Having a website built is an exciting experience, as you know that you will soon have a functional, user-friendly site to direct your customers to. But before you jump in, it’s important to consider a few things, such as what goals your website should reach and who your website should speak to.
Below are five important considerations to keep in mind before building a website.
1. Your audience
You can build a beautiful website, but it won’t matter if your target customers don’t find it useful. Rather than creating a site that you like, always put your audience first. The best way to do this is by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. What do they like? What problems are they trying to solve? Is there certain lingo your customers use? In the end, it’s important that your audience is happy.
2. Consistent branding
Your website should be an extension of your brand and consistent with the rest of your marketing materials, including your social media profiles and email marketing templates. Before you build your website, you might even find it beneficial to refresh your logo. This way, you’ll have a modern logo that looks great on your new site.
3. Site speed and name
Choose your domain name early on. This name will be all over your marketing materials, including business cards and banners. Here are some tips on how to choose a killer domain name. While you can change this name later on, you’ll be starting from scratch, so choose wisely the first time around.
As for speed, you’ll need an optimized website and reputable hosting provider. Internet users expect fast results, and Google prefers sites that meet user needs. So, having a fast loading site is a necessity. Spend time choosing your web developer and hosting provider.
4. Maintenance and security
Another consideration to make is who will handle regular updates to the site. This work includes updates to:
- Text and images
- Code
- Themes and plugins
- WordPress templates
- Security
Your website is a living thing that needs updates on a regular basis. No one likes a stale or irregular website, so be sure to consider who is responsible for these updates.
5. Content
Once your website is built, you’ll need to contribute regular content to keep it fresh and updated. Otherwise, your website will get buried deep in the search listings. If you’re not prepared to create blog posts and articles, you can hire a writer who is familiar with your industry.
When you take the time to consider these five elements, you can work with a web developer to build a better website. To discuss your web design project, contact Magna Technology today.
