There are a number of factors to consider when conducting a web design. Hampshire, London, Lancashire or the USA – it doesn’t matter where you are based as the principles remain the same.
Before putting pen to paper (or cursor to Dreamweaver), you must first plan what the website will be used for. Is it a content-driven site? Is it set to generate revenue? Will it provide leads? A website needs to be appropriately tailored to your customers’ needs. A ‘one size fits all’ policy does not apply for website design as different customers will be using the website for different needs. Make sure that you design the website so the company can appropriately brand the page. It’s very often that a customer’s first impression of the company comes from initial contact with a website so the web design needs to ensure a distinct, authentic brand that is consistent across all marketing/communication efforts.
If the website is content-driven, make sure that pages such as news, products, contact us…etc. are easily accessible through the home page. This helps not only the consumer but search engines like Google. A lot of content on the site, combined with easy access to the relevant page, will allow the business to jump up the search rankings. The higher the site is in the search engines, the more traffic it could get. The more traffic you get, the higher the flow of revenue.
Consider whether the company wants to embed social media into the site, too. If they participate in platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others on a regular basis, then implementing links to these mediums could benefit the website. However, they are valueless unless they consistently participate.
Overall, a planned, strategised web design project has a very high chance of being successful. However, if you fail to prepare for some of these avenues, your web design company could be in deep water with your clients. No-one wants to pay for a costly redesign (which will come at the expense of the designer) so make sure it is right first time.