features to enhance websites, so that might be worth a look.
But, basically, knowing which of these features are required pre-build is going to help considerably with layout, user experience and more.
Know Your Budget
Almost everybody in business right now, regardless of sector or service, will admit that everything is tighter financially than it was a few years ago. The cost of pretty much everything has increased and created real pressure.
Knowing how much there is to spend on a new website is important, and those that have put aside specific marketing budgets are the companies that are currently able to afford either new or re-designed websites.
However, at WADEDIGITAL we have started to offer payment plans to make it easier for clients to secure a fantastic new website. We see a effective website as being a surefire way of generating more income, and to not be able to afford one can hinder this, which is why we began offering these plans.
Know Your Marketing Strategy
Finally, its important to know, ahead of the finished site, how your will promote your new website. Without some active and engaging promotion, how are potential and existing clients going to be able to see the new website?
Google Ads is a popular way to drive traffic to websites, and for good reason, it works! Furthermore, it doesn’t require a huge budget to get some excellent results.
The other key tool to drive traffic and promote a new website is social media. Choosing the right platform – whether its LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or a mixture of all – is important and the previously discussed audience research should help with this.
A well written blog, that hits all the right SEO, is good way to drive organic traffic to a new website.
So, as you can see, there are several options regarding marketing strategy, and a combination of all of the above is likely to be the best way to go. We offer support on all of these platforms.
Spending time researching and looking into the pointers above is ultimately going to make your businesses website more effective, and better suited to your audience. WADEDIGITAL are here to help in any way we can, so if you are thinking about a new website, or maybe renovating your current site, contact us and see how we can help.
