7 Things to Prepare Before Creating A New Website for Your Business
Are you ready to create a new website for your business or organization?
It’s crucial for every organization, including small businesses, corporations, and non-profit organizations, to have an up-to-date, relevant, and user-friendly website. There is no excuse for anyone doing business or serving the public today not to have a website of some sort.
If you are looking to work with a web designer to create a new website for your business and/or give your existing website a brand new look, we’ve put together a list of items you should prepare to create an attractive and user-friendly website.
Budget
Creating a website will require an investment. You’ll need to pay for website hosting fees, website design fees, and other marketing costs related to developing a website that accurately represents your business.
It’s important to determine the amount of money you’d like to dedicate to creating the website you want. This amount will vary based on your needs and the phase of business you’re currently in. If you’re not sure what amount is a “good” amount, consider researching pricing for different website hosts (Wix, Shopify, GoDaddy, etc.) and a variety of web designers.
Brand Kit
Your brand kit is a toolbox that contains all the visual details of your brand, such as the colors, fonts, icons, logos, graphics, and images that represent your brand and what it stands for.
Canva has plenty of templates you can use for free or get a custom brand kit created by working with a graphic designer/brand specialist you trust.
Mission & Vision Statement(s)
Your website is going to need an About page. You’ll need to write down a mission and vision statement for your business that you can use to tell people why you do what you do. This page will become the perfect page to link to any applications that ask for business descriptions, bios, and/or the impact you hope to have.
Having an easy-to-find spot for your mission and vision statement(s) on your website is ESSENTIAL for grant applications and press (newspaper features, podcast appearances, etc.)
Product photos & videos
You don’t just want a website to work, you’ll want to create a website that POPS … something that stands out and really captures the essence of your business.
To do this, you’ll need product photos that make people understand what the product looks, smells, and feels like without actually having it in their hand. This can be achieved by including both professional and lifestyle product photos & videos (or product content) on your product pages.
Examples of professional product content include:
Mock-ups made by a graphic designer
AI-generated product photos/videos
Professional photos/videos taken by a photographer
Photos/videos taken on your smartphone camera with lighting & background tools
Examples of lifestyle product content include:
Pictures/videos a customer (or you if you use your own products) has taken using the product
Pictures/videos of your product “in action” (Also known as pictures of your product on display to objects that relate to how the product is used in real life. For example, placing the coffee beans you’re selling next to a coffee cup in a photo.)
List of functions you want the website to complete
In order to create a website that makes sense for your business or organization, you’ll need to decide what goals you want the website to achieve.
Examples of common website goals include:
Provide more details about my products/services
Allow clients to book appointments
Allow customers to purchase products and select delivery options
Provide more information about your business
Provide more information about your hours
Provide more information about your policies
Display examples of your work
Ask yourself: What do I need this website to do to make my business run smoother and faster?
Policies
Policies are the best way to maintain clear communication with your customers. They can set the tone & expectations for doing business with you.
Examples of common business policies include:
Refund/exchange policy
Cancellation policy
Shipping policy
Late policy
No show policy
Privacy policy
Domain name
A domain name is a unique name for each website.
When you initially set up your website, your website host (Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Go Daddy, etc.) will give you a random domain name. This domain name is not custom to your business and is often too hard to type into web search bars.
So, we recommend purchasing a custom domain to establish a branded and professional online home for your business. Custom domains usually look like “www.yourcompany.com”.
To limit the chances of your potential website visitors getting confused, it’s important to choose a domain name that closely matches the name of your business. Your domain name should not include dashes, special characters, or numbers if you can help it. This will keep confusion to a minimum and increase the chances of someone finding your website when they are looking for it.
To check the availability of the domain name you’re looking to use for your website, click here
By identifying, locating, and organizing the items mentioned above, you will set yourself up for success when working with your web designer to design your website (or designing your website yourself).
If you're looking for a website designer/developer, feel free to give us a call.
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