Is your company or organization around to start the process of getting a website built by a professional Web design team? Well, whether you are in Cochrane or Calgary, Alberta, or anywhere else in the world , you’ll be helping your Web designer , but also yourself , by doing some prep work before you contact Web designers for quotes . You will save time and money in the long run , since you will be clear on what you want and where you feel comfortable in letting the project go in the hands of the Web design team.
Here are some tips to consider before you start interviewing potential Calgary Web Design teams .
- Know your business niche. If you are starting a business or in business already , it is critical for you to know your business niche . Think location, your specialties, and areas you want to focus on in the future. Does your business only serve a local economy, like Calgary, Alberta? If it does, can you see a place for your company in the global market? This information will help define your Search Engine Optimization strategy.
- Review your current marketing plan and branding collateral for example, do you have a professional logo design? A slogan? Do your print materials refer to a Web presence? Make sure to consider the costs of redoing your print material to align them with your new Web presence. Make all of your material as consistently branded as possible.
- Search out your competitors, both local and global online . Good Web design will appeal to local and global audiences and is as accessible as possible to as many people as possible , although your focus is more local than global .
- Search the Web for half a dozen websites that you like for a variety of reasons . These websites may be in your niche, but they might be from an entirely different niche . Focus on layout, navigation, functionality (e.g. galleries, blogs, etc.) .
- Choose if you want a dark web design (light text on dark colored field) or a light web design (dark text on a light colored field. Review your business branding and decide what you think will fit your unique situation best. If you are unsure, make a note to discuss this further with your web designer when you meet.
- Get some ideas down as to how you want the website to function. Remember, you can always integrate more functionality into the site in a later phase : will it be a simple static website ? Or will it be interactive ? Or do you need it to be an e-commerce solution right out of the gate ?
- How deep are you willing to go into the development of the site? Are you going to be able to produce professional grade content for the website? Getting a new web site designed is great, but if your content is poorly written then the web design won’t matter! Consider investing in getting the content properly written by a professional Web copy writer. Hopefully your design team also offers writing and editing services, but if they don’t or you need a different writing style, find a professional who can produce what you need.
- If possible, know how many pages you want on the site. Keep it realistic to what you can easily provide within the timeline you negotiate with your Web designer.
- Have your logo ready in the highest format possible, preferably a vector (print-ready) format.
- Organize any digital photos that you’d like to see on the website and if you know which page you want them on, list that too. If you need stock or custom photos provided, make sure you note this in your requirements when talking with your Web designer.
- Clarify your budget. Your website should hold for at least three years with little change needed to maintain its structure. Make sure you also budget for hosting, SSL certificate installation and renewals and ongoing marketing once the site is live.
Taking an hour or two to plan your project and thinking about how you’d like your Web site to be, before you seek a quote from a designer, will save you time and money and you will feel more confident about the end result.
Trust your Calgary Web Design needs to BlindDrop Design Inc. We offer all media services related to the Web and Graphic Design.
