Our business development team are always talking to prospective clients, helping determine their needs so we can offer the best possible digital service for their business goals. Previously, we talked to our Managing Director Liam Giles about how much does a website cost. Next in our series of helpful tips for new clients, our Senior Account Manager Luke discusses the key things to consider before coming to us for a project.
PAGE TYPES
Instead of thinking about how many pages you want on your website, consider how many different page types you will need. A new website project is the perfect chance to review your current website functionality and consider adding brand new page types such as blog, events listings, team page, shop, case studies etc. Our expert team can help you determine the right page types for your business. Make sure to include any examples of websites with page types you particularly like!
SPECIAL PAGE TYPES
Tying in with the above, consider the different purposes you need your website to serve. Is it going to be solely informational? Or does it need to work with other aspects of the company e.g. ecommerce? Being able to answer these questions from the offset will help determine your site’s architecture, both in terms of design and development.
For instance, if you do need an events page or job listing page, are they just listings or do your audiences need to be able to book an event or apply for a job directly on the website? Knowing the full list of functionalities you require will allow us to accurately determine the full scope of the project, saving time and the need for adding further page types.
E-COMMERCE FUNCTIONALITIES
There are lots of things to consider with E-commerce functionality. For example, if you are selling products on the site, are there product variants (e.g. clothing sizes and colours)? Does the site need to handle stock levels? Does it need to handle returns? Do you need to include promo codes? Do you only deliver to certain locations? Is it just one currency?
Product categorisation is one of the key functionalities for e-commerce websites. Depending on the number of categories and subcategories you want to separate your products into, we can create a structure that makes it easy for you to categorise the products whilst also allowing customers to easily navigate to the product they need. Straightforward navigation and related products are likely to encourage visitors to make more purchases.
THIRD PARTY INTEGRATION
Does your website or E-commerce store require integration with other systems, such as client management system, accounting, inventory or marketing functionalities? It’s essential for the success of an E-commerce website that any integrations with other systems are planned in advance and executed correctly. If you don’t know where to start, we can advise you on different integration options and help you choose the one best suited to your requirements.
TIMESCALES
When you’re planning a web project, you should also consider what your timescales are. We can be flexible and work to a degree of different timescales, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the average project takes a minimum of 8-10 weeks for design and build depending on the amount of page types and functionality required.
Top tip: Coordinating the launch of your new all singing, all dancing website with an important event for your business (e.g. trade exhibition, networking opportunities, talks etc.) can be a great strategy, but you should start planning for it way in advance to ensure deadlines are met.
BRAND GUIDELINES
Do you have brand guidelines for us to work with? Or do you have a logo, brand colours and fonts? If you are looking for a rebrand, this is key for us to consider. If you are looking to completely rebrand your business, our team of brand experts and designers can work with you to build a shiny new brand that incorporates your values and appeals to your target audience. We can then make sure your new website shows off the fresh look.
BUDGET
Having a clear idea of budget can help us determine what route might be right for each client. For instance, if we know that your budget less than the list of functionalities requires, we can look at other more accessible routes that would fit within the allocated amount of money.
CMS PLATFORM
Do you have any CMS platform preferences? We work with Umbraco, Kentico and WordPress, all of which have their benefits and merits, as well as different price points associated with them. If you are unsure of what each one has to offer, we can make a suggestion based on your budget or specific requirements.
Did you know we are a:
Take a look at our guide to choosing the right CMS for more in-depth information.
Learn more the website services Spindogs offer or contact us for a chat.