5 things you need to know before starting your website project
You’ve finally made the decision and you’re ready to start on your website. Congrats! I’m super excited for you (hand clapping here and everything).
But wait. There are a few things that you should know and have prepared before anything goes on one of your webpages.
When I start working with a new client I always ask about these 5 things, so I can build the best final product just for them. It also helps to make the whole design process easier and smoother. And I’m all about making things easier for my clients!
So, here is a checklist of 5 things to prepare before starting your website project. Whether you’re working with a website designer (like me) or going the DIY route, these are important to know.
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1) Your Branding
Do you have all you branding visuals ready to go?
Besides your main logo, you may also want to have a secondary logo (in case the first one doesn’t fit well in the space), colours and fonts for your brand. This will help make your brand look cohesive over your website and things like social media.
2) Your main website goal
One of the questions that I ask every client is, “When someone lands on your home page, what do you want them to do? What’s your number one goal for your website?”
What do you want your website visitors to do most?
Click a link to learn something or get information
Buy a product or service
Fill out a form
Join an email list
Register for an event
Share something via email or social media
You may have several things that you want people to do on your website, but you need to know what the most important one is. This will help your web designer to create a plan for your website.
3) What pages do you want?
How many pages will you need for your website and which ones? Do you need a Services page or About Me? How about a Contact page?
Knowing the amount of pages will help determine costs if you are working with a web designer. It can also affect the amount of time that a project will take.
Knowing which pages you need will help your designer create a sitemap, figure out where your content will go and be able to give you recommendations for your website.
4) Functionality & Features
These days, my clients tend to need more than just a brochure website, with a couple of pages of information and a contact page. I often add on features like Squarespace Scheduling, to let people book clients online, live chat or newsletter blocks.
Other functions you may need include:
Online store
Membership sites
Online courses
Bilingual or multilingual websites
Your Content
The content for your website is one of the most important things to have prepared before you start your website project. Sure, I can make a website with placeholder pictures and lorem ipsum for the text (or my favourite - cupcake ipsum), but you get a better result by fully customizing the layout to your content.
Website content includes both your images and text.
Images
Make sure your images are clear, sharp and copyright-free (legal to use on your website).
Images you may want on your website include:
Professional headshots
Branding pictures
Product shots
Branded graphics
You can also use stock photos or even videos. Most web designer can refer you to photographers if you are looking to get headshots or branding pictures. I know some amazing photographers who work all over the greater Toronto area.
My clients often ask how many images to send me. This is a case of the more the merrier. Having more images means I get to choose just the right one for the perfect place.
Text
Some of the copy or text you may want to prepare for your website includes:
Your mission statement
Client testimonials
Descriptions of your products or services
Your contact info
Frequently Asked Questions
Your company history
Legal documents like privacy policies
Putting together your website copy can be a really difficult thing to prepare for a lot of people. I provide my clients with a Content Guide to help them write and organize their text. Some of my clients prefer to use a professional copywriter to take this off of their plates entirely.
For legal documents, The Contract Shop offers privacy policy templates* bundled with website terms and conditions for several different types of websites (e-commerce, online courses).
Got everything checked off the list? You’re ready to get started! Need some help? – Contact me.
