What do to do before you design a website?

What do I do before I engage a web developer or designer  to build a website? 5 things to remember when starting on a website project

1. Why – Determine why you might want a website. To promote your products or services, to sell online, to educate etc. Have you done your projections and research to determine that there is a market for whatever you plan to offer?

2. Platform – Decide what type of website is required at this time, as in size and quality of design input. Is it to be bespoke or open source, small or enterprise, purchase or SAAS. Who will know how to use it?

3. Plan – Create a wireframe or layout, a site structure and a navigation structure to allow visitors find their way around th esite with ease, even on a mobile device.

4. Content – Create whatever content is needed, in terms of text, images, video etc. All the content needs to be prepared before you get started. Once the wireframe is in place start talking with the graphic designer and put some flesh on the bone, before moving to the developer.

5. Budget – You will need a budget, before engaging any professionals. Get a guesstimate or estimate for the investment needed for the entire project to include R&D, Design, Development, Digital Marketing, Training and Maintenance. If the cost is more than you can afford, consider doing the project over a number of phases. Or get enough investment to allow you do it right.

If you were building a house you would do all these things, so why not do it with your website? Look for a web partner who can bring together al th ethings you need, design, development, digital marketing, training and maintenance. Most will not offer all services competently, unless you have the budget to use a huge agency. A good web partner will do what they are good at and bring in the other talent to ensure the success of your project.