Web design
Before commissioning a website, a business must consider what it is they want their website to achieve. This is just as true for companies seeking a re-design as for those firms joining the internet for the first time.
Before contacting a web design agency consider the following points:
Website goals
What do you want the website to achieve?
Is the aim to sell products or services?
Is it to increase footfall in an existing bricks-and-mortar business?
Is it to provide technical and support information to existing customers? A combination of these, or something else too?
Until you know what you want the website to achieve you and the web agency will struggle to reach a satisfactory design. This will also help define how many pages your sites will have and the content of individual pages.
Other firms' websites
How good do you think your competitors' websites are? Analyse three or four of them and note what you like and dislike about them.
Be specific: what exactly is it that you like or dislike? The layouts, the colours, the content, the navigation, the search facility, the graphics, the photos, and so on.
The more specific you can be about what you think of other websites, the more your agency will understand your perspective. Common understanding makes a better outcome more likely.
Branding
If you understand your company's image in the market then it help orientate your message.
Have you a corporate identity? The early stages of website design usually revolve around page layouts and colour schemes. If you have an existing corporate identity or know what it is going to be then share this with the web agency. It makes more sense to have this finalised at the outset if possible.
While we don't design logos at Dot Dash Splash, we can advise on how to get one for on a reasonable budget.
The design process
Potential website owners should be aware of the difference between support and enhancements. The box on the right gives our definitions.
Taking a few minutes to understand what is and isn't included in the web design process will help you get the most from it. It makes sense to discuss all your plans for the site that you have at the outset. This way future functionality -even if it isn't implemented in the first release of the website - can be catered for.
Freedom
Dot Dash Splash don't believe in tying customers in. You can choose to have us supply as much or as little as you like. We believe that our webhosting packages offer very good value although you are free to take a site we have designed and host it elsewhere.
Dot Dash Splash specialises in websites that do things. So whether you want a website with a online shop, an RSS feed, a bulleting board or want to stream live radio, please contact us.