April 26, 2018
Many people become frustrated with website development projects. For others, the process might be smooth, but the result doesn’t live up to expectations. These situations occur when you fail to properly plan for a new website design project.
Now, before going on, you might be thinking it is up to the website designer to plan the project for you. Of course, they need a plan too, but there are also things you need to do, think about, and/or be aware of. By doing these things, you will end up with a better and more successful website.
Three Important Things to Remember Before You Start
Understand that Website Development is a Marketing Function
Website development is often mistaken as being a technical task, but it’s not. Instead, website development is a marketing function. After all, your website is a marketing tool, so the process of getting a new website developed should be led by your marketing team.
Decide on the Website’s Main Objectives
What do you want your business to achieve by getting a new website? This could be any one or a combination of the following common objectives:
Being clear about the objectives of your website is essential before you can move on.
What Do You Want the Website to Do?
You should also decide on the functionality you want the website to have. You don’t have to make a final list at this stage as the website developer you choose can help you with this part of the process. If there are things you want, however, list them out.
Remember as well, you might not be able to get all the functionality on your wish list. After all, you probably have a set budget that you must stay within, which may restrict the features you can have.
Two Additional Points to Consider at this Stage
The Next Stages
In part 2 of this series, we’ll look at the process of selecting and beginning work with a developer.