Birthing a web site from scratch can be a long process, especially if all branding, functionality and logic have to be created from the ground up. There are also some common pitfalls that customers often fall prey to when undertaking the process, whether with Web Design Melbourne or outsourced overseas. Next time you are engaging a company to build a new website, or even update an existing one, take a few of the following points into consideration.
Be realistic
If you want a website with a ton of bells and whistles, that’s great. If you that website up and working next week, it’s probably not. Proper time is needed for bug checking and user acceptance testing, as well as the build itself. Think about releasing it as a three or four stage process, with an initial release of the basic site, followed by large updates. Remember, when a web site is activated, it is literally a baby – it then needs to be worked on, and populated with dynamic, relevant content before it begins being effective.
You also need to understand what your customers want. There is no use going for a flash heavy site with a huge intro movie when your users want a simple point and click directory. The key to an effective website is a powerful, logic driven back end with a simplistic yet attractive front end. Check with your web design Melbourne contact –they’ll be more than happy to give you some options.
Be prepared to constantly update your website
Google and other search engines react best to sites that offer dynamic content. It should never be a case of “set and leave” – a website needs to grow organically to deliver the best results. Customers will be encouraged to visit the site more often if they believe it will display updating, relevant content. Often, the hard work begins after the website is released!
Ensure all functionality is agreed upon before design and implementation
The situation: you are a Web Design Melbourne consultant, sitting down with a customer to design a fantastic web portal with a robust content management system, and simple yet elegant front end. You both agree on the specifications, and work is begun. A few weeks into the process, the customer requests a heap of extensive last minute changes. It’s now back to the drawing board – much of the work already completed needs to be thrown out, timelines are now extended by a few weeks, and costs blow out. Both the customer and the web designer are now unhappy. Sounds pretty bad hey? Unfortunately, it’s all too common these days.
It’s vital to agree on the basics for the site before any work is begun. Obviously, some additions or modifications may crop up – if they are not completely essential, try relegating them to a second stage of the build. It’s a much better idea to launch a simpler version of the site, then add modifications in subsequent stages, than it is to spend months and months agonising over the launch version of the site. Remember, as noted above – once a site is released, it is only a baby. It needs updates, content and revisions to begin growing and maturing.
Inspect what you expect
This should be your mantra. Ensure that you are across every stage of the design and creation process – nothing should ever come as a surprise. It is much easier to discuss minor flaws with your web designer Melbourne before they are implemented and become major issues. All good web designers should keep you fully updated about what is happening with the site, and provide a build schedule to track the various processes.
The birth of a new website should be as hassle free as possible, to ensure that you, as the customer, can spend your time wisely within your business, rather than running around trying to put out web design spotfires. Simply follow some of the key points above – be realistic in your goals, provide continuous updates and content, agree on core functionality and inspect everything that goes on – and you and your web design Melbourne should have no issues putting together a website that will aid your business and delight your customers.
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