One of the most important considerations when starting on a project to build a new website is making sure that the client and developer have a clear idea of what the expected outcomes are.
In an industry which can come with a lot of jargon and technical information, it can be helpful to find a way of simplifying thing to make it easier for clients to get to grips with all the factors which will play a part in the development of a new website.
One way of doing that is to use a more common, everyday example which people will be more familiar with to explain some of the concepts - and for that I tend to use the example of a kitchen.
At first glance it may seem as if there aren’t many similarities between the two, but there are as many different types of kitchen as there are different types of website and many of the thought and decision making processes required are similar for each.
If you were looking to get a new kitchen fitted, you couldn’t just go to a supplier and simply ask for a new kitchen and expect that a few weeks later you’d have exactly what you had in mind and the same is true of a website. The supplier would need to measure the space, discuss which appliances you want, what kind of finishes you’d prefer - all of which would have an impact on the total cost for a project. There are just as many different variables when it comes to planning a website so it’s natural that the first step in the process would be a conversation between developer and client to get a clear idea of your requirements.
There might be building blocks which can be pieced together to create a website like you would appliances in a kitchen, but you need to make sure they’re the right tools for the job - a pizza oven wouldn’t be much use in an indian restaurant. Unless you know a bit about all the available options, it can be daunting and difficult to know where to begin.
With any project that I’m undertaking, the starting point is always the audience and with a website, that’s thinking about how best to engage them and fulfil their needs when they’re coming to the site. From a business owner's perspective, it's about making sure your website can convince visitors that your business can fulfil their needs and convert a casual browser into an enquiry, purchase or order as smoothly as possible. The way in which you do that will vary from site to site, which will mean the components which go into creating one site will differ from another depending on the needs of the user.
Everything about your website from it’s ease of use and functionality to the look and feel will have an impact on its effectiveness in engaging your audience. Faced with such a wide range of possibilities, having somebody to guide you through that process becomes invaluable. I can work with you to help you get to know your audience and learn how your website could help you meet their needs, get in touch to find out how I can help your business succeed.
