Website Planning Guide

Website planning can seem slightly daunting for companies or organizations. With most tribulations and boundaries we have to overcome, we always start with the question, “where do I start”? Don’t worry, whether you’re planning a small business site, or a large e-commerce site, this planning guide will act as your muse and light to guide you through the dark area of website planning.  You may be a new company setting up a website for the first time, or you may wish to revive your current website and develop it to reflect your company or organizations new interests. You want to firstly pin point the features that will appeal to your customers, and the functionality and impact design you’re after. Once you’ve got your ideas defined and moulded, you’ll be ready to release your website for all the world to marvel at.

Objective

When planning a new website, or revamping a worn out site, it is vital to define the objective of your site before proceeding. You may wish your site to primarily sell products to consumers or wholesalers, or perhaps you wish to develop and enhance the company image. Whatever the objective of your site, it is important to make sure you have a clear idea of that to help you on your way.

Tailoring to an audience

Every website has a different purpose therefor reaching out to unique individuals and groups of people. Can you define your audience? Perhaps you are providing business-to-business services and offering expertise to other professionals in a particular field. On the other hand you could be selling your products to the public, therefor you need to acknowledge the target age group, and gender to ensure your website is appealing to their needs. You want to make sure your website is appealing and relevant to your target consumer.

What makes you stand out?

In order to gain a true understanding of what makes you different, it is helpful to research similar sites. By observing similar organizations or businesses, you can gain a true understanding of your competitors. It also gives you something to compare to, which helps you gain a clearer understanding of what makes you unique. It also gives you a chance to approach your area with a competitive angle, helping you ensure your service is of a quality and uniqueness, offering your consumer something more desirable than the rest. By looking at similar sites providing similar services, you can be inspired by certain content and design elements, or you can gain a better understanding of what you don’t like!

Decide Site Functionality

When planning your website you will have a rough idea of what you want it to feature. If you’re selling wholesale goods, your consumer may wish to request a quote from you. This is a feature that will benefit your customer and your website as it will be a key functionality to your businesses goals.  It is important to have a general contact feature to any business or organization website so that the customer can contact you directly with any inquiries about your services or products. A very popular feature on websites today is the use of video, blogs or other social media integration. Content marketing is key to any successful organization. Your business may benefit by having special forms on the website which gather leads.

Budget

A truly successful website should not be considered as a one-time marketing expense. A website is not just for Christmas. To ensure your website remains current and popular, you need to keep in mind that you’ll want to update your site when you make changes and updates to your organization or business. You should integrate your website in your long-term business goals, and should keep it fresh and up to date to encourage new customers, and regular visitors.