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What is Website Design?
In today’s internet economy, a company must have a web presence to be successful. A well-designed website will attract customers, promote products, and provide a way for customers to communicate with your company. There are many factors to consider when designing a website. These include:
- Setting reasonable goals (What is the website’s purpose? How much traffic do you expect? What is your desired conversion rate?)
- Determining how to be more effective than your competitors (through design, technology, and ease of use)
- Choosing design, hosting, content, and maintenance providers
- Creating a launch plan
Why is Website Design important?
Most businesses recognize that having a website is critical for the growth of their organizations. A website not only serves as a communications tool, but it also establishes an image for the business and helps customers locate the company.
Website design is an extremely critical business component. A well-designed site will not only help you get more clients and communicate with customers, but it will also provide a professional image to the world. On the other hand, a poorly designed site may be difficult for customers to navigate, may not function the way you need it to, and may provide a poor image of your company.
The most important thing about website design is determining what kind of image you want to put forth. For that reason, it is important to educate yourself about how a good website looks and functions - even if you are not designing it yourself.
Web site design is extremely important because color and aesthetics play a critical role in consumer response.
How should a vendor for Website Design be selected?
Selecting the right Website designer can make a huge difference to your business and your image. When looking for the right Website designer, consider the following factors:
- Design Portfolio - The vendor should have a design portfolio that represents your aesthetic tastes. For example, some designers rely on Web 2.0 format, which is similar in appearance to a blog. Other designers have certain "styles" that they are known for, such as techie, corporate, artsy, mom-and-pop, and more. Make sure that you like the work in a designer's portfolio before agreeing to work with him or her. If a designer does not have the type of sites in his portfolio that you are looking for, you may be taking a risk by hiring him.
- Price - There can be a huge difference in the price of a Web site. For example, using a template is much less expensive than having someone do an original design. There are no standards when it comes to the cost of a website. Therefore, it's wise to put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) in order to analyze the options that are available to you.
- References - Whenever you hire a vendor, it's important to check references. Make sure that the Web design company actually has live Websites in his or her portfolio. When you call references, ask questions such as: Did this Website design vendor deliver the site as expected? What are the company's strengths? What are the company's weaknesses? Would you use this company again? How was the follow-up after the launch of the site? Have you noticed any major errors in the site since the launch? Was this company easy to work with?
- Technology - All website design companies don’t use the same technologies. Are there specific technologies that you require for your website, such as a payment processing system, content management system, calendar, data storage, client log-in, RSS newsfeeds, or newsletters? If so, then create a list of all of the things you'd like to have on your site. Make sure that the web design team you choose is able to address each of the items on your wish list. Compare the prices that each vendor will charge for these additional services.
- Customer Relations - It is important that you are comfortable communicating with your web design team so that they understand your needs. If you choose to work with a team that is located in a different area, the team should be able to share files, notes, and progress updates in an easy-to-understand and efficient method. If you prefer to work side-by-side with a web team, make sure that the team understands this in advance and can visit your office or meet with you at their office. Being able to communicate with your web team will help to ensure that your web design project is successful from beginning to end.
Additional Resources:
- Things every company should know about designing a Website - even if they hire a design team to work for them
- Tips for all things web-related
