Website Design

With respect to your business and it's website, consider the following:

1. What will a website actually do for your business? For example:
   • Was there a reason that drove you to finally getting around to doing a website - i.e. were you thinking "wouldn't it be nice if..."
   • Tell potential and existing customers about your business and what you can do for them
   • Improve your business image: have your own relevant website and email address
   • Make it nice and clear how people can contact you
     (don't you hate it when you go to a website and you can't find a phone number!!!)
   • ... or maybe you want to keep people off the phone?
   • Have a map so that people can find you
   • Post images and a short biography of key staff on the site
   • Publish podcasts
   • Provide a ready source of information that you can refer people to - including tech support
   • Streamline your processes by having forms for your customers to fill in or download
   • Allow customers to tell you more about themselves
   • Allow people to subscribe to your newsletters and alike
   • Allow people to ask for more information on your products &/or services
   • Publish testimonials, case studies etc
   • Advertise partners, suppliers, associates
   • What else?
2. Your target audience:
   
   • What do your target audience want from your website?
   • Who are your target audience? Technical people? Professionals? Sales?
   • What will your target audience respond to? Lots of information, or lots of whitespace? Loads of colour, or very plain? Busy with lots of bits of information everywhere, or clean?
   • Can you increase customer loyalty with your website? For example - have a customer only log in that adds value to your site for the customer?
3. You, your staff and your business associates - password protected areas?
   • Internal Web mail (looking at your email via a web browser at an Internet Cafe, for example)
   • Common facts and figures reference
4. ROI:
   • There is an often overwhelming temptation to build the world's most fantastic and amazing website.  Bear in mind that this will cost money.  Will this result in return on investment?  Or will a simpler (as easier to maintain) website work just as well?  Review your choices in (1) with ROI in mind.  If you don't know the cost, get some quotes but make sure you get your specifications right first, because website design is like any trade: some will quote to get the job and keep charging you from there: "oh... you didn't say you wanted and engine with your new car! That will cost you extra: we can deliver in 3 weeks."
5. Competitors:
   • do your competitors have websites?
     • Are they up to date? (nothing like a news section with olds in it! Or a bulletin board or forum that nobody participates in!)
     • Do they suit the look and feel of your industry?
     • Is the website there just so that they can say they have a website?
     • Do they advertise prices, guarantees or use other sales techniques?
     • Do you like their website?
     • If you pretend to be a potential customer, what are your competitors missing on their site? What do you like and don't like?