Like anything else the latest trends of website design are ever changing. The website you had designed 5 years ago is probably becoming outdated. Websites are becoming less content heavy and more design focused. They are also becoming more sophisticated in their “behind the scenes” or back-end functionality. That being said, if you’re thinking about refreshing your website there are many things you need to consider. We’ve compiled a list of key questions to ask yourself before approaching a website development company. Being clear on this information makes it a lot easier for both parties to understand your requirements – ensuring you get exactly what you wanted.

1. What is the goal of your website?

This is sometimes an easier question to answer than asking someone what functions they require. So, is the goal to educate visitors? Capture leads? Sell products? promote a service? The list can go on. Once your web designer knows this they can ensure whatever they create has this goal in mind.

2. Why do you want to have a new website?

This is similar to the first question, but it’s important to understand why you want a new website. Is it purely a design refresh? Is to meet the above goal better? Or is it to add new functionality? For a lot of our clients the work they require on their website isn’t just cosmetic and involves the linking of back-end applications to improve productivity or to provide more information.

3. Who are your top competitors?

As with any type of marketing, keeping track of what your competitors are doing is important, and more specifically, what are their websites doing? Design-wise you don’t want to mimic them – you want your brand to be distinguishable. But also, what features do they offer on their site? What information do they provide? Perhaps they’ve thought of something you haven’t.

4. Do you need a content refresh?

Changing the look and feel of your website might make it look more modern and stylish, but your content may still be hindering its performance. Does it describe your business and its services the way you want? Does it attract the right leads and convert them into sales? Does your website rank well in search engines? If the answer to any of these questions is no then you may want to consider engaging with a copywriter. A website should be designed around its content, so a redesign is also the perfect opportunity to overhaul it..

5. What’s your budget?

This might seem like a strange question to ask. How much do websites even cost?

But the answer to that question is, “it depends”. It depends on the functionality and complexity of the website and this can vary greatly. Engaging with the cheapest supplier may mean corners are cut and your website doesn’t do what you wanted it to. But on the other end you don’t want an offering that’s going to break the bank.

A ballpark figure helps set expectations at the early stages. We can then translate that into work we can provide within budget and go from there. It’s important to remember that your website is your digital storefront, and often one of the first interactions a customer has with your business. The initial investment required may be daunting but the ROI can be tenfold.

Summary

This list is by no means exhaustive, but these are the minimum questions you should be asking yourself before engaging with a web development company. On our website we have a more indepth questionnaire which you can download to use as a reference. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers, message us, give us a call, or pop into see us and we can work through it with you.