Five important things to remember when creating a new website

Creating a new website for your business? Then there are a few things, here at Social Media Brand Experts, which we feel you need to consider when designing and building your new web presence. If you follow these 5 steps when creating your website you will be well on your way to publishing it into the public domain!

1. Think: Who is your target audience?

Firstly, when beginning any new website project, you need to focus on your clients and prospects; what is most important? Many businesses will feel the need to wax lyrical about how great their company is, however, while this is important to convey, all a potential client really wants to know is, “what’s in it for me?” When starting a new web build project, if you think pragmatically, and view the website as if you were the potential client or customer, then you will succeed in creating the best website possible for your company.

2. Think: What image do you want the site to convey?

Websites are all about creating an online image for your business or organisation, and that appearance needs to be consistent throughout the site. For example, if you pick a colour and a theme to use on the site, apply it to the entirety of the web design project – make every page and post consistent in both their look and their feel. If you don’t love the way your site looks today, you’re not going to love it tomorrow or the day after that. As long as you have a good sense of style and website aesthetics, visitors to your site won’t mind having it burned into their brains!

3. Competitors Websites – What do you like/ hate about them?

You need to spend some time having a look around at what websites are already out there. From this research you can gain a good understanding of what defines a good or bad design. Try navigating 5 sites as if you were a potential client considering using that company. If the site leaves you cold or it looks the same to others out there, use these notes and make sure you do not make the same mistakes. You want to stand out against your competitors, not blend in with the rest.

4. Scalability

If you are considering building a new website on a budget, considering scalability is very important! Think before starting, how easy will it be to develop the site after it has launched? Make sure you build your site with growth in mind, the design and CMS should allow for additional pages if needed.

5. Copywriting

A subject that is often overlooked in launching a new website is the copy. Before you even consider setting foundations of the site design, you should determine who is writing the copy, as well as considering the intended audiences, and therefore the tone that will be needed. Website copy is very important, but that being said, with online, less is often more. There is a large amount of business owners who want to tell the entire world everything they know. The web is not the place for this. That’s what dissertations are for! Pretend that each word costs money to use and thereby use discretion!

Here at SMBE we design and build websites with high functionality and high impact regardless of size and complexity. We have crafted all sorts of intelligent and responsive websites for local, national, and international clients. With a range of client experience across a broad range of industries, from travel and tourism to national parks and local government authorities, we can help your business make the most of a new website.

For more information on how our websites can help drive interest in your business, contact Social Media Brand Experts (SMBE) on query@socialmediabrandexperts.com, +44 (0) 2031 029 690 or through Twitter @SMB_Experts.

SMBE Innovation Team