The following is a basic step by step guide to the web design planning process with the aim to brief your web developer for ulimate online success

The Basic Steps

So you are ready to establish a presence for your business online and you want to know what you need before you begin collaborating with a web developer. Great! Ask yourself the following questions to gain a better understanding of exactly what you’ll need to ask.

Website Briefing questions I often ask my clients

1/ What are your website goals?

• To sell products
• To generate interest/revenue in other ways: professional services, subscriptions to blog content etc
• To establish yourself as an authority on a topic
• To provide resources for existing customers
• Other

2/ What type of website do you want?

• Information based website (some information about your business & contact)
• E-commerce website (information website + ability to sell products)
• E-Learning website (information website + ability to sell courses)
• E-Booking website (information website + ability to automate bookings)
• Other

3/ What are the 3 main aspects of your business? ie: service1, service2 and product  or event

4/ What/Who is your target audience (Demographic) See also my knowing your brand article

• What is their age
• What is their gender
• Where is their location
• What are their interests
• Where do they hangout online
• What are their beliefs

5/ What is your communication strategy? ie: What is the overall message you are trying to convey to your target audience? Cost effective? Reliable? Customer Focused? Quality service? Time Saving? Etc. What is the promise or benefit? This is an if/then statement i.e. If you buy our product/service then you will save time and save money.

6/ List your services if any

7/ List your products if any

8/ List your possible menu items ie:

• About us
• Services (if yes, list the sub menu items below)
• Products (if yes, list the sub menu items below)
• Blog
• Courses
• Resources/Links
• Other

9/ List your possible menu items ie:List some of your competitors websites (similar industry and target market)

10/ What other functionality do you want in your website? ie:

• To have a gallery of images
• To display google maps
• To display calendar of events
• To gain automatic bookings for my service
• To display or link to social media
• To gain subscriptions
• To display video’s
• To be able to update content myself
• other

11/ Research and give examples of these functions or websites that you like/have seen on the web

12/ What existing online presence or business design collateral do you have now?

• An existing website
• A domain name registered
• A Hosting account
• Written content
• Video/Pictures
• A business plan
• Existing customers
• An email account
• A logo

13/ What is the deadline for your website to be ‘live’.

Checklist for website preparation

• Register domain name (crazydomains is a good/cheaper domain registra)
• Hosting ( ask your web designer or find a hosting plan yourself)
• Information: Have all your copy ready beforehand. Fully edited, proof read with no spelling mistakes! It’s important for SEO to have keyword rich content….ask your web designer!
• Collate pictures and video
• Know the Industry, target market and competitors sites
• Have a relevant email
• Set up social media if applicable or ask your web designer
• Set up paypal if applicable or ask your web designer
• Know the preferred deadline

If you don’t understand any of the above, don’t worry! Ask your web developer, they are their to guide you through :-)

Burning questions?

Contact me at kellie@mangotreemedia.com.au, I’m happy to give any advise with no obligation :-)